Melamine is a laminate, but not all laminates are melamine. Melamine is considered, and often referred to as, a direct or low pressure laminate (LPL) because it is manufactured with a pressure of 300-500 pounds-per-square-inch.
Melamine is cheaper than laminate as it is manufactured by a method which is not cost intensive. Laminate is more durable than melamine and more resistant to heat and chemicals. Melamine is produced with a pressure of just 300-500psi while to make a laminate a pressure of 1400psi is required.
Decorated board, also known as low-pressure melamine or LPM, was introduced more recently and is now commonly specified alongside laminate by designers and fabricators. The two products go by several different names and are sometimes even referred to collectively as "Laminex", but they're actually very different.
Melamine is a popular plastic material used in modern home cabinetry. It is very durable and has a wide variety of hue and pattern possibilities. Melamine fused with plywood is also the most sustainable option for cabinetry.
Although plastic laminate and melamine are common materials, not everyone knows the difference. Both materials are used to cover substrates such as particleboard, MDF and plywood for use in cabinets and countertops. Both materials provide outstanding protection for the substrate.
While plastic laminate costs a bit more than melamine, it is more resistant to moisture, chemicals, heat and force. Working with plastic laminate takes a fair bit of skill and more specialized machinery than building with melamine.
Wide Selection – Melamine is produced in an incredibly wide variety of finishes and colors. Great Durability – Melamine is waterproof, shatter and scratch resistant. Easy On Budget – Melamine covers less expensive wood products like MDF or plywood.
Price. Made of pressed wood, MD, or plywood topped by a layer of paper coloured with a heat-fused melamine resin, melamine is the least expensive cabinet material.
What is Melamine Furniture? Melamine furniture is constructed from a manufactured-wood substrate, like MDF (medium density fiberboard) or plywood, that has been covered in melamine laminate. The melamine resin gives these otherwise lower-quality materials a very durable and attractive finish!
Melamine offers a smooth, uniform surface that is very durable, moisture resistant, and easy to clean. The lack of wood grain is actually preferred by many people who want solid colored cabinets, and melamine can come prefinished in a variety of colors.
More accurately, melamine sheets often form one of the layers of plastic laminate, which is typically bonded together with particleboard or another backing material.
Test authenticity of melamine by boiling for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Fake melamine will deform and bend and even melt when heated. Steaming fake melamine also causes eye irritation, coughing and nausea. Authentic melamine should be heavier and thicker.
Laminate Cabinets
This process leaves a completely smooth surface that does not show any seams. The lack of seams around the door's joints can be a clear indication that your cabinet doors are a laminate material.
Uses of Melamine Board
Now the big question is, “What is melamine board used for?” Melamine board is often used in kitchen and bathroom cabinetry for its durability. It works well for shelving as well as display counters, office furniture, whiteboards, even flooring.
The right paint and brushes help you get successful results when you paint melamine, thermofoil and laminate surfaces. Lots of paints work well on these materials, including high-quality latex, acrylic and chalk paints, but most of them require priming.
Some of the pros and cons to using prefinished maple plywood: A pro is that plywood is a little bit stronger than melamine, it is also lighter than melamine. The screw holding strength is about equal to both melamine and plywood with plywood being slightly stronger.
Melamine boards are very cost effective and used in making furniture , cabinets as they are scratch resistant , heat and termite resistant.
The high quality melamine that Crooked Oak uses is not likely to warp. It is also generally more durable in less-than-ideal environments. Melamine also works well for adjustable shelves. If you plan on moving the shelves in your custom storage unit regularly, melamine would make it easier.
Melamine: Melamine is more economical and easier to look after for the kitchen and bathroom cabinet boxes and shelves. MDF is a dense fiberboard and very heavy, in fact, too heavy for cabinet boxes. MDF doors cost as much as Maple framed doors and they are heavier than Maple doors.
Melamine dinnerware has a price range from $3.60 to about $13.00 per plate.
The manufacturer typically bonds a decorative paper to the material underneath through a heated manufacturing process. The result is a plastic-like building material that looks like wood grain or other color or texture, depending on the look of the decorative paper used.
Pro: Inexpensive
When comparing melamine to solid wood style cabinets, melamine offers a less expensive option. This leads to savings with your renovations or installations, making your budget seem bigger.
Finish Raw Edges with Edge Banding
When the edge of a melamine panel is visible but you don't want to add solid wood nosing, apply edgebanding tape. You can buy iron-on edge banding at most home centers. But an even easier solution is to apply self-adhesive or peel-and-stick edge banding.
Melamine is a very fragile material, and it needs a specific saw and the ones that come standard with most hand saws or miter saws are for general use, but most likely that you will need to buy a saw blade specially designed to cut melamine.
The decorative melamine face is moisture resistant, but prolonged contact with moisture may cause water to pass through to the chipboard core and cause damage.