A notice to all of
you Central
Floridians
Look for my column
"Function First", in
the Orlando
Sentinel. It will be
appearing monthly in
the Saturday Home
Fix-Up section.
Laminate Countertops – The Next Generation
Would you ever guess the countertop is this photograph is laminate? Not only is it beautiful,
it can also be “green.” Here’s the scoop.
 In order to achieve this granite-like contoured edge detail, ask your supplier to order post-formed
laminate countertops. These tops use a base material (substrate) shaped in the factory to form an
integrated front edge, work surface, and backsplash. Then a thin sheet of laminate is heated, curved,
and glued over the base to achieve the look of a far more expensive material.
Courtesy of VT Industries, the photo to the right shows a laminate countertop using Wilsonart Milano Mahogany, 4728-52.
Four additional benefits of post-formed countertops:
-
The need for caulking is reduced
because the backsplash is integrated into the
work surface. (If the countertop also has a
backsplash on the ends, these end pieces are separate.)
-
Post-formed countertops have a drip edge
integrated into the design. In other words, you
can feel a slight raise at the front edge of the top,
preventing small spills from running onto the floor.
-
The rounded, contoured edges are kinder to adults’ hips
or children’s heads. And rounded edges are less likely to chip.
-
No visible seams appear at the countertop edge.
Because post-forming equipment is expensive, these types of countertops are generally not
manufactured by small shops. They can, however, be ordered through your local supplier
from a larger company such as VT Industries (with five manufacturing facilities in the
United States) or Hartson-Kennedy. The process is simple: Select your laminate, confirm
with your supplier that the selection can be post-formed, and have the supplier measure
and place the order. (Most Wilsonart and Formica laminates can be post-formed, but not all
laminates have the appropriate properties for this process.) On the job site, laminate tops
need only be cut to length and any exposed ends covered with a glue-on piece of the laminate
trim. For more information visit
www.vtindustries.com or
www.hartson-kennedy.com.
Other Laminate Facts
-
Installation Tips:
Laminate countertops base material (substrate) is usually made of particleboard
or medium-density fiberboard. • Substrate materials are very porous. If they come
into contact with water, they acts as a wick, so a good installer seals around the
raw edge of the sink cutout, applies a sealer on the underside of any countertop
located above the dishwasher (an area subject to steam), and seals raw edges where
a seam will occur in the top.
-
Laminate Manufacturers:
Laminate is supplied by companies such as Wilsonart® International
(www.wilsonart.com), Formica®
(www.formica.com), and Nevemar™
Decorative Surfaces (www.nevemar.com).
-
Going Green?
If you’d like to improve the indoor air quality of your home by using countertops
with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds are
 chemicals released into the air as gasses),
VT Industries offers a green product called EQcountertops. These tops combine a GREENGUARD
low-emitting particleboard core with water-based adhesives (also a low-VOC product) and a
GREENGUARD-certified laminate.
To order green countertops:
1. Select a laminate certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) under the
GREENGUARD Standard for Low Emitting Products.
www.greenguard.org. Formica and Nevemar offer
GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® laminates, and at the time of this writing, it is my
understanding that Wilsonart is in the GREENGUARD-certification process.
2. Have your supplier order EQcountertops tops from VT Industries (or one of their distributors)
with the laminate you’ve specified. (Local manufacturers who produce laminate countertops with
all three qualities—low-emitting laminate, low-emitting substrate, and water-based adhesives—are
very challenging to find. By ordering from VT, the entire top is green.)
Is there a
subject you’d like
me to cover? Let me
know by sending an
email to
tracy@tracystips.net.
All past issues of
this ezine are in
the Ezine Archives
on our web site.
Click here for Ezine
Archives !
Copyright © 2008
Tracy DeCarlo - All
Right Reserved
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