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iggs85

"Wood" laminate for a benchtop - does it look cheap?

Iggs
7 år sedan

Hi all. Has anyone used a wood-look laminate for a benchtop? I've never seen it in real life, just little samples and my worry is that it will look a bit cheap/fake.

We are replacing the bathroom cabinets and because of space limitations may need to keep with semi recessed basins. Was trying to achieve something similar to the look of the attached photo (probably will use a lighter natural oak colour though)

Utvalt svar
  • PRO
    KOEDAM DESIGN PTY LTD
    7 år sedan
    Hi iggys85

    I wouldn't be afraid to use a timber textured laminate for your bathroom benchtop. The advantages are cost, maintenance and wear.
    Having been in commercial and residential interior design for over 25 years, I have often used timber look laminate.

    There are some fantastic recent releases of timber look laminates. The very best have a texture, grain, that looks very realistic. The smooth laminates can look quite plastic and fake. That's why wood laminates were never used much for n benches, unless it was for commercial Fitouts.

    Make sure your joiner uses the laminate and not Melamine, as laminate is thicker and therefore more hard wearing. You can also use a post form edge with only a slight minimum round. That way it will look more like a piece of timber. Avoid a laminated straight edge, definitely a give away that it's not the real thing. Also try to use a plain colour for your cabinets.

    Look at Lamicolor from www.lamicolorqld. They have some very realistic looking timber laminates. Look at their Mattline range and woodfinish range.
    Our office loves the texture of the Mattline.
    Always look at larger samples too. You'd be surprised how much a small sample can hide knots and patterns that you may not like in a bench.

    All the best for your selection.

    Kommentarer (21)

    • Ann B
      7 år sedan
      Hi. In the photo it looks good, but I wonder how durable it would prove to be over time? Will the room get a lot of use or is it a powder room for guests? Also, is there a particular reason why you would choose it over say, engineered stone?
    • Iggs
      Författare
      7 år sedan
      Ändrades senast: 7 år sedan

      @Ann B: Costs would be the main factor over stone. I was originally going to go with stone benchtops but thought with a semi recessed basin it might not look very good. All the pictures i've seen with a semi recessed involved them being mounted into a big solid block like the picture above. I can only afford 20mm of stone haha

      (btw i'm not sure if the above is wood laminate - i just googled! although it doesn't quite look like real wood so probably is laminate)

    • philippawright
      7 år sedan

      I think it is fine in a bathroom - not so sure in a kitchen unless it is a finer grain and better used on cupboards than benches. It is more functional than real timber which requires treatment to keep it water tight and less expensive than engineered stone. Do think about the overall look you want and possibly have some storage cubes for towels or similar in the same material on another wall of the bathroom as this ties the material in with the design scheme for the whole room.

      I think the key is to look for a more natural wood tone without too much contrast.- either lighter or darker possibly the one above has a bit too much contrast. If you like it go for it!

    • Gallifrey
      7 år sedan

      We used Caesarstone and semi recessed basins. Not much stone here. Photo below



    • Iggs
      Författare
      7 år sedan

      thanks for advice philippa. Yes i'm getting stone in the kitchen and some ravine polytec cupboards as well there. You are spot on with those additional reasons why I wanted timber look laminate rather than real timber.


      Just curious, have you seen it in real life?

    • Iggs
      Författare
      7 år sedan

      @gallifrey: thanks for photos! looks good. Can I ask what your cabinetry is made of?

    • Iggs
      Författare
      7 år sedan
      Thank you for your advice.

      I was under the impression that if used for a benchtop, the laminate had to be smooth? Are the textured grain finished impractical to clean?
    • PRO
      KOEDAM DESIGN PTY LTD
      7 år sedan
      Iggys85, depending on the texture, they are still smooth enough to keep clean. 25 years ago there were a lot of textured laminates used for benches. Sometimes if they collected the dirt, we just used a soft brush with water/cleaning product to dislodge any dirt.
      My advice is to get a sample you like and test it. I do this with lots of my jobs and materials, including tiles. Let things sit and dry and then see how they clean up.
    • PRO
      KOEDAM DESIGN PTY LTD
      7 år sedan
      Also, if you go with a smooth laminate finish, still use the post form detail. It will look more realistic.
    • User
      7 år sedan
      I am a big fan of sustainability it's good to consider does your choice of material or product :

      1. Maximise the potential to be recycled at a later date.

      2. Is it as close as possible to its natural form or a recycled product.

      3. Is it in a sustainable form which will allow you to Carry out maintainace or repair of it became damaged and there for is less likely to be put into landfill.

      4. What is the performance of the product.
      What happens to laminate when its core gets exposed or wet?

      I personally would use a natural timber. You can source it from the following :

      1. Go to the supplier . Either search your area for "timber slabs"
      You should be able to get one for approximately $100 - $300

      2. Go to the dealer. Get a custom timber top from Bunnings
      For approx $300-$1000

      3. Recycle - Roam gumtree for timber furniture that is screaming to be reincarnated as a vanity anywhere from $20

      4. Contact your state forest for a timber slab.

      One you have your timber you can ask Bunnings to cut it to size. Then begin the process of sealing it via repetition of sanding and varnishing.

      Or maybe get a building designer to produce a technical drawing of your vanity and find a apprentice carpenter or cabinet maker to construct it for you?

      Sealing is the most important factor in the process, as it helps make the timber more resistant to water and moisture. There are various water, oil and wax-based sealants available on the market, which are suitable for different timbers and applications. Be sure to speak to an expert to help select the best sealant for your timber and to ensure it is properly applied. To be doubly sure that your timber doesn’t stain, leave water marks, or warp, make sure you wipe up any water that may pool on its surface as quickly as possible. Or ensure that you are treating it to prevent this.

      http://theinteriorsaddict.com/timber-in-the-bathroom-yes-and-not-just-on-the-block
    • User
      7 år sedan
      Recycled Timber Bench Tops · Mer info
    • Ann B
      7 år sedan
      Hi iggs85. I see your point re cost and how you think it may look. I'll attach a photo of one of my semi-recessed basins in stone. We had to use semi-recessed due to space restrictions as well. The benches are 440. Are yours narrower? I did Google stone benchtop offcuts. eBay has some in marble and granite. There appear to be businesses that do sell offcuts. Anyway, I think you would certainly be able to find a beautiful laminate you like. There is such a wide range. There are also some that look so much like stone. Will you have vanity cabinets/drawers under the benchtop? If so, what are your thoughts there? Same laminate or different? Have you visited any shops yet to look at samples?
    • Ann B
      7 år sedan
      Oops, forgot the photo. Here it is:
    • jmm1837
      7 år sedan

      Have you thought at all about Corian (or a clone?) We had semi recessed basins in our en suite, main bathroom and powder room, with Corian or Corian-like benchtops in our last house and they both looked good and stood up to everything thrown at them for 10 years.

    • hagan_38
      7 år sedan
      I had a timber look laminate in the bathrooms in our last house. The cabinet maker tried to talk us out of it saying it would scratch and look terrible but it was fantastic. I was really happy with it and had no regrets choosing it.
    • Iggs
      Författare
      7 år sedan
      Thanks for all the responses. Some updates. After some thought we've decided to go with ceaserstone benchtops just for long term durability.

      Also we are looking st some narrow semi inset basins (such as the caroma basa or track) so may not end up going the semi recessed route at all !
    • Vy
      7 år sedan

      We had it at our old place the laminate was wrapped over though ie the benchtop curved so no joints . It looked great ..it was a cherry wood laminate..

      didn't look cheap at all ..the bench ran the whole length of the powder room.


    • User
      7 år sedan
      Good choice. Caesar stone is an amazing product
    • beaseguel
      7 år sedan
      Ändrades senast: 7 år sedan

      Depends on the colour you use. I have used the Polytec ravine in the Natural oak on a number of projects on floating cabinetry and open shelving units and looks great!

    • Mads
      7 år sedan
      I looked into timber laminate but was worried about the same thing. So I went for real timber!
      It's got 12 layers of satin marine varnish on it (I'm a boatie) and it'll be super easy to replace, should I ever need or want to.
      (Grouting etc unfinished in this pic)
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