By Mike Ferrara, "Lazy Homeowner a.k.a. TechnoDad"
The durable, decorative and versatile nature of laminates lends itself to applications far beyond the typical countertop in kitchens and bathrooms. In fact, you can go all the way back to 1959 when Ralph Wilson Sr., the founder of Wilsonart International, designed and built his own house.
The interiors of the Wilson house feature extensive use of laminate clad built-in cabinetry in the kitchen, laundry, bathrooms and shower. Ralph Wilson even covered the walls of the house instead of using drywall! The living room is decorated with a geometric pattern of custom laminates that covers one entire wall. For more information on the historic Wilson house, visit: Wilsonart Corporate: Wilson House
Today, the focus is on flexible living spaces, and laminate is ideal in high-use areas such as:
Craft/hobby rooms
Garages
Children's Rooms
Libraries
Family rooms
Cabinets, tables, bookshelves
Snack bars
Laminate has long been popular in children's rooms because of the wide array of design options and the safety afforded by rounded custom edges on tables and countertops. Laminate makes sense on walls and doors in this tough environment as well. Click here for an article on children's rooms.
Because laminate is naturally resistant to minor bumps and bruises, and cleans up with mild soap and water, it's a cost-effective choice for workspaces in a craft room, office or garage. Garages have gotten lots of attention in the past few years, as the last room in the house to be remodeled. Although several manufacturers have marketed expensive metal cabinets and workbenches, custom-made or semi-custom laminate-clad furniture is available in far more colors and finishes and is less expensive than garage-specific components.
Garages offer designers and do-it-yourselfers alike a blank slate of storage possibilities, depending on the needs of the owner. Again, as in a child's room, having washable surfaces on walls and doors is a good idea if you're going to keep this jewel box for guys looking as good as the rest of the house.
The popularity of home theaters with large screens, computer work stations and video game consoles are other potential uses of laminate for storage enclosures, table tops and decorative moldings, particularly some of Wilsonart's Decorative Metals and groovy Metalaminates?. See some examples in our Product Viewer
Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention laminate flooring. With a durable wear layer and hundreds of color and pattern choices, it's even tougher than regular Wilsonart Laminate. For more information, visit: Wilsonart Flooring
