What to consider when buying a laminate worktop

There are many manufacturers of laminate, the most famous of which is Formica. Other manufacturers include Polyrey, Pfleiderer, Westag Getalit, Arpa and Abet Laminati. Formica patented their laminate manufacturing process in 1913, just before the start of World War I.

Worktop manufacturing process

Laminate is made by impregnating a roll of patterned or plain coloured roll of paper with resin to create a rigid sheet of brittle laminate material. This is then fitted by heating, bending and gluing to a piece of curved fronted or postformed worktop grade chipboard. The underside of most worktops is balanced using Kraft paper to prevent warping. Some of the modern 22mm thick worktops are, surprisingly, more expensive than their thicker relatives. Because they are so thin, potential warping would be more likely, so the balancer underneath is a white or neutral coloured laminate, rather than Kraft paper.

Worktop colour choice

Most manufacturers of laminate worktops give a choice of between 50 and 60 colourways including wood effect, stone effect, granite effect. Try to decide which of these would look best in your kitchen. Consider whether the kitchen users will be careful and responsible i.e. treating the worktop with respect, or whether there are teenagers involved. If you are in the habit of cutting directly onto worktops then maybe laminate is not for you, or if you decide to go ahead, maybe choose a lighter colour which doesn't show scratches up so much as a darker finish. Either way, you will need chopping boards and trivets to protect the worktop surface. 

Worktop prices

Laminate is the least expensive worktop choice, starting at roughly £35 to £40 per linear metre including VAT for a long lasting, quality brand. Breakfast bars of 665mm or 900mm start roughly at £50 per linear metre including VAT.

How thick are kitchen worktops?

There are many different thicknesses available and they vary between manufacturers. Thicknesses include 22mm, 28mm, 30mm, 38mm, 39mm and 40mm. Our bespoke Formica range is available in 40mm thick, but also as 32mm and 27mm thick. Being one off items they start at around £135 per linear metre. In the bespoke range we can go thicker than 40mm if required.

How size worktop will you need?

Bear in mind that you might need a worktop deeper than 600mm for the following reasons: If you have an Ikea kitchen you will need around 635mm deep, if you have a Howdens kitchen you will need around 616mm deep, if you have an uneven wall then you might need to scribe a deeper worktop to match the shape of the wall. 

Scratch resistance of worktops

Scratch resistance of laminates has improved immensely over the decades and these worktops will last many years if treated properly. Chopping boards should always be used and cutting directly on the laminate surface should always be avoided. Plain colours and dark colours tend to show scratches up more readily than light colours or patterns. A few small scuffs over time are inevitable on a laminate worktop but these will not affect the integrity of the worktop. 

Heat resistance of worktops

Although some laminates are heat resistant up to 230° Celsius it is never a good thing to put anything hot directly from the oven onto the laminate surface as damage will eventually occur as the glue which bonds the laminate to the substrate could eventually break down. Always use either a trivet, a chopping board or stainless steel effect self adhesive hot rods which will dissipate the heat. GEtalit worktops techincally have the best heat resistance of laminate worktops.

Worktop sizes

Nearly all makes are available now as 4.1 metre lengths and  600mm/665mm and 900mm in depth. One or two makes are available as a 3m x 600mm but they reduce your choice of colourways. Also, choosing a 3 metre worktop will probably mean that there are no 665mm matching breakfast bars in that range. Just one make, Getalit, is available as an extra deep 1200mm depth which is ideal for kitchen island units as the breakfast bars are postformed on both long edges.

First published 25 August 2017