Gorilla and Mushroom Renovation

It is not uncommon to hear terms like Laminates, Veneers, ABS trimmings, Aluminium trimmings, Post form top, Solid surface, Stone surface, Round edged, Bull-nosed, Chamfered edged, Handle-less designs, Contemporary, Minimalist, Retro, Modern, Zen… etc and most of the time, we get overwhelmed by these technical terms.

What is the difference between them? Which material is better?
Can they all be used to fit our designs?
For my budget… should we go for the higher end materials? Which design theme suits our home? … the list is endless.

For a start, always ask for samples of the laminates that the ID you engaged will be using when he does your custom furniture pieces. Eventhough the colors of the various brands are similar, due to the way they are manufactured, they each have their pros and cons. So getting samples from the ID for the brands they are offering will allow one to decide if that particular brand is good enough for your needs.

We requested for a few brands of laminates and did a comparison. Plucked them out of the sample booklet, labeled them and put them to various kinds of wear and tear tests. We scratched them, washed them... etc the works! We felt there is a need to perform such tests before making any decisions on which laminates to choose.
They are samples, and samples are meant to be tested anyways 8p

Oh... one more thing... remember to view the selected laminates under different light conditions. We were surprised at how different they look under the different light conditions (sunlight, day light, fluorescent light, evening light... etc)
Be sure to view them under light conditions that will be similar to what you will get in your home... eg under cool white tubes if you are going for those in your home, in your different room at various times of the day (morning, afternoon, evening and night)... etc

That way, you can make a better decision when it come to selecting your laminates and colors for the various rooms.

One of the thing that we came across, some designers will encourage the use of veneers on the inside of the cabinets, saying it makes the cabinets look better and it makes one wonder… Does this finishing make any difference to the cabinets? Can I go without it?

Lining the inner compartments of the cabinets uses additional veneer/laminates, so it is going to be extra cost. The cost of the veneer is calculated on a per square feet (PSF) basis, so, more compartments, more laminates used, more expensive.

Depending on the design, whether it is open concept or a cabinet with doors, one can do without this extra. The inner compartments of the cabinets are for storage purposes only, so using PVC is good enough. PVC is a thin white laminate that is used to cover the inner compartments of the cabinets. This is to reduce the cost of building the cabinets.

There is no need to spend the extra for the laminates on the inside, unless your cabinets are the open concept ones… that is… no doors. With the doors closed to hide the clutter of what you store in them, who is going see what laminates you use inside, veneer or otherwise? 8)

Next: Trimmings…

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