TOP 5 most durable and beautiful industrial wood surface coatings

The most aesthetic and durable types of industrial wood surface coatings are: Laminate, Melamine, Acrylic, Veneer and Vinyl VFB. They all bring aesthetics and increase durability to the product, so which type is better? Kosmos will analyze each type to give you the most intuitive view!

Popular wood surface laminate – Laminate

Laminate panels (also known as Formica panels) is a popular industrial wood surface gluing material, its scientific name is High Pressure Laminate (HPL).

Laminate surface characteristics

Laminate surface widely used because it has many features such as: water resistance, heat resistance, cigarette butt fire resistance, antistatic, scratch resistance, abrasion resistance and antibacterial.

Laminate wood surface panels There are extremely diverse designs and colors. They often have wood grain patterns, covering industrial wood cores to replace natural wood boards, used for flooring, making shelves, making chairs, table tops, etc.

Laminate panel structure

Lamiante plate It has 3 layers: transparent protective layer (Overlay), decorative paper layer (Decorative paper), base paper layer that creates durability and flexibility for the sheet (Kraft Papers).

• Protection class: The coating on the surface of the plate is impregnated to give a transparent color. It protects the decorative grain layer below from scratches and helps the grain pattern to be reproduced clearly and beautifully.
• Decoration class: This is a clearly printed pattern with eye-catching colors.
• Base paper layer: Pulp and additives form thin layers of paper. The more layers of paper used to press together, the higher the thickness of the Laminate sheet.

Laminate created by dipping the decorative pattern layer through Melamine glue and then pasting it to the base paper layer, adding a protective layer before pressing all three together into a complete whole.

Melamine industrial wood surface coating

Melamine coating is a layer of decorative paper dipped in Melamine glue. They are coated on the surface and merged into one body with the industrial wood core after pressing. The decorative paper layer is made from wood pulp, titanium and many other substances, ensuring surface durability.

Melamine wood surface coating Thinner and simpler in structure than Laminate (no Overlay coating and Kraft paper backing). They are tightly pressed into the wooden core to make the product more eye-catching, giving users many choices because of their diverse designs.

Besides, the process of creating Melamine surfaces is quite fast, saving costs for users because the price is lower than Laminate.

Acrylic surface on industrial wood board

Acrylic surface is a surface covered with Acrylic resin (mica resin), making the product waterproof, highly durable, and prolongs its life. Not only that, Acrylic coated products also have a glossy surface, creating a luxurious and trendy beauty. We can easily clean the dirt on this surface.

The glossy surface is luxurious but easily shows scratches when exposed to sharp objects and is not suitable for classic interior spaces. Because of the complex production process, the cost of creating an Acrylic surface will be higher than that of Melamine, Laminate and Veneer surfaces.

>>> You can refer to another application of Acrylic used as a coating for plastic wood click here!

Veneer panels glued on industrial wood surfaces

Veneer panels (veneer) Pasted on the surface of industrial wood are thin natural wood panels, sliced ​​directly from round trees. They have a thickness of about 0.6mm - 3mm, a width of about 180mm and a length of 240mm, used for decorative purposes. Helps us get products with original beauty but at extremely low prices.

To create Veneer panels, we will first collect round wood materials (oak, walnut,...) and do basic processing such as: removing rough bark, soaking and boiling the wood to remove resin. Dry or hang to dry. After that, we start cutting the wooden blocks into thin slices and then drying them by machine.

The Veneer sheet will be pressed tightly onto the industrial wood surface that has been pre-coated with UF glue. The final product will be sanded and polished until it is smooth and flat.

The advantage of the Veneer surface is that the color and wood grain are completely natural and the price is cheap. However, their water resistance and scratch resistance are very poor, so they need to be carefully preserved when used.

Vinyl surface of VFB board - Vinyl Faced Board

Vinyl Faced Board (VFB) is a wooden board covered with PVC plastic film (Polyvinyl Chloride). The advantage of vinyl-coated boards is that they are flexible and highly resistant to moisture. Its preservation time is longer than Melamine-coated boards but does not create the same realistic feeling.

This surface has the disadvantage of not being able to withstand high heat sources, and the color also fades when exposed to direct sunlight for a long time. They are also easily scratched by the impact of sharp objects and cannot withstand large loads. However, Vinyl also brings high aesthetics when produced with many eye-catching colors and designs.

Finished vinyl surface coverings come in rolls and are processed onto industrial wood boards and plastic boards for use.

At first glance, it is difficult to recognize the differences between these types of industrial wood surface coatings, but after reading the above analysis, we hope you can distinguish them. Laminate (Formica), Melamine, Acrylic (Mica), Veneer (veneer) and Vinyl (PVC film) all have different production methods, prices and features are not the same.

Frequently asked questions about laminate surface coatings

How much does laminated wood cost?

Laminate-coated wood plastic ranges from 150.000 - 1.500.000 VND/sheet depending on thickness (from 0.7mm to 12mm). Although Laminate is more expensive than Melamine, with its scratch-resistant and durable features, Laminate is still a worthy choice for projects requiring high quality.

How is the structure of Laminate different from other types of coatings?

Laminate panels have a complex structure consisting of 3 main layers: the overlay layer provides gloss and scratch resistance, the decorative paper layer is embedded with glue to create stable color, and the base paper layer (Kraft papers) increases thickness and durability. Unlike Melamine which only has a simple decorative paper layer, the more complex structure of Laminate helps create products with higher durability and aesthetics.

What are the advantages of laminated wood plastic?

Laminate-covered plastic wood Outstanding with 6 outstanding features: water resistance and outstanding fire resistance, scratch resistance to maintain product beauty, diverse designs and colors, not affected by mold and termites, easy installation thanks to light weight, and environmentally friendly.

If you still need any further advice from Kosmos, you can ask questions below in the comments section or call immediately at  (+84) 903 093 221.