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About This Project
If you think you have to spend big bucks for a chic countertop that’ll turn heads and make friends want to rub it, think again. Plastic laminate (often called Formica—the name of one manufacturer) continues to be the most common counter surface in today’s homes because it’s durable, affordable and you can install it yourself. And with styles that mimic popular stone looks, you can turn heads at one-fourth the price or less.
This article will help you understand the strengths and limitations of laminate so you can make the best choices for your kitchen. We’ll offer advice on selecting among hundreds of colors and patterns, discuss how you can accessorize with different edge styles and back-splash treatments, and highlight what you need for a price estimate for either a custom or a do-it-yourself job.
Laminate is available in a huge array of colors and patterns, which can make decision-making tough. So don’t make your decision at the home center. Select three or four chips you like, plus one or two “wild card” choices, and take them home. Put them on the counter for a week or more—live with them—and judge them against the cabinet and wall colors in your kitchen. Observe them both in daylight and under the room lights in the evening. The type of light often has a significant impact on the color.
If the small chips available at every kitchen showroom aren’t adequate, ask if larger pieces are available. Or have paint mixed to match the chip and paint a larger board to set in your kitchen.
If you want to venture beyond one color or pattern, say for a fancier counter edge or different-colored backsplash, take samples of those home as well.
Beware of Dark Colors—They Show Scratches!
Although laminate is durable, scratches are inevitable
because countertops typically get heavy wear. Scratches tend to be light
colored, which makes them highly visible against deep colors and virtually
impossible to hide.
If you love a deep color, find a pattern in that color that’ll help disguise scratches. Test this yourself by taking a color chip and dragging the coarse bottom of a coffee cup across it, and then a steak knife and a pizza cutter. Check the visibility of the scratches.
Another option is to choose a “color core” laminate, which has a much thicker color layer than regular laminate. Test this laminate as well. Unfortunately, this type is three to four times more expensive and not as durable.
To make sure you get a good selection, visit a kitchen specialty retailer as well as a home center. You may find a somewhat different color selection and a wider range of edge options. To preview the colors and patterns available, visit the laminate manufacturers’ Web sites. (See the Buyer’s Guide.)
Laminate has a lot of style, especially when it comes to countertop edges. Dealers can show you a wide range of them—from simple bullnoses to beveled laminate, to wood, to various inlays—at a wide range of prices! It doesn’t take much to make the countertop look elegant. You can even get edges with greater design detail (see Buyer’s Guide). Here are several buying tips:
- Avoid edges with sharp corners and sharp lower edges if you have toddlers. They’ll no doubt bump their head at some point.
- Wood edges are handsome, but they’re more vulnerable to moisture and wear. You have to touch up the finish periodically to keep them looking sharp.
- If you opt for a natural stone–style laminate, choose a beveled edge to mimic a stone edge.
- Make sure any edging you choose won’t interfere with drawers or the dishwasher door.
Buyer’s Guide
Largest laminate manufacturers:
FORMICA: (800) 367-6422, www.formica.com
NEVAMAR: (800) 638-4380, www.nevamar.com
PIONITE: (800) 746-6483, www.pionite.com
WILSONART: (800) 433-3222, www.wilsonart.com
Manufactured edges:
GEM-LOC (LOTI CORP.): (877) 436-3343, www.gemloc.com
KUEHN BEVEL: (800) 862-3835, www.kuehnbevel.com
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