FINISHING MATERIALS USED IN INTERIOR, LAMINATES AND VENEER

1. FINISHING MATERIALS
FOR INTERIOR
- LAMINATES AND VENEER -

2.  LAMINATE:
Laminate is also known as sun mica or fore mica. It is a flat
surface with a layer of plastic or some protective material. It is
made of craft and design paper on which phenol sheet is placed
and pressed in machine.
Laminates provide a better surface finish for furniture
elements and also provide an attractive look for a very less
price. Furniture like tabletops, cupboards, surfaces of chairs
mostly uses laminates as the finish material.

3. MANUFACTURING PROCESS:
Laminate sheets are made by bonding together two or more
layers of materials. Laminate sheets from plastics are glued to
wood to make the surface aesthetic. These sheets are
manufactured by laminating different types of papers with
formaldehyde. The core sheet consists of Kraff
paper with phenol formaldehyde (PF) and below it, a barrier
paper is provided. Above the Kraff paper, a tissue paper is
impregnated with FF melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin is
provided which gives protection and also enhances abrasion
resistance. Then, these laminates are bonded to wooden
surfaces with suitable glue and pressing for some time finishes
the process.

4. Laminates based on manufacturing process:
 High-Pressure Laminate (HPL):
These laminates are most durable, flame retardant, and
consists high level of resistance to heat and chemicals.The layer
of the laminate adheres to substrate under pressures of 70 to
100 bars at temperatures of 280° to 320° Fahrenheit
using adhesives. The laminates are available in thickness 0.8
mm, 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm in standard sizes 1.2 m x 2.5 m.
 Low-Pressure Laminate (LPL):
The layer of the laminate adheres to substrate under
pressures of 20 to 30 bars at temperatures of 335° to 375°
Fahrenheit without using adhesives. These laminates are less
durable, thinner than HPL, flame retardant, resistant to heat and
chemicals and comparatively very cheaper than HPL.

5. Laminates based on Usage:
 Decorative Laminates:
These laminates are mainly used as furniture surface materials and
commonly used to protect the wooden surfaces. They are available both
in low pressure and high-pressure laminates and used for
decorating walls, home interiors, etc. to provide an attractive
appearance.
 Industrial Laminates:
These laminates are specially made for industrial uses, which are
very durable and high resistant to wear and tear. They are mainly used
for electrical insulation purposes like in circuit boards.
Laminates based on thickness:
 Compact Laminates:
These laminates consist of thickness ranging from 3 mm to 30 mm,
which are self-supporting and need not be glued to any other material.
 Regular laminates:
These laminates consist of thickness ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.5
mm, and these sheets are glued together using adhesives like fevicol
by carpenters to substrate materials like plywood.

6. Laminates based on Surface finish:
 Glossy finished laminate:
It creates a glossy effect on the laminate surface and also creates print
on it, can make the furniture look more eye-catching and attractive than
other finishes. These laminates are used in the event industry, restaurants,
hotels, and in clubs.
 Matt finished laminate:
It creates matt like finish, which gives a flat finish on the laminate
surface. These are used in corporate and business offices, where a subtle but
a stylish look is desired.
 Metallic finished laminate:
As the name itself says that it gives a metallic look to the laminate
surface. These laminates are durable and used in commercial buildings and
showrooms.
 Texture finished laminate:
These laminates are designed in such a way, where you can feel
the texture or pattern printed on the decor paper. These are used in
flooring, wall cladding, where a subtle and classy look is required.
 Solid Colored laminate:
These types of laminates are printed with one solid color without any
print or patterns on it. These are most common laminate sheets and mainly
used in kitchen countertops and bathroom areas.

7. o Digital laminate:
These are customized printed laminated sheets used
in interiors for the artistic view.
o Wood Grain Laminate:
These laminates are designed in such a way that they look like
real wood and extensively used in wooden floorings. They are made of
both softwood and hardwood.
o Leather laminate:
These laminates sheets give a leather material look and are
used in cabinets and other furniture elements.

8. ADVANTAGES
 Easy to clean
 More economical
 Available in various kinds of
design, patterns, textures &
colours.
 High resistance to scratch and
it is also moisture resistant.
 It is waterproof.
 It is more economical and
requires less skill to install.
DISADVANTAGES
 It is not natural.
 It is not as durable. (short life
span)
 Hard.
 Not easy to mold in desire
form.
 It is difficult to be recycled.

9. Uses:
 Decorate laminates are used for the interior work of houses.it gives
attractive look for house interiors ,walls.
 It is also used in industrial area which have high resistance of scratch.
 It is also used in office, hotel’s furniture.
 Used where durability, impact and scratch resistance is important.
 Example: Tabletops, Office Furniture, Cabinetries, Doors, etc.
o It is available in only one size of 4`x8`.
o Thickness is 1-2 mm.
o Most costly –Rs.5000-5500
o Least costly – Rs.500-600
Cost and Size:

10.  VENEER:
Veneer is a very thin layer of a fine wood especially used to
cover the wood with the finer quality of sheet which gives a
superficially attractive appearance.
It is a very thin treated slice of wood which is obtained from
trees and are categorized as sliced or rotary – cut veneers.
Majorly used for furniture and paneling, they are considered as a
best option for residential use. In today’s market it offers a
range of veneers which are used for wall paneling too.
Veneer has a very sharp and a warm finish that add a unique
character with their natural grain and help in attaining a better
look and a feel of natural wood.

11. MANUFACTURING PROCESS:
The manufacturing of wood veneer includes all the processes
from the time when the tree log enters the yard to the time
when veneer sheets are packed and ready to be transported.
1. Log Yard:
As soon as the tree log arrives from the forest, they
are classified by species and kept under conditions of
optimal humidity by spraying water or by soaking in water
ponds. This is done to prevent the tree log from degrading
which usually occurs as a result of drying.
2. Debarking:
The next step is debarking. Taking great care not to
Damage the tree log the bark is peeled off with evenness.
3. Soaking of Logs:
The next step involves soaking the log to soften the
fiber. It is necessary for uniform slicing

12. 4. Cutting the Logs:
The key operation of how and where a tree log
should be cut depends on the slicing method used to
produce veneer. Each log, already identified has its own
barcode. This enables the various cuts to be identified any
time. For peeling, the tree log will be cut in half or quarters
part. These logs are called peeler blocks or peeler billets.
5. Peeling:
Ensure that the veneer logs of the same tree
are not separate tags corresponding to logs barcode
are carefully attached and verified at each step. In
this step, the tree logs are sliced to veneer sheets.
There are distinct methods to slice a veneer from
hardwood logs.

13. 6. Drying:
The veneer sheets always remain in the natural order as they emerge
such that all parts of the original log are kept together. One by one the slices
of veneer carefully enter the dryer, where they are dried evenly within a few
minutes. Air temperature of up to 320°F at high velocity is blasted on the
surface. The veneer must be dried in such a way that it has at least 8-12% of
moisture content.
7. Quality Check:
As veneer slices leave the dryer, they are again reassembled to
reconstruct the log which never separates. The identification is subjected to
several verifications. It involves examining and classifying the wood veneer.
An expert carefully inspects each log to make sure customers receive quality
veneers having strict standards.
8. Clipping:
It is the initial step in the splicing process. They are cut with clipper to
obtain sheets that are even in length. A similar clipping or cutting process is
performed to acquire sheets of a proper width. The quality of the veneer
panel depends on the precision and angle of the cut. Panels are then headed
to the glue machine, which bonds the edges of the veneer sheets.
9. Splicing:
Here the veneer sheets are assembled to produce a match. The pressure
exerted and the heat used ensures a solid, consistent match. A wide range
of veneer matching available as follows:
10. Packing:
The veneer sheets are finally measured, packed and labels are stuck with
an indication of length, width, etc. Ready flitches are put into pallets. Each
pallet is packed into protective polyethylene and is tightened with a packing
tape. They are now ready to be transported.

14. Types of Veneer Substrate:
There are three main types of veneer substrate depending on
the application. The wood is cut from the log, and then applied
to the top of the one of the following options:
1. Paper- Backed Veneer-
It is a kind of veneer that is joined by a paper
backing it up. This type of veneer is most commonly
used when trying to attach and match curves. This
type of veneer is found inside automatic dashboards
and interior columns.
2. Wood-on-Wood Veneer
It is the type of veneer that is to be glued on top of
another piece of veneer in order to keep it intact.
The veneer which is used on the backside is of lower
quality as it cannot be seen. This type is commonly
used for decorative interior furnishings of an office or
apartment

15. 3. Phenolic- Backed Veneer
The phenolic-backed veneer is backed by a plastic
and has a very soothing and decorative veneer on the
front. An advantage for this type is that the back of
veneer is water resistant as it is made up of plastic. It
also bends, likewise to paper-backed veneer but not fully
same. The best thing of this veneer is that it can be easily cut by a knife whereas
for other veneer substrate, a table saw or a hand router is needed. This type of
veneer is mainly used in any interior decorative application.

16. ADVANTAGES
 It looks like natural wood.
 Low cost material.
 Flexibility in design.
 Each sheet different as tree
would be different.
 Increases strength and
durability.
 Eco-friendly and non toxic.
DISADVANTAGES
 water damage can easily
happen.
 Installation required skilled
workers.
 More maintenance required
for this.

17. Uses:
 Generally used in interior of residential and commercial areas for
furniture
 Use of furniture including table, chair, walls and ceilings
 Decorative design on the musical instruments.
o Cost depends on quality
o Cost – 50rs to 2000rs.
o More cost – 20000rs.
o It has high profit margin as compared to laminates
Cost and Size:

18.  SUMMARY:
The main use of both veneers and laminates is to provide a decorative surface,
which gives a finishing touch to the interior design. Though being used for the same
purpose these materials are poles apart in their properties, availability, life cycle,
cost, etc.
If you need good aesthetics and have a luxurious budget, a veneer is
recommended. However, laminates go hand in hand as far as general use is
concerned.
veneer is the fully surface finished product. It is a natural and environment
friendly product, which is used mostly in residential and commercial spaces. It
enhances the look of furniture or surface which makes it easy to sell. It acts as the
best element in furniture where the use of wood is avoided. It is majorly used in
residences for furniture and panels for cabinet. It is one such material which helps to
achieve the desired look within the budget…!
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