Thermally Fused Laminate Vs High Pressure Laminate

This product is not attached to a board and the carpenter has.

Thermally fused laminate vs high pressure laminate.

An additional protective overlay as well as the decor paper are placed on top of the kraft paper before pressing. Thermally fused laminate tfl and high pressure laminate hpl. Choosing the wrong finish can be one of the biggest mistakes buyers make. Should you choose a thermofused laminate tfl or a high pressure laminate hpl fo.

When its time to have the look of high pressure laminate hpl with similar performance thermally fused laminate tfl also referred to as thermally fused melamine tfm is often used. Thermally fused laminate tfl also offers excellent hardness and scratch resistance that can stand up to the high demands of many environments. Also just like laminate the melamine surfaces have lower quality and higher quality products. And while both materials are moisture resistant if you left a sweating glass on the surface of each overnight the results would be different.

There are two types of laminate that we use pretty often for furniture. Each is produced differently. The low quality melamine will not last as long as most laminate surfacing. The partially cured sheet is then stuck to a rigid backing material.

To make this laminate a very high pressure of 1400psi is used over 6 8 layers of kraft paper. The thermal fused melamine surface is thinner than high pressure laminate so it is more vulnerable to scratches and chips. These papers have been glued together and finally a melamine plastic is pressed at the top. Tfl is sufficiently durable and hard wearing for cabinets countertops and shelving.

Also called high pressure laminate this is popular among common people by the name of formica. Thermally fused laminate tfl is created by soaking decor paper with resin and allowing it to partially dry. With the absence of the multiple layers of kraft paper that is found in hpl you will loose some of the impact resistance but also you will have a lower cost. You may have noticed that laminate products are classified as a high pressure laminate hpl and low pressure laminate lpl.

Arauco prism tfl is ideal for on trend designs. However the thicker textured thermal fused melamine has the same kind of life expectancy of high pressure laminate. This designation refers to the process of attaching the laminate to the substrate core. Tfl is a melamine saturated paper that is thermally fused directly to the substrate.