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Laminate buying guide
Four thicknesses, five finishes.
Two sheets can carry the same design and still wear very differently. Thickness decides how much knocking about a surface can take. Finish decides what shows on it after a year: scratches, fingerprints, or nothing at all.
Four thicknesses, explained.
More thickness means more wear resistance and a higher rate. The trick is putting each thickness only where it's needed.
0.72 mm
Covers and seals the surfaces you don't see.
0.8 mm
The everyday face of most furniture.
1 mm
A harder-wearing face for surfaces that get opened, wiped and knocked all day.
1.5 mm acrylic
Mirror gloss with real depth. Strictly speaking, it's an acrylic sheet rather than a laminate, but it's chosen alongside laminates.
Five finishes, side by side.
Scores are out of 5. Higher means the finish hides it better. A design (woodgrain, solid colour, stone) can come in more than one finish, so choose the design first and the finish second.
| Finish | What it looks and feels like | Hides scratches | Hides fingerprints | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matte | Flat, low sheen, no glare. | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | Wardrobes, kitchens, almost anywhere |
| Suede (soft-touch) | Velvety to touch, very low sheen. | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | Wardrobe and kitchen shutters that get handled a lot |
| Textured | Embossed: wood pores, stone, or fabric you can feel. | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | Busy kitchens, kids' rooms, shop counters |
| High gloss | Shiny and reflective, makes a room look brighter. | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | Feature shutters and display units that aren't touched much |
| Acrylic | Deep mirror gloss, the shiniest option. | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | Showpiece kitchen and wardrobe shutters, with careful use |
Pick a surface.
Tap the surface you're finishing.
What decides a laminate’s rate.
We don't print rates because they move with brand and design. These are the five things that move a laminate's rate.
Thickness
1 mm costs more than 0.8 mm, and 0.8 mm more than 0.72 mm. Use the thick sheet on show and the thin one inside.
Finish
High gloss and acrylic cost more than matte. Suede and deep textures usually sit in between.
The design series
In the same brand, a premium series (special textures, stone and metallic looks) costs more than the regular woodgrains and solids.
The brand
Two sheets that look the same can come from brands at different price points. That's often why one shop's rate is lower than another's.
Sheet count
How many sheets the job needs, including the backing sheets. Send us the furniture sizes and we'll work it out.
Spend on the faces people see and touch. 1 mm or acrylic on shutters, 0.8 mm on wardrobes, and 0.72 mm everywhere inside.
Get today’s laminate ratesMistakes we see every week.
1 mm laminate everywhere
It costs more and does nothing inside a cabinet. Use 0.72 mm inside.
Laminate on one face only
The shutter pulls out of shape over time. Put a backing laminate on the reverse face.
High gloss in a kitchen with small children
Every fingerprint and scratch shows by the end of the month. Choose matte, suede or textured.
Picking a shade from a phone photo
Screens change the colour. Look at the sheet in the catalogue, or send us the catalogue number.
Edge banding that doesn't match
A strip of the wrong colour shows on every shutter. We keep matching edge banding for most shades.
The wrong glue for acrylic
Acrylic needs Fevicol Probond. Big or full-height shutters need Fevicol Hi-Per so they stay flat.
Questions we get asked.
0.8 mm or 1 mm?
0.8 mm for wardrobes, beds and desks in the bedroom. 1 mm for kitchen shutters, shop counters and anything that gets wiped or knocked every day. Inside any cabinet, 0.72 mm is enough.
Matte or gloss?
Matte if the surface gets touched a lot: kitchens, kids' rooms, desks. It hides scratches and fingerprints. Gloss looks brighter and richer but shows both, so keep it for shutters and units that aren't handled much.
Acrylic or laminate?
Acrylic gives the deepest mirror gloss, but it scratches more easily and shows fingerprints. Laminate is tougher and hides daily wear, especially in matte or textured finishes. For a busy kitchen, we suggest laminate. For a showpiece kitchen that's looked after carefully, acrylic.
Why does the same look cost different amounts?
The brand, the design series, the finish and the thickness all change the rate, even when two sheets look alike. Send us the catalogue number and the thickness and we'll quote for that exact sheet.
Also see.
Found the shade?
Send the catalogue number or a photo of the shade, plus the sheet count. We'll confirm availability and the rate the same day. We deal in Merino, Ogaan, Advance and Virgo.