What Do We Mean By “Melamine”?

Add Decorated board. Coloured board. LPM. Melamine. Here’s our quick guide to an essential building product for designers and apprentices.
It’s curious that our industry uses so many different terms to describe a product that’s truly fundamental to contemporary interior design. But no matter what you call it – “decorated board”, “coloured board”, “low-pressure melamine”, “LPM” or something else – it’s important that architects, designers and fabricators understand how it’s made and how to specify it. Because it’s a rare home or commercial fit-out that doesn’t use it somewhere.

Understanding

Melamine Faced Chipboard

Decorated board is made by impregnating decorative paper with melamine resin and bonding it under heat and pressure to both sides of a substrate, typically MDF or particleboard. This creates a panel product with a very similar surface appearance to high-pressure laminate (HPL) and a complementary set of physical properties and performance attributes. While HPL has the impact and wear resistance required for benchtops and other horizontal surfaces, decorated board’s rigid structure is perfect for vertical components, such as cabinetry panels and doors, partitions and wall panelling. (You can read a more detailed comparison between HPL and decorated board here.)
HPL can be applied to vertical surfaces too. But decorated board is much more efficient and cost-effective, because it simply needs to be cut to size and edged. What’s more, it’s incredibly easy to clean and, unlike natural veneers and other materials, it resists fading.
According to Laminex in its What Do We Mean By Decorated Board?
The distinctions between different kinds of decorated board are largely based on the substrate used in their manufacture, which in turn makes them more or less suited to specific applications.

Particle Board

  • 100% Renewable Rubber wood as raw material.Reducing Deforestation
  • 2,3 Layers: Face Layer, Core Layer, Face LayerBoth side surface (Face) using fine fiber woodships
  • OEM Factory – Panel Plus Ltd (Thailand)Leading Company producing Particleboard, MDF and Melamine Faced Board

Impregnated Decor Paper

A1 European Grade DECOR Paper (Interprint, Schattdecor, Suedecor)

Impregnated DECOR Paper

Particle Board

Impregnated DECOR Paper

As we are a building materials supplier, we do not sell our products directly to the public. However you can select from a network of distributors, dealers and fabricators. Use the filters below to find a professional to help bring your project to life.

We're committed to the environment.