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.