New materials for kitchens

New laminates

Among all materials used today to produce pieces of furniture, surely the plastic laminate, in all its versions, is the most common one.

And it is the ease of processing and maintenance, as well as the more affordable cost if compared to other materials, that makes the laminate highly versatile and so much used. I already talked many times about its use in the coating of worktops , doors and various decorative elements in general, in all environments in the house, from bathroom to kitchen or living room.

Now let us focus on news, as regards the laminate. Among the leading manufacturers Abet certainly presents a vast range of different products for different areas of use.

Abet's productions go from Print HPL laminate (High Pressure Laminates) to MEG for exterior, especially ventilated facades, from Foldline (CPL low pressure) with thickness between 0.1 and 0.5 mm and produced continuously, to Tefor^®, the first laminate obtained by recycling production waste and then in turn recyclable itself.

New coloured laminates, the pRaL^®

The pRaL^® Solid Surface Material is a self-supporting material and is easy to work and colored for the entire thickness. It is obtained by combining a natural inorganic mineral, aluminum hydroxide, together with an acrylic polymer.

During the manufacturing process of polymerization, chemical bonds are created for a three-dimensional final stable, homogeneous and not reactive material.

It has special characteristics that make it particularly pleasing: malleability, functionality, tactility and the possibility of various colours; it shows no joints and is a hygienic material. The lack of joints makes it ideal for use on angle shaped worktop surfaces, in bathrooms or kitchens, with the possible presence of the sink in that position, normally not recommended with normal laminate worktop.

pRaL^® is coloured in paste, for which the color affects the entire thickness, not only the surface, so it results, inter alia, soft and warm to the touch, not as cold as in the case of other similar materials.

Despite this apparent softness, only tactile, this is an extremely durable material. Some attention is to be provided only in case of use in particular conditions when in darker colours versions, because of the machining type adopted in these cases, which makes it harder and therefore more sensitive to scratches.

Abet ensures custom made colours also for small quantities of material. The slab of pRaL^® is mainly composed of natural materials, it is chemically inert and it can be in contact with food because there are no migrations that may contaminate nor there are gaseous emissions.

pRaL^® is non-toxic, it resists moisture and daily wear. It can be processed using standard tools used in carpentry and is produced in different thicknesses depending on the intended use: 3mm whether to apply to worktops, 6mm if for vertical use (wall coverings), 12mm and 18mm for use on vertical and horizontal bearings or more applications for self-supporting.

Maintenance

With regard to the cleaning and maintenance of pRaL^®, apply the usual rules of simple use of hot water and a soft cloth, or neutral detergent. For stubborn stains just use water and common abrasive cleaners, any damage on the surface is easily repaired by a process of sandpapering through common abrasive papers from do-it-yourself shopping centres.

Sheets of real stone

Staying in the field of coatings, if there are special aesthetic requirements, then a very interesting material is Stone Veneer^®, by Legnopan , Vicenza-based company that sells finished products for the furniture industry.

The experience in the field of wood panels has led the company to expand its range of products in the catalog, dedicated to an increasingly demanding market in terms of quality and aesthetics.

Stone Veneer^® is part of the special products, and is dedicated to those who seek the stone effect also in coatings for pieces of furniture and doors.

It consists of a sheet of real stone, glued onto a glass fiber support using a polyester resin. Basically it is a veneer made of light and flexible stone, with an uneven and changing surface , typical of the stones of which it retains the elegance, while being flexible as final material.

It is available in twelve different stones, mica, quartz and sandstone, and is machinable with conventional tools normally used in carpentry.

The support panel is different, according to different needs, but normally the panel in light wood material is the most suitable. With its irregular surface, Stone Veneer^® makes the surface finish of a kitchen very particular and elegant, when used both for doors and worktop.

Stone Veneer^® is formaldehyde free and this is a further feature to be taken into account for a possible choice of this material. It can be bent and can be surface treated with water repellent or oil repellent substances, which slightly alter the surface color, but will make it suitable for use in environments such as bathrooms or kitchens.