How Are Laminated Countertops Made?

The Raw Materials

Print paper is shipped into a factory on rolls composed of more than 20,000 feet of paper. Other raw materials arrive at the factory in bulk by truck. These materials include resin, plastic and brown paper. The resin and brown paper give the counter tops a sturdy base, and the print paper gives it a beautiful outside appearance.

Saturation

Brown papers are saturated with resin, dried out and then heat compacted into a solid piece of pressed laminate. The brown papers are submerged into a solution that saturates the paper with the resin and plastics. The papers are then wrung through a series of rollers. The paper may also be saturated by wet rollers. After the paper is treated, it is heated, pressed and and cut into sheets. The hard brown paper and resins support the counter tops and give them durability.

Print Paper

The print papers are the eye candy. They are made with beautiful prints that mimic wood grains or graceful patterns. The prints are then covered by a protective, yet transparent "overlay." A formed steel plate lies beneath the print paper to give the counter its texture.

Pressing and Forming

The layers are sent to a press room to be compressed by a "hydraulic ram." The process take roughly an hour. The heated ram is carefully applied. Too much heat would cause the counter top to warp. The heat melts the resin. When the counter is cooled, the resin bonds all of the layers into one slab of elegant laminate. After pressing, the counter tops are cut and sanded.