Remodeling With Laminates

(HIT) - Hard-wearing, easy-care laminate is still a favorite for busy countertops, but these days its fashion value is so high that it's at home in just about every room in the house. In fact, remodeling with laminates opens up a wide range of design possibilities for homeowners that might otherwise be out of reach.

In the contemporary kitchen, laminates in a luxuriously pale color often gives cabinets their sleek lines, and in the dining room the table's granite top might actually be an affordable laminate look-alike. In the media room, the cabinetry that brings law and order to audio-visual paraphernalia can be darkly luminiscent with myriads of tiny metallic glints, a suitably futuristic look created by unique new laminate design techniques.

The home office, too, is a great candidate for remodeling with easy-care laminates, either in one of today's great solid colors, or in faux wood styles. Lacquer-look laminates can add a formal note to the living room's coffee and end tables, and, of course, nothing could make more sense for dressers, wardrobes and vanities in bedrooms than laminate.

Eco-Friendly Products

More than ever, consumers want value and style when remodeling, and many also want environmental responsibility in the remodeling products they choose. Decorative laminate fits right in. Decorative laminates come in myriad colors, patterns, textures and finishes, and remodeling laminates have emerged as a high-style alternative to granite, marble and other costly materials. In addition, remodeling with laminates can create the warmth of beautiful wood for cabinetry, counters, doors, and furniture, but without felling a single endangered tree."

Laminates are available that mimic the beauty of the some of the world's rarest woods, often with such realism than even environmentalists could be fooled! Laminate wood designs include teaks, mahoganys and rosewoods, all species that come from the world's endangered forests, but they are actually produced from readily replaceable and fast-growing trees.

Ironically, remodelers once frowned on wood-look laminates. They didn't like products that pretended to be something they were not. But today that's considered a virtue, because few homeowners want to fell a rare tree to enhance their home remodeling project.

Remodeling with laminates also offer an advantage when it comes to special and costly wood grain patterns like burls and birdseyes. They are replicated beautifully, and yet they are very affordable.

Fantasy Woods

Interestingly, some laminate manufacturers also go in the opposite direction, producing wood look designs in fantasy colors and finishes. These laminates provide an authentic woodgrain appearance, but with pearlescent lustres for an exciting, unique look when used for tub surrounds, vanities, and bedroom furniture.

Other fantasy wood creations feature metallic copper striations, which create a beautiful look for fine cabinetry in contemporary and transitional remodeling projects.

Decorating With Laminates

Clearly, laminates have come a long way since the days of gold-fleck covered countertops in diners and gas stations back in the 1950s, and many designers credit the laminate industry for its enterprising spirit and commitment to producing ever-evolving design options for homeowners beginning a remodeling project.

It's no accident that each year's new laminate colors go so well with other home furnishing elements. Much research precedes each year's selections.

New colors are chosen to complement the latest home appliances, bath fixtures, carpeting, and other home furnishings. Recent trends include a shift toward natural hues like firethorn and terracotta, and warm neutrals in the beige, gray, and taupe families. Blues and greens have both become basics, and there's a lot of call for purple for children's furniture."

You Don't Have To Settle For The Laminates Stocked At Local Retail Outlets

Unfortunately, you're not likely to find a wide choice of laminate styles and colors in stock at the local lumberyard or home center. There are so many products available that most stores stock a very limited selection. However, many home improvement centers will gladly special order laminates for homeowners, and they typically have catalogs available at service counters that homeowners can use to make their laminate selections.

To save time, it might be a good idea to spend time browsing manufacturer Internet site's for laminate remodeling ideas, brand names and design specifications. Once you've located a design that fits your style and taste, contact local retailers to find out which ones represent the selected manufacturer and are willing to special order laminate products for you.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center