Today’s market demands require the balancing of many competing priorities. Specifically, in dealing with the interior furnishings of both residential and commercial projects, there are many factors to consider when selecting the most appropriate decorative panel, including price-point, durability, cutting edge design and overall sustainability. The selection of surface materials is one key to making all of this happen. This continuing education course will guide you through the evolution of decorative surface materials to help you navigate and select the best engineered overlay for any commercial and residential application.

PART 1: A Revolutionary Evolution

No introduction to decorative surface materials would be complete without paying homage to the technological history of plastic laminates and the stage that has been set for future advances.

THE MACHINE AGE [ROUGHLY 1905-1945]

During the Machine Age scientists around the world were working to develop synthetic plastics. They came to understand that plastic is an amorphous solid consisting of long-chain molecules known as polymers, which do not break apart when flexed and are usually made from artificial resins. Plastics were defined as thermosets and thermoplastics, and both would be used to engineer decorative surface materials.

In the early 1900’s the first plastic laminate material was made by impregnating kraft paper (similar to brown bag paper) with phenolic resin and compressing it under high temperatures and pressure in a process called thermosetting that irreversibly cured the resin. The resulting material was resistant to heat, water, chemicals and electrical current. Originally it was used as an insulator for industrial products, but designers soon recognized the material’s uniform character and durability and started using it for other applications such as radio exteriors.

The Machine Age also saw the emergence of high-speed printing presses and large-scale roduction machinery. In the 1920’s, décor papers (printed with solid colors, woodgrains, natural and abstract designs) were added on top of kraft paper before thermosetting to give the finished plastic laminate product different visual effects. Phenolic resins are known for their hardness, durability and resistance to moisture, but they are also dark in color. So in the 1930’s a resin called melamine, which produces a clear surface, was developed. In contemporary manufacturing of plastic laminate (commonly referred to as high-pressure laminate or HPL), the top two layers, typically a transparent wear layer and décor paper design, are impregnated with melamine resin, and the bottom kraft layers use phenolic resins.

During this same period industrial chemists were also developing thermoplastic plastics. These turn into a liquid when heated, and solidify when sufficiently cooled. They include polyethylene polymers such as vinyl (PVC), which is flame, water and corrosion resistant – characteristics that made it an excellent insulating material for the wires on U.S. military ships. Despite vinyl’s practical beginnings, one of its most remarkable characteristics has proven to be its versatility, making it the second largest selling plastic in the world today. For the production of thermoplastic decorative surface materials, a thin sheetof PVC film is membrane vacuum pressed or profi le wrapped to a substrate. PVC films can be solid color or carry printed designs such as wood grains and abstracts.

THE ATOMIC AGE [ROUGHLY 1945-1985]

From their inception, decorative surface materials derived from plastics offered designers excellent performance. As the visual design offerings improved so did the markets for these materials. By the 1950’s, HPL plastic laminate was a popular decorative surface material for everything from cruise ships and soda fountains to high-end kitchens and furniture. Vinyl products, with their characteristic low-cost versatility, were specified for tabletops, seating upholstery and wall coverings, as well as carpets, textiles, plastic wrap and pipes.

The early part of this period reflects the end of wartime and the promise of a brighter future built on mankind’s ingenuity and collective work. This philosophy, combined with the ever-evolving palette of available building materials and decorative surfaces, gave architects and designers more room to dream. One result of this was Googie architecture.

Though the space age motifs and giant tiki’s of Googie faded away by the mid-1960’s, the movement itself stretched the imagination of design professionals and consumers alike. Around the same time that Googie lost its luster, advances in printing technology brought a new standard of consistency and realism to décor printing.

Rotogravure printing is the historical printing process of choice for fine art and photography reproduction due to its remarkable color density light to dark gradient. It is also the industry standard for décor printing. One of the advantages of using decorative surface materials is the infinite design possibilities of décor printing, which can be done on paper of varying thickness (typically with water-based pigments) or on plastic films (typically with solvent-based inks). The photorealistic quality of gravure printing allows designers to replicate natural designs with great fidelity. At the same time, the process makes it possible to create décor papers and films with patterns and dimensionality that do not exist in nature.

Rotogravure printing involves engraving the design image onto an image carrier, which in the case of rotary printing is a cylinder. The development of electro-mechanical cylinder engraving in 1968 greatly increased the fidelity of the engraved designs. During the gravure process, the engraved cylinder is partially submerged into an ink fountain, which then fills the recessed cells with ink. The rotational motion of the cylinder draws the ink out of the fountain, and a doctor blade scrapes the excess color from the non-printing areas of the cylinder before it makes contact with the paper, which is generally fed through the press from large rolls rather than sheets. The paper (or plastic film) is sandwiched between the gravure cylinder and an impression roller, which applies the force that transfers the ink to the paper. This method ensures maximum saturation of ink. Each color in a design requires its own printing unit (engraved cylinder). The paper goes through a dryer to make sure it is completely dry between color units.

In addition to its aesthetic appeal, the performance of laminated surfaces was getting more attention during this period. HPL countertops offered consumers a viable option to solid wood (which was said to crack, warp and hold bacteria) and stone (which was said to be heavy, costly and porous). Kitchens decked out in HPL and vinyl furniture, cabinets and counter tops were the height of fashion. Often these materials were intended to look like what they were, which is to say plastic. While this was initially considered futuristic and cutting edge, it soon would appear dated.

THE INFORMATION AGE [ROUGHLY 1985 UNTIL EARLY 2000’s]

This early part of this time frame might be characterized as the pre-pubescence of laminated decorative surface materials. It was a time of great growth and opportunity, as well as some awkwardness and misunderstanding.

New techniques were developed to expand the usage of decorative surface materials. Some of them improved the performance of plastic laminates, such as the 20-fold increase of durability that evolved with the introduction of laminate flooring products.

A classic example is vertical surfaces. HPL is an extremely high performance product. It is perfect for usage in horizontal work surface and high-traffic areas. “Value-engineered” new products were designed and introduced to meet the needs of similar applications with lower manufacturing costs. A good example of this is thermally fused melamine (TFM), which is essentially the top layers of HPL (décor paper impregnated with melamine resins), thermally fused to particleboard or MDF forming a stand-alone decorative panel.

As these derivative products emerged they were not always specified based on the value of their performance, but often purely on cost. This had a negative effect on the perception of laminated decorative surfaces and the term “laminate” took on the connotation of a low quality imitation product, an unfortunate misconception. In a sense, engineered products were victims of their own genius, particularly considering how quickly technology advanced in the information age. But all was not lost, and savvy professionals knew that to maximize the use of any material it was important to understand its strengths and limitations. This explains the resurgence of design interest in the potential of laminated decorative surface materials.

In addition to specialized performance, decorative surfaces were undergoing a paradigm shift in visual realism during this period. Computers and digital scanning technology now allow décor designers to replicate any material with unprecedented fidelity and dimensionality. Imaging software has made it possible to bring any design that can be imagined into being. Laser engraving of rotogravure cylinders enables sharper contrast and more subtle tonal gradients than was previously possible. It has also expedited the process of décor development and sampling. New digital ink-jet printing technologies are driving décor development to move beyond commodity designs and into experimental boutique fashions and customized surfaces such as logos and murals.

Advanced surface treatments and overlay technologies also play important roles in the development of decorative surface materials, enhancing both the visual and tactile qualities of the products. One technique uses engineered press plates to create embossed texture “in register” with the décor paper design. This can include ticking that matches wood grain, or variations in gloss levels to enhance geometric or stone designs. Another method for adding interest to decorative surfaces is the addition of a transparent overlay called an “inclusion” that is embedded with fibers or particles. Inclusions of metal filings, organic materials (such as banana fibers and coffee beans) and textiles are all used to add an extra layer of interest on top of solid or printed décor papers.

THE CONNECTED AGE [EARLY 2000’s TO PRESENT]

According to web technologist Anna Zelenka, “the defining characteristic of the information age is the creation and management of information to produce knowledge goods. The subtle shift into the connected age is the use of web-based communication tools to create and manage relationships across knowledge goods, hardware and people.” This seemingly subtle shift in technology is manifested in one of the most important developments in decorative surface material manufacturing: cross product matching programs.

After a quick and revolutionary history over the past 100 years, we’re now seeing decorative designs available across a broad range of surface materials and manufacturers thanks to these matching programs. This allows designers to value-engineer end products based on the specific performance demands of each component, ensuring the highest quality in design, value and durability. For example, matched materials can be used to construct a desk that incorporates printed papers in drawer and cabinet interiors, TFM or printed paper for the vertical exterior panels, HPL on the high-wear horizontal work surface and 3DL for contoured drawer fronts. Despite each of these materials’ unique performance characteristics, they share the same visual. Matching programs make it easier for design professionals to maximize performance and cost without sacrificing design integrity.

The next age is hard to predict, but it starts with a better understanding of the basic materials in use today.

Read Part 2