The surface of an office desk, café counter or salon workstation takes far more wear each day than home furniture: laptops, cups, keys, document folders and disinfectants. In such places the surface of ordinary laminated board fills with scratches and worn patches after a few years. HPL, or high-pressure laminate, is a surfacing material made for exactly these conditions.
How HPL is made
HPL is a thin sheet made of several layers. Its core consists of layers of kraft paper impregnated with phenolic resin, topped with a decorative paper impregnated with melamine resin and often a clear protective overlay. This stack is pressed under high pressure and temperature, and the layers fuse completely into a hard, homogeneous sheet.
The resulting sheet is then glued onto particleboard, MDF or plywood. The inner structure of the furniture panel is ordinary board, while its surface is the more resistant HPL. The properties and test methods for HPL sheets are defined in the European standard EN 438.
How it differs from ordinary laminated board
In the melamine-faced board common in furniture, the decorative paper is pressed straight onto the board at relatively low pressure. In HPL, the layers are first made into a separate sheet under high pressure. As a result:
- An HPL surface resists scratching and abrasion better.
- Its impact resistance is high: a dropped key or metal object is less likely to leave a mark.
- It tolerates brief heat, although placing a very hot pan directly on it is still not recommended.
- Its resistance to chemicals and disinfectants is good.
- As a thin sheet, its postformable grades can be wrapped around the rounded edges of worktops.
HPL has limits too: it costs more and is harder to machine, and the core board is still sensitive to moisture. Proper sealing of edges and cut-outs is therefore just as important here.
Compact HPL
As thickness increases, HPL becomes a self-supporting material. These boards, called compact laminate, have no core board and are made of the same dense material throughout their thickness. Their advantages:
- They are fully water-resistant, since there are no particles or fibres inside to swell.
- The edge needs no separate banding; a dark or coloured core shows the edge as a design feature.
- They are very strong and can carry loads despite being thin.
Compact HPL is chosen for washroom cubicles, laboratory benches, outdoor furniture, kitchen worktops and heavily used commercial tables. It requires special tooling and is heavier than ordinary board.
Where HPL pays off
- Office desks and meeting tables: daily rubbing from laptops, folders and cups.
- Reception desks: constant contact with visitors' hands, keys and phones.
- Café and restaurant tables: frequent wiping and disinfection.
- Beauty salon and medical furniture: chemicals and hygiene requirements.
- Nursery and school furniture: knocks and scratches.
- Kitchen worktops: a lighter alternative to stone.
At home, HPL makes most sense for kitchen worktops, a child's desk or a heavily used writing desk. For parts that see no load or rubbing, such as a wardrobe carcass, ordinary laminated board is enough.
Decors and surface textures
HPL sheets come in plain colours and in wood, stone, concrete and metal effect decors. Surface texture can also be chosen: smooth matt, gloss, wood grain, or special anti-fingerprint matt finishes. For office desks, a matt, fingerprint-resistant surface looks the tidiest in daily use. Gloss HPL is used mostly on decorative fronts, because on a desk top it shows every mark.
Care
Caring for HPL is simple: a damp cloth and a neutral cleaner are enough. Scouring powders and hard sponges can leave shiny patches on a matt surface. Cutting directly on the surface with a knife and putting down hot pans without a trivet can leave lasting marks, however tough the material.
Zaferoglu Mebel makes furniture for offices, shops and catering businesses to individual designs. The material for desk and counter surfaces is chosen when ordering, based on how intensively the furniture will be used.
