In praise of laminates

[WEC4104]

The beauty of bus converting is that owners get to do what they want to match their tastes and budgets.  For me personally, I think woodgrain laminates span a pretty wide range in quality and appearance.  Some of it looks downright cheesy, with the fake butcher block stuff coming to mind (sorry if I offended anyone).    But I also think there are some very attractive products out there, too.

I see woodgrained laminates used in furniture top surfaces all the time including corporate board rooms and $300+/night hotel rooms.  I never thought of it as insulting me for not being able to tell the difference.  

A large percentage of the Corian counter surfaces have patterns intended to mimick marble, granite, or other rock materials.  I do not find this offensive, either.

To anyone choosing to use a woodgrain laminate in their conversion, I'd simply recommend they choose a good looking product. The result may not end up looking like a mega-buck yacht, but it will hardly qualify them for a Bad Taste Award.

[In case anyone thinks I am just defending what I currently have, my bus has solid wood cabinets, and the dash on my car is real wood.]

[kyle4501]

I've seen real wood that the grain looked cheesy & fake.
I've seen some fake wood that was almost impossible to tell it wasn't sawn out of a tree.

I guess it depends on personal taste & the quality of the product.

Maybe the Britt's don't have a good source for quality faux wood like materials.       

[Lin]

Bluebirds I have seen use laminates, even wood grain ones.  Some wood grain laminates are pretty close too.  But what I was pointing out was how strong and durable they were.  I can see that some would think that using a wood grain laminate has a wannabe appearance, but that smacks of snobbery or some fear of being judged by ones neighbors.  I once lived in New Orleans.  A lot of things there were made of cypress since they used to break up barges for wood.  Sending them up-river was not an option back then.  There was a regular art form developed of painting cypress to look like oak or other woods.

Personally, I do like real wood over laminates for the concepts of purity and naturalism, but laminates are more easily maintained.  I know some people just love granite counter tops.   They can be beautiful, but my thought is always, "Hey man, it's a kitchen.  That's the work area where you make food."   I knew a guy that was extremely wealthy who had granite counters in the bathroom that they had painted to look like marble.  Go figure!

[cody]

I can't stand it anymore, I have to jump in lol. The key to a quality laminate job, just like any other job is preparation, if the substrate is properly done and of quality material and the craftsman uses the proper diligence in his fit along with a quality brand of laminate you'll get a job that you can be proud of that will hold up over time.  Note, I defended the use of laminate lol, imagine that a sawdust person defending the use of laminate lol.  I also used several terms that sometimes get forgotten, like anything else laminate comes in a series of grades, the substrata also can be found in a series of grades, and quality lamninate over a cheap substrata will never look as good as it could but when all things are done properly it makes a finished product that will hold it's value over time.  Aces bus is an excellent example of everything done right, his bus has a lot of laminate, one thing that sets his bus aside is the use of quality material and carefull craftsmanship.  I'm a person that worked mainly in hardwoods and a few exotics, I enjoy piling up sawdust and seem to do alright but my main concern is the fit and finish when I look over a conversion, it goes with the territory.  I've used laminate in a few areas in my bus and it works well. What I've found over the years I've dealt with wood and people, is that a poorly done job will seem to jade a persons idea for a lifetime, doesn't matter if it's rosewood or laminate, a poorly done job is exactly that.  I've got friends that work for Marathon and a couple that work for Liberty, I've been approached by both companies to pile sawdust for them, I really don't want or need the work, but it has pleased me to feel that they think my work is good enough for them to concider me so I base my opinions on the idea that some people have improperly placed a certain amount of credance on what I think of wood.  Like I said, my preferance is solid wood but I can't fault a properly done laminate either.

[Busted Knuckle]

I can't stand it anymore, I have to jump in lol.
Like I said, my preferance is solid wood but I can't fault a properly done laminate either.

I knew it'd get the better of him sooner or later! LOL!    BK