Timber Benchtops – Laminate can be a great alternative!

With a huge explosion in laminates: colours and finishes, its never been so easy and affordable to include laminate benchtops in your next project. Forget the bad rap that many laminates have previously had, modern production techniques are producing laminates that can mimic real timber benchtops, at a fraction of the cost, and with increased durability and wearability.

With so many current trends in colours and finishes being predominantly white, grey or black, the introduction of a natural timber benchtop can instantly introduce warmth and colour balance to a scheme that would otherwise risk being too sterile.  Whether used as a feature, or as the centrepiece for your new project, laminate timber benchtops can bring a level of sophistication to your home or workplace without a luxurious price tag… 

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Try these four fresh timber laminate colours for your next project:

Florentine Walnut: 

A rich deep chocolate brown walnut timber.. With its richer and stronger tones, Florentine Walnut works well as a feature or inset benchtop. Not only does this allow for some aesthetic contrast in your design, it can also help define work zones in your kitchen.

This colour is has proven popular when contrasted with natural granites and stones and add a natural warmth which just ‘feels right’ in many spaces, particularly where natural light is abundant.

FLORENTINE WALNUT

Tasmanian Oak: 

A warm natural red, yellow and brown-based Tasmanian oak look, this has the perfect woodgrain matt finish. This is a very popular option in white and bright kitchen styles and can add real warmth while keeping the overall visuals of your space nice & light.

This colour is also really suited to a feature colour. Because of the long wood grain look, it works well as a large sheeting or panelling type feature wall.

This colour also mixes really well with concrete looking benchtops or feature walls where the vertical long lines can give the appearance of a larger space.

TASMANIAN OAK

Coastal Oak:

A sandy coloured oak timber with whitewashed and soft grey wood grain undertones.

Coastal Oak works well in any modern or contemporary style and is warm enough to be matched with Door & Drawer panels without ‘overpowering’ the room with colour. Pair with fresh white walls and use in areas that are not great with natural light. Excellent in areas that show dust and fingerprints and has little to no maintenance. Cut your cleaning time down in half.

COASTAL OAK

Prime Oak:

This is a deep yellow-brown natural oak colour with grey undertones and cathedral grain features.

These vertical cathedral grain features work well for long benchtops and sweeping waterfall ends. In large kitchens, especially when well lit, consider matching with feature cabinets in 16mm MDF Board for a complementary look. Prime Oak looks at its best when paired with white walls/joinery and the use of green indoor plants can instantly turn a design into a sophisticated minimalist feature.

PRIME OAK

Tell me about the WOODMATT finish?

Polytec’s WOODMATT finish combines the best of natural timber with technology advancements. This has produced a matt finish with subtle woodgrain embossing so it feels like real timber to touch. It’s designed to match in every way the look, feel and warmth real timber veneer and offers real opportunities for using “timber benchtops” in your next project.

The WOODMATT range of tactile timber prints has created a new benchmark for standard laminates. It’s also handy to know that WOODMATT is available in both laminate for benchtops as well as 16mm MDF board for use on matching kitchen doors and drawers. Consider this range anywhere where warmth, timber tones, durability, easy-clean, scratch-resistant qualities and a consistent and fade-free appearance are desired. And most importantly it’s nice to know that its made in Australia also… (read more below)

Want to know more about Australian Made the Semble way?

Australian Made?

Did you know?

High-Pressure Laminate, or HPL, is the most popular option for kitchen benchtops. HPL is created under extremely high pressure and heat to form a very hard and very thin decorative product which is then glued (post-formed) to make benchtops. Compared to other benchtop material choices, laminates are the most cost-effective and with modern finishes and clever design can really add an element of ‘WOW’ to your design.

One of the natural advantages of this process is that laminate surfaces are highly stain-resistant and fairly easy to maintain. Of course, as with most kitchen benchtop options, the surface can burn or mark if hot items are placed directly onto the benchtop and it is not recommended that any chopping be done directly on the surface.

Finally…

Laminates now have the capability to mimic real timber benchtops at a fraction of the cost, without sacrificing style and functionality. The touch and appearance of modern timber looking laminates are becoming a much more desirable product with many different finish options available to suit every design.

With a  huge range of options in the Woodmatt Timber Benchtop range, its never been so easy to create a versatile worktop that looks natural. Have you got room in your next project for Timber Benchtops?