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I was looking at the posts and it dawned on me, isnt laminate a paper composite and renewable? Why arent all the laminte folks posting in here? Just sayin
Thats all I think paperstones are..thick laminate with out the shell so it can be sanded by our regular sandpapers.
Lenny..one more brain puzzler too is ..that paper is wood..so why isnt laminate called a wooden veneer top..hahaha we’re really gonna ruffle Tom’s feathers on that one.
Now, if you can find some way to recycle the melamine out of the Chinese baby food…..
The big difference with laminate versus Richlite or Paperstone is the lack of melamine and the recycled content.
I’ll give Lenny-san this: The paper found in laminate is renewed a heckuva lot quicker than a mountain is with stone.
Gene and Tom,
You 2 fellers are cracking me up.
Let me address your posts in a seperate fashion.
Gene, you made my head hurt with that one, but yep IMHO Laminate is wood based and a veneer!
Tom, Why cant laminate use some recycle content? Just sayin. It would be easy.And as for Granite, I have seen many a holed out mountian in my travels. They are chewed up by gas driven machines that adds a carbon footprint to the desecration. Just sayin.
I’m sure recycled content could be reintroduced into laminate, but I don’t know if it would be possible in, say, a postform grade, where consistency in resin penetration and even heat/pressure is essential.
Matt D would be a great source to answer these questions.
I think one other factor is laminate buyers are so hyper sensitive to price that a half penny a square foot will get some of these guys to switch. Recycled would need to have huge credit benefits for it to be worth the extra price. I think the phenolic would be more of an environmental factor than the paper.
Posted By Tom M on 04 Apr 2011 07:44 AM
I think one other factor is laminate buyers are so hyper sensitive to price that a half penny a square foot will get some of these guys to switch. Recycled would need to have huge credit benefits for it to be worth the extra price. I think the phenolic would be more of an environmental factor than the paper.
I would have to agree with this argument. Recycled isn’t cheap.
I laugh that when we quote out a job in laminate we have to give separate prices for the different finishes because one may cost $0.45 per square foot more. Then we go and quote a granite job and the difference in material costs in one group could have a range of up to $6 per square foot.
Yeah, that’s how I look at it too.
It takes the phrase “Everything is relative” and makes it look like its on steroids.
Yes, Matt D would be a great resource to get into the conversation.
And yes, having made laminate, the quality of the paper is crucial.
But, with that said, if designed correctly recycled products should actually be cheaper. I know that is verboten to talk about, but Im just Sayin.
How so, senpai?
I would have thought it would cost so much to retrieve, recycle and reintroduce the paper that it would cost much more.Hi Tom,
I would think that not having to locate a tree, cut it down, would save money.
I used to work for International Paper. The trick is with laminate you cant have anything in the paper (like wax or polymer applied) before recycling that prevents the phenolic (and or melamine) resin from penetrating.
I was at a company once. Its owned by the richest lady in China, that somehow got the contract for all recycle waste paper imported into China. That was a feat I shall not comment on further.
I tried some of the stock paper, the best I could choose, but it did not work as well as the current paper used for laminate.
The interesting thing about that foreign company is that although they show you the fancy and expensive European paper machines, the basis of the operation is paper pickers, guys who sort paper waste by hand before processing.
If they could be trained to sort correctly, It would produce the base recycle content for a low cost post consumer recycle content laminate at below current market price.
I think I am onto something here that requires some emails and phone calls.
Lower priced laminate with extra Leeds points…Hoorah!
Actually Tom, I have 10 patents granted and 2 in application now.
And if I remember correctly you did win my contest to be listed on my next patent application. I made a note about that and found it looking thru my notes, my will and a few important documents.
Im sure IP, WA or F Mica already read this and are hard at work on it.
But since they couldnt find thier jams at night while wearing glow in the dark condoms I wanna say “in Australian” “She’ll be alright mate!”
I couldnt think of a better place for Tom M’s well respected name to be than on a laminate patent!
G’Day Mate!
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