What Is Laminate Shelving?

Laminate shelves are fine where price and usabilty are concerns.

Design for organization is one of the most common home improvement projects. Maximizing your storage space clears clutter and keeps things where you can find them, and shelves are an essential component to most projects of this type. When you browse the home improvement stores, you might experience sticker shock over the price of stain-quality hardwood shelving -- for simple planks, they can be pricey enough to turn a moderately sized shelving project into a major investment. Enter laminate shelves -- for a fraction of the price, they provide the functionality you need with less work and mess in many cases. There are, however, pros and cons.

Laminate

The actual structure of a laminate shelf is made from pressed particleboard. Particleboard is simply wood chips of varying sizes pressed together under high pressure with an adhesive -- the different chip sizes ensure that the board holds together while maintaining a somewhat smooth surface. Once the particleboard is dry, it's covered on all sides with a sheet of laminate -- materials vary, but laminate is usually a form of plastic that is attached to the particleboard with an adhesive and pressed with a hot roller to ensure uniformity. Some laminates are printed with wood grain and others are left plain, and many colors are available.

Installation

As far as actually hanging the shelves on the wall, laminate shelves install just like wood shelves. The only difference is the preparation. Wood shelves must be sanded and stained for aesthetics and protection, while laminate shelves come ready-finished. Check the front edges of laminate shelves before you buy -- some shelves are laminated only on the top and bottom, and the front edge might show the particleboard. Home improvement stores sell matching laminate edging that you apply yourself once the shelf is cut to size, but these are very difficult to apply properly. Look for shelves that are laminated on the front edge to save time and hassle.

Wear

A high-quality laminate shelf will hold up very well under moderate use, but heavy use could cause obvious wear. It works well as a display shelf that doesn't actually get used, but applications such as bookshelves will show scratches and abrasions as books are repeatedly dragged back and forth. In contrast, the protective topcoat on a wood shelf would likely hold up much better under heavy use. A properly finished wood shelf is more impervious to moisture, whereas laminate shelves can bubble and lift if they get wet. Laminate shelves are not as strong as wood shelves, so extra bracing might be necessary along the length of long shelves.

Looks

Aesthetically, wood looks better than laminate because it's a quality, natural material. Well-finished shelves can even be elevated to artisanal craftsmanship in some cases -- but that's partly why they're more expensive. Laminate shelving can look cheap, especially as it ages, and the wood grain laminates don't fool anyone up close. That said, not all shelves need to be works of art. Wood might be more appropriate for display shelves in the living room, but laminate shelves are fine for closets, laundry rooms, pantries and other places were functionality trumps aesthetics.