nuform by Inscape
Instead of Laminate Furniture

Gone are the days when office furniture used solid hardwood materials. Due to the slow growth of hardwood trees, it can be pretty costly to purchase handcrafted wood desks, shelving units, and other furniture items. Additionally, hardwoods are not sustainable or eco-friendly. So instead, the trend has been to use laminate furniture. While laminate has many advantages, there are a couple of cons. However, one of our manufacturers offers a great alternative at a similar price.

What is Laminate Office Furniture?

Laminate office furniture refers to furniture materials that use pressure and heat applied to synthetic materials to substrates like particleboard or MDF panels. MDF is a manufactured wood created with wood fibers, wax, and resin materials. Manufacturers press all these components together to produce a material that imitates natural wood and plywood, but it’s even heavier than natural plywood. Nevertheless, when created with the proper techniques, they offer stability, functionality, and of course, great aesthetic appeal, mimicking the appearance of solid wood furniture without the added cost. 

Why Laminates?

The beauty of laminate is that manufacturers can essentially print any decorative design. A wood grain pattern is typically used, but the possibilities are endless. 

Cons of Laminates

While laminates are very cost-effective, they have a reputation for not being very durable. The top is a printed design; therefore, a scratch can ruin a surface. Additionally, since the laminate is pressed onto the surface, the surface must be flat. Accordingly, laminate cannot continuously wrap around a surface in a waterfall effect. Often the edges are plain, or a line is seen where the two laminate planes meet.

Nuform Instead of Laminate

Nuform Finishes is Inscape’s unique and exclusive work surface and vertical surface application, utilized in the panel and benching systems, tables & worksurfaces, and storage. The difference between laminate and Nuform is that Nuform is a type of thermofoil. Rather than heating and pressing laminate to a surface, thermofoil uses a process to vacuum-seal vinyl onto a surface. Nuform comes in a wide range of finishes from Woodgrain, Stone, Cement, Solid Neutrals, and even Marble, creating an exceptionally modern and sleek look in a more environmentally friendly way. Nuform provides increased impact, scratch, marring, chemical, and abrasion resistance compared to standard thermofoils. In addition, the surface will not fade from sunlight and has a long lifespan. It is also anti-stain and antimicrobial; perfect for the post covid world where people may be switching desks often.