Melamine board is a manufactured wood product made from melamine resin applied to some type of wood board. The wood board can be particleboard, MDF, plywood, or even solid wood in some cases.
Melamine itself is an organic material that can be combined with formaldehyde to create a hard resin coating that can be applied to the exterior of wood products. It has a large number of other uses as well, including cheap plates, dry-erase boards, and laminate flooring.
If you’re looking into building kitchen cabinets, shelving, or other remodeling projects around the house, it pays to be familiar with melamine board and its many uses.
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Melamine Board Explained
The term ‘melamine’ is often used to refer to engineered wood products with a melamine resin surface coating. Melamine itself is the hard resin on the board exterior, but for the purposes of this article, I’ll use melamine and melamine board interchangeably.
Melamine board features a durable, smooth surface that’s easy to clean and essentially waterproof. This makes it a great material for cabinets and shelving in kitchens and bathrooms, as these areas are exposed to a lot of moisture.
Melamine Pros and Cons
Melamine features a smooth, easy-to-clean surface that’s stain-resistant, scratch-resistant, waterproof, durable, and even heat and fire-resistant.
You can find melamine boards in a wide variety of colors and patterns, so it’s easy to match with whatever décor you’re working with.
It’s also a relatively low-cost material, costing less than plywood and much less than solid wood.
Melamine does have its downsides as well though.
It doesn’t handle heavy loads very well and will bend and warp over time if placed under a prolonged heavy load. It’s also relatively heavy, so using it for upper cabinets can be a bit of a challenge.
Another challenge with melamine board is that although it is essentially waterproof, it can warp and bend if there is surface damage and water is able to penetrate through the surface. This can also happen if the melamine board is exposed at the edge, as the edges are often left unprotected and can absorb moisture.
Uses of Melamine Board
Melamine boards are highly versatile and have a number of different uses in modern building and construction.
Kitchens
Easily the most common place you’ll find melamine board used is in the modern kitchen. They’re an ideal material for cabinets and shelving, as they’re water and moisture-resistant, and can stand up to the high heat and moist environment of the kitchen.
Melamine boards are also resistant to mold, which can be an issue with other porous materials.
Shelving
Melamine boards are fairly easy to cut to whatever size you need, although you will need a special blade. They’re available in a wide variety of colors, so finding the right one for the look you’re going for is not an issue.
Shelving made out of melamine board will cost a mere fraction of solid wood, so you’ll save a significant amount in materials cost.
Flooring
While it may not be the most popular flooring option out there, melamine boards or planks designed to look like wood actually make a durable and rigid option. The planks have solid impact resistance, abrasion-resistance, and are long-lasting and relatively simple to replace when necessary.
Countertops
Another popular use for melamine boards is for countertops. Melamine works well for this purpose as it’s abrasion-resistant and doesn’t require the application of varnish or lacquers to achieve this durable finish. High-traffic countertops like those in bars, cafés, or dinners will often utilize melamine for these reasons.
Melamine is also incredibly low maintenance – it’s more like maintenance-free – so that’s one less thing to worry about when considering a countertop material.
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