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Worst Complaints About Formica Cabinets

March 23rd, 2010 Leave a comment Go to comments

If you have never had a plastic laminate set of cupboards , they are very durable. The worst complaints through the years about Formica have been related to the workmanship not the material the kitchens were made out of.

Well in any case, let me list for you some of the things that people have voiced they did not like about having this style of cupboard.

Particle Board Construction
Prior to the early seventies most all cabinets were fabricated using either ply-wood, pine or a combination of both. There were in some instances the use of particle board. During the mid to late seventies the use of flake-board became much more popular in the construction of Formica cabinetry. Years later as swelling began to surface due to water absorption, Formica cupboards were labeled as being cheaply made.


This could not be further from the truth. If constructed properly , there is great value in having a set of Formica cabinets fabricated using particleboard. They can last for thirty to fifty years.

People Dislike the Black Line
This has to be the most common question; “Is there anything you can do to hide the black line?” My standard reply: “NO!” It is just the nature of the material. In some of the cabinet designs we manufactured the doors were edged in real wood. This was a very time consuming process, but it was a way to eliminate the black line that people did not like.

Chipping
This is generally due to poor craftsmanship as it relates to fabricating the Formica Plastic laminate cabinets. A stream of complaints have been heard for years about how frustrating it is when the Formica breaks.

There are two things that cause Formica to chip. Sometimes plastic laminate chips can be repaired.

1)The material was not glued well enough or the glue was defective.
2)The edges of the plastic were not filed correctly. Filing Formica the right way is extremely important to the life of a kitchen or bathroom vanity set of cabinets.

Of the two listed above, the worst complaints have been on jobs where the glue was defective. I have not heard complaints in about ten years. There was a time when non-flammable contact glue was introduced to the cabinet industry and many kitchen cabinet sets had to be repaired or replaced. It was a horrible experience for a lot of cabinet manufactures. I remember hearing stories of entire condominium cabinet sets being made using the defective glue. A year or so after the cupboards were installed the plastic laminate started peeling off all over the place. A far as I know non-flam contact adhesive does not have this problem anymore.

Formica cabinets when fabricated and installed correctly will last for many years with out any complaints.

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