Types of Office Furniture

We are often asked what are the different types of Office Furniture finishes currently available with the main differences between laminated and veneered. In Brief Laminated is a plastic finish that looks like wood and Veneered is a thin slice of real wood on top of a substrate.

Terms
MFC – Melamine Faced Chipboard
MDF – Medium Density Fibreboard

Generally office furniture is manufactured in MFC though some executive ranges have a core of MDF which is heavier and stronger than MFC.

The two principle choices of finish for office desks and furniture are Laminated / Melamine and Wood Veneer.

Wood Veneer is a very thin slice of real wood with all the properties of that wood and it is very difficult to match two desks or worktops as the grain will differ from tree to tree.

Laminate or Melamine is a photograph of real wood that has been specially treated to make it hard wearing and this is applied to the MDF or MFC to give a finished piece of furniture.

Advantages of Real wood veneers

Feels natural and warm.
Looks expensive
Ages and matures
No two pieces of furniture will be exactly the same.
Long Lasting

Disadvantages of Wood veneers

Expensive
Changes colour over time as it ages so can be difficult to match later on
Can be easily marked and stained
Very difficult to repair

Advantages of Laminated or Melamine finishes

Cheaper
Hard to mark and scratch
Easily cleaned
Every desk or cupboard will look the same
Does not fade or change colour over time

Disadvantages of Laminated Finishes

Does not feel like real wood
Last 15 to 20 years

Tips for Veneered Furniture

Keep away from direct sunlight as this will cause the wood to fade
Use paper or leather desk pads if using the desk for hand writing
Do not slide keyboards etc when moving, lift and place
Use a quality polish and always clean in the direction of the grain

Tips for Laminated Furniture

Stains can be removed with a detergent
Furniture polish can be used to hide fine scratches

Ash Veneer