A New Era: Formica Group Radically Expands Its Range With Fresh Materials and Finishes

Thanks to Formica Group, you likely didn’t need a coaster with your morning orange juice growing up. And when you spilled something, your parents probably took it in stride, as a quick wipe with a paper towel would make everything like new. Wherever you went — from home kitchens to restaurants and everywhere in between — Formica’s distinctive surfaces were a familiar sight, and have been for over a century.

Formica has been making homeowners’ lives easier for decades. Image: Formica Ad from 1952, via Pinterest.

Formica Group’s best-selling laminates are everything a good building product should be: affordable, versatile and resilient. But for 2021, this iconic brand is offering a lot more than just laminates. Their newly launched product series — the 2021 Specialty Collection — includes fantastic solid surfaces as well as those made with cutting-edge materials, such as DecoMetal® Laminates.

These new surfaces are just as durable as classic Formica® products, but they’re also forward-looking, even glamorous. Whatever the needs of a project, there is now a Formica® Brand product to suit.

First up, Everform™ Solid Surface is Formica’s curated collection of acrylic solid surfacing designs. Previously known as Formica® Solid Surfacing, the Everform collection comes with eight brand-new modern, minimalist designs in subtle patterns that reflect contemporary trends.

Everform Solid Surface in Argento Terraz.

“With the rising popularity of solid surfacing material, we saw an opportunity to expand this well-loved collection,” said Renee Hytry Derrington, managing principal at Formica North American Design. “This collection now merges our most usable, appealing patterns with new ones that answer designers’ requests for more complex, monochromatic tones and optical solids, providing versatile and on-trend surfacing solutions for high-traffic spaces.”

Everform Solid Surface in Luna Pewter.

More than just beautiful, Everform™ Solid Surface is extraordinarily durable. Completely nonporous, with color running all the way through, Everform is both water and fire resistant. Formica recommends both vertical and horizontal installation, making it the perfect fit for bathroom partitions and integrated sink and countertop units.

For architects looking for the warmth of real wood without its fragility, Formica Group has introduced an expanded laminate woodgrain collection. The company has been offering woodgrain patterns for decades, but the new products are more convincing than ever before.

This table is in Antique Mango, from Formica’s Casual Woods series.

“When designing with wood, we’ve learned color goes hand-in-hand with species and style for many designers,” said Derrington. “Designers were seeking more neutral colors and tonal variations of whites, lights, naturals, grays and true browns. These new woodgrain designs enhance feelings of warmth, comfort and familiarity – all while providing a durable and easily cleanable alternative to real wood surfaces in hardworking spaces like hospitals, classrooms and office settings.”

Beige Elm is a bright yet warm option that adds a sophisticated touch to both domestic and commercial settings.

The collection is divided into seven series: Elm, Ashwood, Cherry, Modern Walnut, Traditional Walnut and Casual Woods. The breadth of options ensures architects and their clients can always find precisely the look they want, whether their tastes run toward clean, Scandinavian aesthetics or a cozy, cabin-like feel.

Formica Group’s foray into the world of metal laminates is another welcome development, providing designers with endless possibilities. This year, the brand’s DecoMetal® collection introduces 13 brand new metal visuals, bringing their total to 33.

This lobby wall in Brushed Coin reveals the possibilities of Formica’s DecoMetal Collection.

The expanded range of finishes focuses on warm tones of brass, copper, light gold and black. “These new additions are rich, warm and embrace beautiful metal effects, like weathered patina and oiled looks,” explained Derrington, managing principal at Formica North American Design. “With these additions, the DecoMetal® Metal Laminate line truly offers a comprehensive array of trending metal designs that work well in spaces that require warmth and a touch of class.”

For rich texture, consider the Brass Patina option in DecoMetal.

Among the most exciting news from Formica Group concerns their partnership with the Italian company Arpa Industriale. Formica is now marketing, manufacturing and selling Arpa Industriale’s award winning FENIX™ materials, bringing innovative colors and high-tech design to North America.

The low-light reflectivity of FENIX products add sophistication to any space.

With low-light reflectivity, FENIX™ surfaces are extremely opaque and soft to the touch, creating a clean and supple look. They are also fingerprint resistant, making them perfect for kitchens, hospitality, and healthcare projects. These unique qualities are the result of a series of processes, including multilayer coating and the use of next-generation acrylic resins that are hardened and fixed through an Electronic Beam curing process.

Whichever surfaces grow in demand in 2020 and beyond, Formica Group has all bases covered — and while their offerings have diversified over the years, their commitment to quality has not.

Explore Formica Group’s complete range of new materials and finishes here.

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