melamine board bunnings vs others

[Boily]

Hi guys I am after some advice. I am after some melamine board to do a wardrobe and have come across a big difference in prices. Is the one at bunnings any good, it's hmr and made here in oz and is half the price compared to some plyboard places.
thanks

[phild01]

Usually it isn't HMR unless you mean the full sheet. I have used the full sheet and found it to be okay.
Last time I looked they had edged half sheets with an over obvious green core that looked fake, didn't know what to make of it.

[METRIX]

I didn't think the edged stuff was HMR none of the ones I used had green colouring to them ?, I have used it, it's ok not great, tends to chip really easily, even with tracksaws.


Any locally made chipboard is better than imported as the Chinese imported stuff has been shown to contain high levels of formaldehyde, no surprises there.

[phild01]

I didn't think the edged stuff was HMR none of the ones I used had green colouring to them ?

There are different batches that come in from time to time and you can see subtle differences. Only once did I get edged stuff that was actually HMR, and probably the supplier not having the raw stuff at hand. The last time I looked, as I say, it had a fake looking overbright green edge, almost like green food colouring was brushed along it's edge.
Generally and mostly, the edged stuff is not HMR, only the full sized sheet can be got from Bunnings that is sold as HMR.

[Boily]

The sheet I was looking at is 2400x1200x16 I have only seen on the website.

[phild01]

The sheet I was looking at is 2400x1200x16 I have only seen on the website.

You should be able to see the other smaller sheets that are edged with an abs strip already (non HMR).
Yes, they have HMR in 2400x1200: https://www.bunnings.com.au/2400-x-1...amine_p0570003

[r3nov8or]

I used the narrower boards (295mm?) at Bunnings to complete our walk-in robe fitout and I found it really good. Sure, there was a few chips due to the saw, but I blame my equipment . As with any melamine, in most cases you can plan your cuts to make it hard to find any chips that may occur - e.g. underside of a low shelf or upper side of a high shelf. And a white paint pen or liquid paper helps too.

[Sir Stinkalot]

I have just taken delivery of a fair quantity of satin white melamine for a wir project. It wasn't too difficult to find a local supplier who was at least $6 a sheet better than Bunnings on 1200x2400x16. I needed 41 sheets so the savings were considerable and delivery was possible.

Australian made MR and looks to be good so far. Just need to tidy the shed to find the tablesaw!

[Boily]

The 2400x1200x16 are the sheets I am after but what I want to know is why the sheets at bunnings are $36 and I was quoted $60 from plyboard dist is there a difference in quality.
thanks

[r3nov8or]

41 sheets! Are you framing with the stuff? Haha

[phild01]

41 sheets! Are you framing with the stuff? Haha

WIR!! Must be a shop load of clothes.

[OBBob]

41 sheets! Are you framing with the stuff? Haha

That's what I was thinking.

[Sir Stinkalot]

There are about 5 sheets required for other smaller projects. The rest are for the WIR. It has all been fully designed and even to the extent of panel optimization software. I am also doing a few banks of drawers which quickly increased the number of sheets required. Perhaps I will take some shots of the progress and post if it has been successful

As for the original question. Perhaps the higher price from specialty ply places as they don't move the same volume. I am sure that any joinery company is paying much less than the Bunnings price. Call them and ask why the difference.

How many sheets do you need?

[OBBob]

Oh, if it includes drawers it'll add up.

[Godzilla73]

Take your sizes to a cabinet maker or better still the layout of the robe get them to throw it on the flatbed cnc and edge it and you'll be belting cabinets together with nice pilot holes and the runner hardware already drilled.

40 odd sheets is hours of hard yakka when it could be so easy. What's your time worth?

[r3nov8or]

Oh, if it includes drawers it'll add up.

Yeah, when it came to drawers I went to the a cheap furniture shop and bought a white flat pack tall boy and it integrated nicely as a built in unit. Not 'high spec' by any means, but nice and practical.

[OBBob]

Yeah, when it came to drawers I went to the a cheap furniture shop and bought a white flat pack tall boy and it integrated nicely as a built in unit. Not 'high spec' by any means, but nice and practical.

I integrated Ikea... actually some of their soft close runners don't seem too bad considering.

[Sir Stinkalot]

40 odd sheets is hours of hard yakka when it could be so easy. What's your time worth?

I am sure that I am like many others who frequent this forum. I enjoy the planning, challenge and sense of accomplishment when having a go myself. As I find it enjoyable my time isn't worth anything as it is relaxation. If I needed to take time off work then that's a different matter.

I did get a professional wardrobe company in a few years ago to do a small robe. Cost was at least 3x more what the entire WIR is going to cost, and this was with basic drawer slides and poor quality drawers.

[Pitto]

most of the hmr oard these days from Laminex, Borg manufacturing, Etc no longer have agreen tinge to the chipboard component, as they have moved to a EO or E1 compliant board.

from expierence, the HMR side of melamine isnt as resistant as it used to be compared to the old days of the green formaldehyde melamine.

the bunnings melamine is pretty brittle compared to offerings from Laminex, and i personally prefer Borg / Polytec white hmr texture as it mahcines up really nicely, is easier on cutters and blades, and less prone to chipping out when drilling adj shelf holes.

[METRIX]

the bunnings melamine is pretty brittle compared to offerings from Laminex,

The Bunnings board is from Laminex, well at least that's what the sticker says on each panel, this is why I was disappointed with the quality and chipping, usually Laminex branded stuff is decent quality, this may be a lower end cheap thin version for bulk orders like Bunnings.

[OBBob]

The Bunnings board is from Laminex, well at least that's what the sticker says on each panel, this is why I was disappointed with the quality and chipping, usually Laminex branded stuff is decent quality, this may be a lower end cheap thin version for bulk orders like Bunnings.

As with so many things there's probably a Bunnings version.

[Pitto]

The Bunnings board is from Laminex, well at least that's what the sticker says on each panel, this is why I was disappointed with the quality and chipping, usually Laminex branded stuff is decent quality, this may be a lower end cheap thin version for bulk orders like Bunnings.

I could be wrong, but i though it was D & R Henderson board, which is brittle also, and not kind on compression cutters.

[Godzilla73]

The substrate comes from a few different manufacturers, Laminex have plants in WA as well and the board from there is garbage,the stuff from Vic is ok.

It seems to be quite up and down some months CHH is ok then it starts eating cutters. Borges seems to be fairly consistent but supply can be an issue.

There are also different compositions of the substrate in Oz, for instance FNQ requires a different one due to the humidity.

Do you use 3 or 2 flute compression cutters Pitto?

[Pitto]

The substrate comes from a few different manufacturers, Laminex have plants in WA as well and the board from there is garbage,the stuff from Vic is ok.

It seems to be quite up and down some months CHH is ok then it starts eating cutters. Borges seems to be fairly consistent but supply can be an issue.

There are also different compositions of the substrate in Oz, for instance FNQ requires a different one due to the humidity.

Do you use 3 or 2 flute compression cutters Pitto?

used to use 3 flute "blues" compression cutters, 9.5mm and we were getting them for arond the $50.00 mark, almost disposable at that cost.
we were running them pretty fast, that was a few years back now, My CNC company uses the same cutters i beleive, and he was the one who put me on to Borgs as they found the Polytec white was not as brittle as the Laminex board. Even when oing adjustable shelf holes, you tended to get small chips with the other brands.