10-Story Cabinetry Project Saves 36% Using Thermally Fused Laminate Vs. HPL

Lexington, NC—A value engineering study of multi-unit cabinetry project in New York showed a 36 percent savings by using thermally fused laminate, or TFL, versus high pressure laminate (HPL).

The project was completed by Nexis3, a Rochester, NY-based kitchen cabinet manufacturer. It entailed kitchens and bath vanities for a local 10-story apartment building. The value engineering study was conducted by Nexis3 comparing Egger Wood Products (IWF Booth C1362) TFL and two other materials. It accounted for materials as well as labor costs on kitchens and baths.

The mixed-use Metropolitan high-rise in Rochester, NY features 10 floors of high-end, loft-style residential space. Nexis3 chose Egger Eurodekor TFL particleboard and laminates for kitchen and bath surfaces. It was completed in November 2021. By using TFL, Nexis3 estimates it saved 36 percent in materials and labor costs versus high pressure laminates, and 79 percent versus real wood veneers.

Case Study: The Metropolitan by Nexis3
In November 2021, Nexis3, a custom cabinetry and architectural millwork firm, helped transition the former Chase Tower in downtown Rochester, into The Metropolitan, a high-end, loft-style apartment complex for professionals. Each of the project’s 65-units required a kitchen with an island and cabinets and a bath and laundry room with closet cabinetry.

Compared to only HPL or wood veneers, the cost savings for TFL were substantial, both for materials and labor. The total project cost was approximately 36 percent higher for HPL and 79 percent higher for wood veneers.

“Using a combination of TFL and laminates versus plywood and wood veneers for cabinet, furniture and interior design projects can save architects, designers and fabricators valuable time, money and resources,” says Lisa Thornton, head of marketing for Egger North America.

Cost efficiencies were gained using TFL for low- to mid-traffic areas and vertical applications, with laminates for high-traffic, horizontal and curved/postformed applications. Both TFL and laminates are high quality, versatile, fade- and scratch-resistant, easy to clean and durable.

Speculative Value Engineering by Thompson Millwork
Cost analyses conducted on a range of theoretical commercial and residential projects once again demonstrated the cost savings of TFL. Estimates for material and labor costs were provided by Thompson Millwork, a Durham, NC-based commercial casework and specialty millwork provider, using CGI renderings with pre-selected materials.

Projects within The Metropolitan included a luxury walk-in closet, a retail space, a luxury hotel guest room and an upscale restaurant and bar. In every instance, a combination of TFL and laminates was the top choice for value, saving between 21 percent and 34 percent versus using just HPL. TFL and laminates saved between 48 percent and 55 percent versus wood veneers. The full study can be found at www.egger.com/ve.

Founded in 1961 in St. Johann in Tyrol, Austria, Egger Group is a more than $3.6 billion privately-held, family-owned company that employs more than 10,400. Manufacturing wood-based materials for the furniture and interior design, flooring and building products industries, Egger produces thermally fused laminate (TFL), laminates, edge banding, raw particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF) and MDF mouldings at 20 production plants worldwide. Egger Wood Products LLC, the company’s first production facility in North America, is a state-of-the-art particleboard manufacturing plant, with TFL lamination capacity, that started production in September 2020. The total investment of the project, once completed, will be approximately $700 million and will create an estimated 770 direct jobs.

BACK TO NEWS