Brushed aluminum "look" laminates

[jsharpphoto]

I was eating at a restaurant tonight that had kind of an "industrial" look. The bottom 4 feet of the walls were brushed aluminum. Or so I thought. I was examining it because I'm trying to figure out what to do with the bottom half of my walls, and I realized it's just Formica that looks like brushed aluminum, in 4x8 sheets, mounted lengthwise on the wall.

A quick google search yielded about 40 different "metal look" options ranging from 50-70$ for a 4x8.

Any thoughts on garage wall applications? Obviously be cosmetic, but it would be easy to keep clean.

 

[24ModelTFord]

I work for a company that makes profile wrapped mouldings for the office/kitchen/restaurant industry. We can wrap pretty much any shape or size substrate in laminate to make it look like whatever you want. Stainless/brushed metal is huge right now.

The only thing I would caution you about is moisture, depending on the substrate. If the substrate is MDF or particle board, it needs to stay dry, or it will swell over time.

 

[jsharpphoto]

i was thinking about either applying it directly to the sheet rock, or backing it with 1/4 ply or maybe tempered hardiboard. Probably the latter, so it could be unscrewed if necessary.

 

[jabin]

Very interested in this, but how are they attached to the wall? I wouldn't think that screws would look at that finished? For wet applications such as sinks, would the backing board just need to be wet applicable?

 

[Rock knocker]

A quick google search yielded about 40 different "metal look" options ranging from 50-70$ for a 4x8.

Real DecoMetal p-lam is closer to $500/sheet

 

[Rock knocker]

Very interested in this, but how are they attached to the wall? I wouldn't think that screws would look at that finished? For wet applications such as sinks, would the backing board just need to be wet applicable?

Contact cement to smooth wall GWB

 

[jsharpphoto]

Real DecoMetal p-lam is closer to $500/sheet

Then these are not name-brand product. There is a retailer here in Dallas that sells it for $65 a sheet.

 

[Rock knocker]

Is it really metal lam, or just a look a like?

 

[jsharpphoto]

I guess I don't know enough to tell. What's the difference and why would it matter for wall application?

 

[Rock knocker]

One is formica and one is real metal

 

[jsharpphoto]

Oh. This is definitely not metal. That was my whole point. Looks like metal, cheaper than metal, for the instances you don't need the characteristics of metal

 

[Toxicscrew]

You can get the fake metal or real metal on a phenolic back. With that you can glue it to whatever you want to with contact cement as Rock Knocker said.

Check out Formica, Wilsonart or Chemetal websites. There's others but these will give you a good start. Chemetal has some of the coolest stuff IMO.

 

[JPD Motorsports]

My shop in oklahoma was done in a Formica "metal" finish. Looked like swirled metal. I glued it using the glue they recommended. It went on both mdf cabinets, and Sheetrock walls.. In the yr I had the shop it lasted with no troubles or acts of peeling.

 

[Rock knocker]

You can get the fake metal or real metal on a phenolic back. With that you can glue it to whatever you want to with contact cement as Rock Knocker said.

Check out Formica, Wilsonart or Chemetal websites. There's others but these will give you a good start. Chemetal has some of the coolest stuff IMO.

Some of that stuff seems like it's come down in price a good bit since the last time I purchased any, which was 2004.

 

[mtnwalton]

I've used it to recreate a food cart for a usable prop on stage productions. The material i used look like brushed stainless - about $95 per sheet; similar to a formica product. I would be cautious about using it on walls because any irregularites will show up.