You may know it as Formica or Wilsonart, but the generic name is plastic laminate. It is a material that is laminated onto a solid base to give it strength and support and is used for countertops, ...

Plastic laminate first came to prominence back in the 1940s and 50s as a popular kitchen countertop material. But by the late-1980s it was beginning to fall out of favor as homeowners began replacing ...

Laminate flooring was invented in the late ‘70s by Swedish flooring company Perstorp, but it wasn’t widely introduced to the European market until 1984 and it wasn’t available in the U.S. until a ...