Thread: normal melamine v HMR melamine ?

I used to stress about this, thinking "ohhh dear, what if it gets wet"...but the convenience of picking up a few sheets from Bunnies was too much.

So now I don't worry (if it's not a really wet area like a bathroom floor) or I slap on a coat of epoxy to seal the edge.

HMR stands for highly moisture resistant. This is in relation to the glue used to manufacture the substrate board. There is no difference in the melamine surface film. Standard board edge is normal wood colour and HMR is either blueish or greenish tinted, the colour being the glue used. You would be better off using HMR as the material would way outlast standard board as moisture is the major enemy of particle board and medium density fibre board.

Thanks guys. Differing opinions but interesting.

If I were to go down the HMR road, what sort of places could I go to get HMR from? Can I just turn up and buy sheets of the stuff, or do I have to order it specifically? How much more does it cost?

I don't know about in Melbourne, but I was getting HMR from my local building supplies mob. It was Australian made HMR and cost around $30 a sheet. They normally stock it.

The boards that Bunnings stock are HMR.

Originally Posted by Ken-67

The boards that Bunnings stock are HMR.

I actually found (after the fact) that my local building suppliers (not a chain store) was cheaper than Bunnings, and as I mentioned, their board was aussie made (I'm not sure Bunnings would be).

wow, i just assumed bunnings would have the cheapest melamine possible.

thanks for the info guys

Look under Particle Board and Plywood in the yellow pages. Having been a builder for the past 40yrs and always done the kitchens, may I say no self respecting joiner would use anything less than HMR.
The smallest amount of moisture ie damp rag wipe down of cupboard shelves can cause edge swelling in standard particle board. Don't let the price you pay turn out to be the price you pay.

Most larger hardware stores like Mitre10 and bunnings will supply Hmr white board for kitchen carcasses. You could also try a local kitchen maunfacturer as they keep it buy the pack load, because they use the stuff all day everyday. They will also cut it to size and edge it for you