The Samples of Doom...
So, the laminate samples arrived today from Wilsonart. They're covered in a plastic, protective film, which is nice. Both are 5" x 8", which is a pretty generous size considering what I've received in the past. One is has a polished gold finish, the other is brushed. This stuff is difficult to photograph so bear with.
Each style has several pros and cons as far as the project is concerned:
Polished:
Pros -
most closely resembles the finish of the screen used Ark
mirror-like finish is amazing
fingerprints don't show up as much as I would have thought
Cons -
mirror finish may reflect too much of the surroundings, thereby ruining the effect
fingerprints still show (see pro)
scratches are very noticeable
Brushed:Pros:
No fingerprints
Scratches not as noticeable
Does not reflect
Cons:
Not even close to the movie Ark finish
Appears somewhat dull
This is going to be a hard decision. The main factor worrying me is that the polished lam will reflect everthing in the room around it and turn it into a hodge-podge of colors (it's literally like having a golden mirror). While the brushed sample appears dull (technically, I would call it satin) it also looks more "yellow-gold" in color due to it not reflecting anything around it.
The durability aspect doesn't really bother me as the stuff it pretty tough. I scratched both samples with a screwdriver but I think they will do just fine under normal indoor conditions. Just keep your zipper tucked in!
$400 seems VERY expensive for laminate... Hell, you could gild that thing in real gold leaf for that! You might want to check this out... http://www.gildedplanet.com/compoleaf.asp
I knew it was expensive going in and I think the laminate will prove to be far more durable than the gilding. I'll probably end-up having some parts gold electro-plated, though.
J/K I like it! I'm actually surprised that nobody has thought of that before!
Not quite.
Like I said in my first post, I knew the name wasn't the most creative but I like it. Hopefully Ray B. won't see this thread. I'd hate to have to pay him royalties.
Everyone else, thanks for the kind words. I'll be cutting some templates out this weekend.