The Mead Corporation

William M Stanard, Jr

Mahendra Mehta

Richard D Brownhill

John H Bantjes

A decorative laminate comprising a decorative paper sheet and a plurality of resin impregnated sheets wherein color is incorporated into said decorative paper sheet as non-resin impregnated paper chips or one or more colors.

Decorative laminating sheets employing paper chips and decorative

Decorative laminates which provide a decorative effect similar to that of marble or synthetic marble are achieved by constructing the core from sheets having a very low opacity. These sheets are prepared from bleached Kraft pulp and do not contain titanium dioxide or other opacifying pigments. The core sheets are saturated with resins such as melamine formaldehyde, polyester or epoxy resin. These saturating resins approximately match the refractive index of the bleached Kraft pulp and provide a translucent effect. Core sheets may be assembled with conventional decor sheets and an abrasion-resistant overlay to provide decorative laminates. Due to the translucent nature of the core, the color of the decor sheets is shown throughout the thickness of the laminate. This results in a uniquely decorative edge.

Decorative laminates having translucent core sheets

A process for producing a decorative sheet having the appearance of localized single or multi-colored patterns comprising: adding to a furnish of fibrous material in an aqueous dispersing medium about 0.1 to 25%, based on the weight of the fibers, of wax-encapsulated pigment beads containing numerous individual pigment particles of one or more colors, the beads having a particle size of about 0.1 to 2.0 millimeters; removing the aqueous dispersing medium from the furnish to form a fibrous sheet having the wax-encapsulated pigment beads dispersed therein; and heating the sheet to a temperature sufficient to at least partially melt the wax from the pigment beads, the pigment beads exhibiting random patterns of one or more distinct colors and intensity extending from the upper surface of the sheet to the bottom surface of the sheet; the decorative sheet formed by the method; and decorative laminates employing the decorative sheet are described.

Method of producing decorative sheets having localized patterns of

Abrasion-resistant overlay and multiple layer decor paper sheets suitable for the production of decorative laminates are disclosed comprising an agglomerated abrasion-resistant amorphous silica powder. These overlays and decor sheets reduce caul plate scratching during lamination.

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Sheffield, MA, United States of America

William M Stanard, Jr