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Phenolic

Metal Prices Are Up — Here’s Your Better Option: Metal vs. Laminate vs. Phenolic

As global tariffs drive up the price of raw materials, many organizations are rethinking their locker material choices. Historically, metal has been the go-to option for locker rooms, athletic facilities, and commercial spaces—but with rising costs and long-term maintenance concerns, is it still the best investment?

That’s why we’re breaking down your options with a clear comparison of Metal, Laminate, and Phenolic lockers—so you can make a smarter, more sustainable choice for your next project.

Durability: Who Stands Stronger?

  • Metal: Prone to scratching, denting, and rust, metal lockers often don’t hold up well under heavy use or in moisture-rich environments.
  • Laminate: A much more resilient choice, laminate is resistant to scratches, dents, and rust—perfect for high-traffic areas.
  • Phenolic: The top performer in durability. Highly resistant to water, UV rays, and scratches, plus it’s anti-microbial, making it ideal for wellness, healthcare, and high-humidity environments.

Winner: Phenolic (for superior durability in tough environments)
Best Value: Laminate (great durability with cost-conscious appeal)

Customization: Match Your Brand

  • Metal: Offers limited customization, often restricted to basic colors and finishes.
  • Laminate: Highly customizable with a vast selection of finishes, colors, and textures to suit any aesthetic or brand identity.
  • Phenolic: Equally highly customizable, with refined finishes and design versatility.

Winner: Laminate & Phenolic (both allow you to elevate your space with design-driven options)

Maintenance: Simplify Your Routine

  • Metal: Requires frequent maintenance, especially if exposed to wear or humidity.
  • Laminate: Low-maintenance and easy to clean—just wipe down to remove spills or smudges. Plus, individual doors or panels are easy to replace if needed.
  • Phenolic: The ultimate in low maintenance. Easiest to clean and care for, with minimal upkeep required over time.

Winner: Phenolic (effortless maintenance = peace of mind)

Cost: Long-Term Value Matters

  • Metal: While the initial price may be lower, costs add up quickly with repairs, replacements, and upkeep.
  • Laminate: A cost-effective choice that balances affordability and durability—especially smart for long-term use.
  • Phenolic: Comes at a higher initial investment, but pays off in durability and long-term savings.

Best Budget Balance: Laminate
Premium Investment: Phenolic

Environmental Impact: Choose Sustainability

  • Metal: Least eco-friendly, with a higher environmental footprint in production and disposal.
  • Laminate: Made from pre-consumer recycled content, laminate lockers are a sustainable option without sacrificing performance.
  • Phenolic: Also eco-friendly, crafted with recycled materials to support greener building initiatives.

Winner: Laminate & Phenolic (ideal for environmentally conscious projects)

The Smarter Choice Starts Here

With material prices on the rise and expectations for durability, design, and sustainability higher than ever, it’s time to explore locker solutions that work smarter, harder, and longer.

Laminate and phenolic lockers offer the modern features today’s facilities demand—from lower maintenance and greater customization to a smaller environmental footprint and better long-term value.

Whether you’re outfitting a training facility, employee break room, gym, or spa, Hollman’s laminate and phenolic solutions provide a future-ready alternative that elevates the user experience—and protects your investment.

Ready to upgrade? Contact our team today

Visit our website at Hollman.com

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EXPLORE ESSENTIALS COLLECTION

The essentials collection consists of Hollman’s most popular configurations, models, and materials curated together to cut lead times, guaranteeing your lockers delivered between 4-6 weeks upon order approval.

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    When a workspace needs to put in overtime, Hollman leverages 40+ years of manufacturing expertise to transform traditional spaces into innovative environments with lockers that add agility.

      DISCOVER SMART LOCKERS

      With Hollman’s Smart Lockers each locker can be configured to the needs of every working zone in your building with a variety of configurations, materials, and the security solution that allows you to assign temporary or mixed-used.

        Benefits of Phenolic in Healthcare Facilities

        Learn how Phenolic material can help protect your health space.

        When it comes to designing a healthcare facility, the central focus should always revolve around the well-being of both the employees and patients. A primary goal of healthcare facility design is the commitment to maintaining a clean and sanitized environment that complies with healthcare regulations and requirements.

        Patients within these facilities are often already vulnerable due to their health conditions, making sanitation and infection prevention extremely important. Maintaining a clean and sanitary environment is a must, meaning materials and products used in the facility must be carefully chosen.

        Choosing a versatile material like Phenolic provides centers with a reliable product that is both durable and easy to maintain. Phenolic serves as an excellent choice to support the creation of a healthcare environment that is not only safe but efficient and visually appealing.

        BENEFITS OF PHENOLIC

        • Hygienic Properties: Phenolic is an ideal material for healthcare facilities due to its outstanding hygienic properties. The non-porous surface prevents bacteria from seeping through and allows the material to easily be cleaned and maintained which is crucial in environments where the risk of infection is prevalent. Phenolic is a material that can withstand the constant cleaning and disinfecting that is required. Learn more on how to clean and sanitize your lockers here.
        • Corrosion Resistant: The components of Phenolic make the material resistant to water, chemicals, and heat. Having this type of resistance makes it a smart choice especially when it comes to the sensitive equipment or tools that are stored.
        • Durable: Phenolic is a great choice for facilities due to the long lifespan of the material. It is low-maintenance, requiring no protective treatments or sealing, making it a cost-effective choice over time especially in high-traffic or demanding environments.

        As an extremely resilient material, Phenolic provides many benefits to the healthcare world. Discover more benefits of Phenolic here. When it comes to designing your next medical project, contact Hollman to see how we can assist.

        Have a current project that could use Phenolic? Check out our Quick Ship collection to receive lockers in as little as 2-4 weeks.

        Discover Hollman Lockers

        SMART MATERIALS

        To enhance health and safety measures, we offer the perfect smart anti-microbial material; Nanolam for your locker.  Check out our smart material technology to learn more.

          EXPLORE MEDICAL

          Our Medical Lockers cover more than just storage. We offer customization to aid with anti-ligature needs for those in behavioral health, carry anti-microbial materials, and security choices that help minimize operations.

            EXPLORE OUR GALLERY

            Take a look at our portfolio to get inspired for your next project.

              interiors + sources insider: Mobile Smart Locker

              Designed for flexible workspaces, Hollman’s Mobile Smart Locker is recognized for its agile features in the latest interior+sources insider newsletter.

              Featured in interiors + sources insider newsletter, The Mobile Smart Locker from Hollman is designed for agile and flexible work environments where space is at a premium.

              The Mobile Smart Locker is designed for agile and flexible work environments where space is at a premium. This functional piece of furniture features a 2-way glide system for easy roll out to serve as a collaborative workstation and rolls back into the wall to save space when not in use. Available with a portable charger and a charging stand or with a wired solution.

              See the full feature, here

              For press inquiries contact: marketing@hollman.com

              RELATED ARTICLES:

              Architectural Record: Medical Lockers

              Architectural Record’s latest July issue features Hollman’s Medical lockers, highlighting the products’ antimicrobial finish.

              Featured in Architectural Record, July Issue 2023: Hollman’s medical-grade lockers have an antimicrobial finish said to reduce the incidence of staph infection by 99.79% and withstand harsh chemical cleaners such as bleach and ammonium chloride. Additionally, they are constructed with a phenolic material that renders them waterproof and moisture-resistant. An anti-ligature hardware option is available for behavioral- health applications.

              Architectural-Record-2023-07-July-ProductsDownload

              For press inquiries contact: marketing@hollman.com

              Learn more about our medical solutions and don’t forget to Request a quote for your next upcoming project!

              RELATED ARTICLES:

              The Ultimate Ski Locker Solution

              Discover amenities Hollman specifically curated to provide you and your guest with The Ultimate Ski Locker Solution.

              phenolic ski locker

              One advantage of having a ski resort is the convenience of outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and skiing. With all the outdoor pursuits comes lots of gear. With the help of our dedicated team of experts, Hollman can create custom solutions to accommodate all your ski locker needs ultimate ski storage solution.

              AMENITIES

              ski locker amenity

              Drip Drainage

              Drainage slots, drip pans, and floor drains can be added to integrate with drainage systems.

              Custom Ventilation

              Ventilation allows for proper airflow, which helps prevent bacteria growth while also controlling moisture levels in the locker.

              Vertical Ski and Snowboard Racks

              Power grip ski holders create a vertical storage compartment that can keep skis and boards dry and protected from nicks and damage.

              Boot and Glove Dryers

              Install custom boot dryers to ensure your guest gear is dry after a day of exploring. 

              Custom Gear Built-Ins

              It’s much easier to keep everything organized when it all has a place. Hollman can build in specific areas for gear like helmets, skis, and other necessities specific to your needs.

              Shelving

              Embedded PVC shelf units engineered to handle heavy wet gear

              ski locker amenity

              Waterproof and Water-Resistant Material

              The waterproof and moisture-repellent qualities of phenolic material make it the ideal choice for damp and humid settings.

              Charging Station

              With built-in charging ports, guests are free to leave their devices to charge in a secure location while they hit the slopes. 

              Hooks for Outerwear

              You can never have too many hooks.

              Project Details

              Explore Ski Lockers

              Ski locker rooms are a popular gathering spot and prime social space. Because they are essential to the overall club experience, they should be comfortable and luxurious.

                Discover Phenolic

                For a polished, modern aesthetic, glass lockers are the way to go. Glass lockers are surprisingly durable and perfect for high-use areas that get an above-average amount of moisture.

                  Explore Club & Resort

                  Hollman specializes in the equipment that country clubs need, with quality reimagined at every stage – from start to finish.

                    Project Insights: Michigan State University Munn Ice Arena

                    Munn Ice Arena renovations give Spartan Hockey a world-class arena with the help of Hollman Lockers

                    Home of Michigan State University’s Spartan Hockey team, Munn Ice Arena, has completed its largest renovation to date. After breaking ground in 2019, the renovation was halted due to the pandemic, now four years later, the hockey facility has gotten its much needed facelift. 

                    When it came to the locker room renovations for the Spartans, one of the primary drives of the restoration was to create a space for the players to bond and to promote fellowship. Not only was space within the locker room necessary, but the lockers themselves needed to handle the large and heavy equipment involved with hockey.

                    Hollman came into the picture, presenting a locker that was designed for MSU based on current player habits and needs. Having the locker room located in an ice arena, it was important to ensure the lockers were durable against the environment. The main component of the lockers were created with black Phenolic, a notoriously durable and water-resistant material; while the integrated benches were made with marine-grade vinyl cushions constructed to withstand water. Using these products will guarantee the lockers stay pristine even with heavy use. 

                    Along with durability, the lockers were strategically designed to shelf and hang the necessary pieces of gear without overloading the unit. In general, hockey requires a lot of gear for protective purposes, meaning the design needed to be able to categorize a large volume. 

                    Each locker includes three tiers of shelving made to hold helmets, all pads, gloves, and personal items. Below each integrated seat is a lift-up piece for additional storage. One of the unique features of the model is the face-mounted custom skate hooks placed on the lower portion of the locker, designed to keep skates obscured and localized in front of the lower ventilation system to help reduce dry time and bacterial growth. 

                    “The thought process to have a changing area where each guy has their own space to put their stuff in so we can keep our locker room orderly, and that’s one thing we talked about as a group. Its super important to us to be a steward of that space…we can say thank you but I think the way you take care of it is the best way to show you appreciate it so that place is going be spotless”, Adam Nightingale, MSU Hockey Head Coach.

                    Renovations to Munn Ice Arena were completed this past September, just in time for the Spartan’s regular season. With the facility’s upgrades and the help of Hollman, alums and players are sure to be proud for years to come. 

                    Locker Details:

                    • Black Phenolic material
                    • Marine Grade Vinyl Cushions
                    • Aluminum Magnetic Radius Trim
                    • Solid Surface bench edge
                    • Face mounted skate hooks
                    • Solid Surface hooks
                    • Lift up radius bench
                    • LED lighting

                    Sources: Lansing State Journal, The State News

                    Project Details

                    Explore Athletics

                    When you want to make an impression on high-performing athletes and top recruits, start with the locker room. Hollman creates custom space built on your team’s history, culture and core values.

                      Discover Phenolic

                      Hollman phenolic lockers are built to withstand wet environments, heavy use, and tough conditions. The waterproof and moisture repellent qualities of phenolic material make it the ideal choice for wet and humid settings.

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                        To see what sets Hollman above the rest, check out our latest projects!