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Built to last: Merinolam, the school washroom spec that’s cleaning up


Few spaces in a school get tested harder than the washroom; it’s a tough crowd. James Latham’s Merinolam collection has been built for that reality, with a design range that’s stylish enough fit to lift a whole scheme as well as being sturdy enough to last the distance.


A specification challenge like no other


School washrooms are one of the toughest briefs on the drawing board. As any estates manager can tell you: they have to take relentless daily use, meet hygiene expectations that have only sharpened in recent years, and work for safeguarding and supervision. However, they still need to look the part ten years on. Budget, of course, rarely keeps pace.


Merinolam has been built for exactly that brief. Only Available from James Latham in the UK and Ireland, the Merinolam Washroom Collection pulls together high- pressure laminate (HPL), compact grade laminate (CGL) and moisture resistant MFC under a coordinated palette of 32 solid and woodgrain décors.


Behind it sits the depth of stock, technical know-how and nationwide logistics that have kept James Latham at the front of materials distribution for over 269 years.


So, without further delay, let’s take a closer look at what sets this exceptional material apart from the rest…


Built for the school of hard knocks


Specifiers working in education know the brief better than anyone. Washroom surfaces have to absorb the daily punishment of hundreds of pupils, then carry on doing it for the next decade. Merinolam is engineered for that workload, with impact resistance, abrasion resistance and dimensional stability that keep the finish looking like new through years of heavy usage.


The Merino FR+ HPL within the collection is manufactured and tested to EN 438, the European standard for decorative HPL, which gives specifiers the technical reassurance they need when signing off a high impact resistant, long-life surface. What’s more, it also tested in accordance with EN 13501-1 2019, achieving a reaction to fire classification of B-s1, d0. A disappointing, yet necessary achievement in today’s education estates landscape.


Where senior schools need a robust solution for high-wear environments, the compact grade laminate provides the structural integrity to cope. For vertical applications and cubicle linings on tighter budgets, the moisture resistant MFC does the job.


16 Hygiene that holds up


Hygiene expectations in schools have shifted permanently. The brief now is to design surfaces that actively support cleaning regimes and limit the spread of bacteria across high-touch zones.


Merinolam delivers on both counts. The compact grade laminate and moisture resistant MFC variants are anti-bacterial as standard, built in at manufacture rather than applied as a coating that wears off. Across the whole range, a dense, non-porous surface gives germs and grime nowhere to settle, so day-to- day cleaning is faster and more


effective.


Moisture resistance is equally important. Lower-spec substrates can swell, warp or delaminate in the humid, high-splash conditions a school washroom sees every break time. Merinolam holds its shape and its finish year after year.


When you include heat resistance and easy- clean credentials. you also benefit from lower maintenance costs, a longer service life and fewer mid-cycle repairs eating into the estate’s budget.


Design that inspires


Every specifier knows that durability and hygiene are non- negotiables for washrooms, but appealing design is what makes pupils actually want to use them. It’s also true that quality washroom facilities have a direct bearing on student wellbeing, attendance and behaviour, so the aesthetic


decisions count for more than they often get credit for.


The Merinolam Washroom Collection has been curated with that in mind. Thirty-two coordinated solid and woodgrain décors give specifiers the freedom to design a calming biophilic scheme for a primary school, or a bold, graphic palette for a sixth-form block.


Even better, it can achieve unrivalled aesthetic consistency without compromising on aesthetics, because the same décors run across HPL, compact and MR MFC, designers


Summer 2026 issue 4184


certification across the timber portfolio and the James Latham Carbon Calculator, specifiers also get the robust sustainability evidence that is increasingly demanded for school estates.


FSC® Specify with confidence


To request samples, discuss a project or place an order from the Merinolam Washroom Collection, contact the James Latham team on info@lathams.co.uk. Full technical guides and the complete decor library are at lathamtimber.co.uk


can mix substrates without losing visual continuity. Compact for cubicles and pilasters, HPL for vanity surrounds, MR MFC for vertical panels, all available in the same finish.


The HPL is also post-formable, which opens up curved edges, rounded vanities and softer detailing that lift a scheme above the strictly functional. Furthermore, via the Merino Design Explorer tool, which can be accessed through Merinolam’s own site, specifiers can browse thousands more design options to suit the identity or context of any school estate.


The James Latham difference


Supply and logistics matter too. James Latham operates 12 trading depots across the UK and Ireland, holds more than 75,000m³ of stock (including a healthy supply of Merinolam) and runs its own nationwide fleet, so any order can arrive on site, on time and when it’s needed.


Supporting the UK construction and specification community since 1757, today it operates as the UK and Ireland’s leading independent distributor of timber, panels and decorative surfaces, and is the sole stockist of Merinolam in both markets.


However, size isn’t everything, it’s also backed by a technical sales team who know the product, are familiar with the standards and understand the day-to-day pressures of school projects. That means specifiers get straight advice on substrate selection, quick sample turnarounds, and the confidence that what was specified at RIBA Stage 4 will land on site at Stage 5.


Along with responsible sourcing,


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