Custom Work With PLASTIC LAMINATES This practical product is most attractive when not trying to imitate other materials. by Joshua Markel When I first became a cabinetmaker 11 years ago, I would become queasy when someone asked for wood-grain plastic laminate. At that time, "plastics" symbolized the phoniness of an era that many of us were trying to get away from. In time, however, I came to realize that plastic laminate, when it wasn't trying to imitate something else, could be a valid and useful material for certain applications. In kitchens, its water resistance and durability made it a logical choice. And it even began to dawn on me that the dense and uniform colors of its surface presented