Is laminate countertops actually some sort of plastic?

Question

if it (the laminate portion of the countertop) is not plastic, what is it?

Answer 1

A laminate is a material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to sandwiching something between layers of plastic and sealing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive An example of the type of laminate using different materials would be the application of a layer of plastic film — the "laminate"

Answer 2

Part of it actually is plastic.

A laminate countertop consists of a thin sheet of plastic laminate glued down over a 3/4" plywood or particleboard core called a substrate.

Answer 3

Yes, it is a plastic laminate (layers). One laminate is the body of it, but the top laminate is the "picture" (pattern) that you see.