WJR

Find a local customer cabinetmaker in the phone book, preferably one that also does
countertops of all kinds. That way there is no finger pointing on issues. Kitchen dealers
are ordering factory cabinets and marking them up, they have to to cover their services.
For some people, a designer is the way to go, we refer people to designers from time to
time rather than doing their work. ig bo! stores are using guys like me and again
marking up their work, or getting it at a low margin.
Regardless, a custom shop will build you better cabinets and get them done "uicker. Find
one that also installs, again, no finger pointing.
#!pect prices to start around $%&& per foot installed for some pretty basic cabinets. 'f you
want Kraft maid "uality, e!pect $(&& to $)&& per foot *those are some really nice
cabinets in that price range+. 'f you want ,abersham type work, e!pect closer to $-,&&&
per foot, with about one third going into the finishing process.
.olid surface, /orian is only one brand, runs from the high twenties to the mid seventies
per s"uare foot, installed. 0ny edge that can be polished with a machine should be no
e!tra charge. 'f hand work is needed for ogee edges or the like, e!pect five or si! bucks a
linear foot. .ink and cooktop cutouts should be free, e!pect sinks to run from $12) to
$)&& depending on brand.
There are some brands of solid surface to avoid. ad material, bad warranty response on
problems, or a history of bankruptcies by the parent company. 0sk the fabricators which
brands they sell, and which brands are kept hidden inside a cabinet somewhere. .amsung
is an e!cellent brand, as is the 3iving.tone that others mentioned.
.olid surface sinks don4t stain, if they do that is a warranty issue. 5ost likely the
fabricator switched a cheap china sink for the manufacturers good sink. 0n unscruplous
fabricator can pocket a few hundred bucks on a 6ob doing that.
7es, there are different finishes or polishes on solid surface. 5att finish is the best for
durability, 8& micron sandpaper then a scotchbrite buffing. .atin is 8& micron, %& micron,
then scotchbrite buffing. .atin brings out the darker colors in a sheet. 9loss finish usually
is not recomended for kitchens unless you are willing to put up with tiny scuffs when
viewed in the right light. There is an e!ception, -&&: polyester solid surfaces that can be
sold high gloss. .till, a perfectionist won4t be satisfied, but neither will they be happy
with granite with its natural flaws.
3ight colors show abuse less, dark colors are a big no no cause like a black car, they
show every little ding and scratch.
.cratching, well we have a couple of tops that were pulled out under warranty after ; -<1
years in a home, one bad sink. They look like new, but it was a neutral color. 'n about
eight years of fabrication of solid surface tops, we have had seven calls to fi! a scratch,
and we don4t charge for the service. 't is a really rare occasion, a coffe mug with an
abrasive bottom or a plumbers metal tool bo! are the usual culprits. We tell people to take
a sheet of 11& grit sand paper, tape it down, and wiggle their ceramic ware back and forth
several times. =roblem solved.
.o, like other materials, solid surface isn4t a perfect material for a countertop, but there
are fewer complaints from customers than the other materials. 'n my opinion, it is the
best material available as long as you don4t pick a black, dark green or dark blue.
't is -&&: non porous, uses F>0 approved materials, has a ?.F)- rating for countertop
use, sinks can be integrated with no seams or caulking needed, shouldn4t be a charge for
cutouts or common bullnose edges, the hori@ontal seams should be nearly invisible, you
can make backsplashes that match or even window sills, it is available in half sheets *-)
s"uare feet+ which means less waste and thus less cost, it is pretty consistent so no need
to visit a slab yard or worry that someone will cut out the pretty part, it can be bleached
for sanitation with no harm, common cleaning products won4t hurt it, and no matter what
is done to it, it can be repaired almost invisibly. ?o sealing needed, ever. 0nd long
warranties that truly mean what they say because the fabricators must be certified to
purchase the material.
The best thing is that solid surface shops aren4t used to the material having flaws that can
be blamed ABh, it is a natural product you know, it is all like thatA. We tend to be
perfectionists and the material is light enough to handle that it can be taken out and
scribed if needed.
Rodding isn4t needed so rod splits don4t happen, it doesn4t stain or etch but if it did, 6ust
sand it out and repolish. acteria can4t survive on it for long, no crevices, cracks, fissures,
pores, pits or caulk seams for them to hide in. The acrylic brands and some of the
polyester products are CD stable so no fading like "uart@ or some granites. 't is produced
in factories, no child labor involved, no mountains ripped apart, no bonded labor used.
?o surprises in the chemical content like granite, no radiation, no radon, no cobalt 8&, no
=olonium, no arsenic or lead or other heavy metals. Cranium can4t leach out because
there is none to start with.
7ou know who makes it and who will stand behind it, the brand not the fabricator.
#veryone who knows me knows ' can go on and on on the benefits of solid surface. 't
isn4t as pretty nor as hard as "uart@ or granite, but it is a safe investment and workers don4t
develop silicosis working with it and '4ve never heard of a fabricator getting killed from a
sheet of it falling on them.
Then after years of service, you buff it up and it looks like brand new. ?o other material
can offer that.
?o one uses coasters on solid surface, but if that coffee mug will scratch or stain solid
surface, it will likely do the same to granite or "uart@. 9o over to findstone.com and read
thousands of granite customers customer complaints, read the do@ens of problems here on
9arden Web on granite issues, there is no other material that has as many complaints.
3ess than %&: of the market, with ;&: of the complaints.
'4ll sell it to you and make a good profit. '4ll test it first to make darned sure it is a low
radiation level stone first. 7ou will like the "uality of my seams, installation, and
polishing, but when it cracks, stains, or etches, '4ll say ' told you so.
't is 6ust a stone, it came out of the earths crust. Cnderstand that and you will love the
stuff.
Just my opinion