The Solid surface materials, (Corian, Formica Solid Surface, LG Hi Macs, Avonite Gibraltar, Meganite, Mystera, and Staron) are, in our view and in the view of many other industry professionals, one of the best available materials for countertops. It is virtually impossible to stain in normal use, repairable should you manage to damage it, and it has tremendous design flexibility. With the ten or fifteen year manufacturer’s warranty, Solid Surface becomes a product that must be considered for any countertop need. Please keep in mind that there are a multitude of other uses for Solid Surface materials.

Avonite:  Colors Available: 97

Avonite, like all solid surface products, is a non-porous, man-made solid surfacing material. The styles, patterns and colors they offer cover a very wide range, making Avonite an interesting choice for those with specific color needs. Avonite is known for the clarity and depth of color- especially in its Crystelle series. The Avonite Designer Series sheetstock is available in 36" widths which may make fabrication of tops deeper than 30" more cost effective. Their recently introduced Foundations series is comprised of some excellent earth-tone colors, and is priced very affordably. They also have eight patterns in their line that have received SCS certification, which means they have a minimum of 40% recycled content. To date, they are the only Solid surface manufacturer to offer a truly recycled material.

 

Corian:  Colors Available: 148

Corian was the first of the solid surface manufacturers and is by far the best known brand name in solid surfacing. Their marketing efforts have helped them create the present level of popularity for solid surface products in general. Their product is an Acrylic based material, giving Corian patterns a distinct look and style. Corian maintains the largest selection of product colors and sink styles in solid surface. They have done an excellent job of creating and introducing new style of colors and patterns, and remain an industry leader in innovation. Due to Corian’s chemical composition, it can be thermoformed to create unique shapes. They have recently introduced their new color series, the Private Collection. This collection has a grain and color pattern unlike any other solid surface product.

 

Formica Solid Surfacing: (formerly Fountainhead and Surell) Colors Available: 68

As of early 2003, the long-time solid surface brands of Fountainhead and Surell were merged into one company and named Formica Solid Surfacing. As Formica Corporation owned both brands, the combination of the two brand names creates a strong force in the solid surface industry. They have kept the best of the colors and patterns from both brands, and added new colors to improve their line. They have also introduced the Formica Basic Elements collection- five colors that are exceptionally well priced and provide an opportunity for more customers to afford solid surface.

 

Wilsonart Gibraltar: Colors Available: 75

Gibraltar products are well respected and popular. Their Tempest and Mirage series colors have found wide acceptance. They also produce a collection called Earthstone that has a more stone-like look. Their product is a mix of acrylic and polyester based material. They, like the other manufacturers, have a number of very good colors unique to their product line.

 

LG Hi-Macs:  Colors Available: 60

A strong player in the Solid Surface Market, Hi-Macs is made by LG Chem., a large international chemical manufacturer. Its colors are excellent and reminiscent of the most popular colors in Solid Surface. Hi-Macs has rapidly gained acceptance- partially due to its pricing structure. HiMacs is unique in the solid surface industry in that many of its colors are available in both ½” and ¼” thicknesses. As the ¼” material is less expensive, this allows the use of the ¼” material for backsplashes and shower walls that can match the countertop surfaces at a substantial savings over the ½” material. Their newest introduction is the Eden line, containing 12% recycled material.

 

Meganite: Colors Available: 64

Meganite, like the other solid surface products, is an excellent choice for your countertops. They have a wide variety of poplar patterns, and they are particularly effective at making affordable, large particulate materials. The properties of Meganite are nearly identical to the other solid surface products.

 

Mystera: Colors Available: 42

The first new and different solid surface material to come along in recent years. Generally, the patterns of solid surface are not noted for their qualities of movement. With Mystera, every color in their line is reminiscent of the patterns found in marble and limestone. While this presents some challenges when planning the seaming of a countertop, the unique colors and patterns may make it worthwhile. It is important to note that not all Mystera patterns are stocked locally, and there may be a delay in getting some of the materials here for fabrication. Mystera has introduced an affordable option for vanity countertops. They are offering a 2 centimeter thick countertop material in some excellent colors. Due to the fact that fabrication effort is lessened by the use of the 2 cm thickness, we are able to offer a better price on this product for vanities.

 

North Star Collection: Colors available: 32

This is the newest collection of designer patterns in the solid surface industry. The look and feel of this group of colors is meant to reflect the look of honed granite, but without the staining and surface issues that honed stone can bring.

 

 

Staron:  Colors available: 54

Staron has been in the solid surface industry for a number of years, but their major market was on the East coast. Recently they have been expanding their distribution into the Midwest. They have a similar style product line to the other manufacturers, but they do have colors and patterns that are unique to their line. It is important to note that due to their limited local distribution the minimum product order is 48 square feet of material.

 

 

General facts and information of note:

 

Solid Surface:

• Matte finish is standard unless otherwise indicated.
• In solid surface, dark colors show scratches and mars much more easily than the medium to light colors.
• Solid surface materials in a high gloss finish will require extreme care and maintenance.  This may/will include hiring a professional to refinish the surface.
• In solid surface, there is no up charge for any of our current edge profiles so long as the front edge is 1 ½” in thickness.
• If backsplash is requested, the default style is a set-on splash 4” high.  Coved splashes are available at an additional cost.
• Solid surface products can extend approx. 6” as an overhang before additional support is required. We can provide support materials that fit under the countertop for overhangs up to 12” as part of fabrication.
• Seam locations will be at the discretion of Showcase.
• Seams in solid surface products are warranted to be inconspicuous, not invisible. Some colors do not seam as well as others and it is very difficult to minimize the appearance of the seams in those colors.
• As walls are rarely straight, we caulk behind the backsplash using clear or white silicone caulking. We recommend caulking the junction between the splash and the wall with either a paintable latex caulk or a caulk that is color matched to your wall paint.
• High heat can damage this product.  We recommend the use of a trivet when using any appliance or object that generates surface heat over 275 degrees.
• Manufacturers also recommend running warm water into the sink prior to pouring hot water into it to lessen the effects of thermal shock.