Solid Surface material, commonly know as Corian, Swanstone, Staron, Avonite, HI-MACS, LivingStone, Sage Surfaces and Wilsonart, is a generic term for materials that are composed of two main ingredients: natural mineral filler and a resin binder. Along with a few other elements such as pigments, UV absorbers, stabilizers and catalyst these materials are then cast into ¼’’, ½’’, ¾’’ or 1 ¼” (3cm) sheets. Corian Burled Beach Solid Surface They can...

Granite countertop material is a natural stone defined as a crystalline, granular rock consisting of quartz, feldspar and mica. It is formed from the rise of molten magma deep beneath our Earth’s crust. Many of these stones were formed and hardened as the Earth cooled billions of years ago. It is mined from around the world in large blocks that are cut into slabs. These slabs are polished and distributed to fabricators to create a multitude of products like...

Quartz, commonly known as Cambria, Caesarstone, Silestone, Radianz, Zodiaq, Hanstone and Viatera is one of the newer technologies in countertop materials. These materials are comprised of a blend of approximately 93% quartz and 7% polyester resin that are pressed into slabs using a “vibrocompression vacuum process”. After the blocks cure, they are then cut into 2cm and 3cm thick sheets. One of the main suppliers of equipment for making engineered stone is the...

Laminate is most notably recognized as Formica although Wilsonart and Pionite both manufacture the  material. New brands are the Formica FX180 and Wilsonart HD. It is one of the most commonly used materials in both residential and commercial design. Made with several layers of paper, a color sheet, and topped off with a clear melamine overlay, laminate is held together with phenolic resin, compressed under great pressure. This plastic sheet is then glued over a...

Concrete countertops comes in two forms, pre-cast or cast in place. Most notable are Vetrazzo and IceStone. PRE-CAST - Pre-cast means the concrete is manufactured in a shop and installed on site, just like granite countertops. Pre-cast concrete countertops come in two forms: Custom - Custom pre-cast concrete countertops are the “traditional” form of concrete countertops, where each piece is custom formed and cast to fit the cabinets. All the forming, casting...

Paper composites are manufactured with high contents of paper, bamboo fiber, recycled wood fiber, salvaged wood fiber and renewable, wood-sourced cellulose fiber from managed forests which is then compressed and held together with a binder. Most commonly know as PaperStone, Richlite and EcoTop. Paper Composite Countertop Binders can be a petroleum-free phenolic resins made from raw materials like cashew nut shell liquid to a completely water based binder. Both the...

Wood countertops can add warmth and natural beauty to any kitchen. National brands include Craft-Art and Endurawood. They can be used throughout the entire kitchen, or just in select areas. Many different wood choices are available. Butcher block countertops are some of the most commonly known in the kitchen industry. The primary benefit with Butcher block is the ability to use the surface for chopping and cutting. It was commonly used in butcher shops and meat...