What Is The Best Solid Surface Counter Brand?
1. Avonite
Operating for over 3 decades, Avonite is a relative old-timer in the world of solid surfaces. Avonite's parent Aristech has an impressive pedigree in the world of plastics, having invented something called continuous casting (vs. cell casting) of acrylics, allowing incredibly large sheets to be produced by pouring acrylic on a continuously moving belt.
This is not to say that you'll ever want a 300 foot kitchen counter. The point is that Avonite is part of a large, established family that produces all manner of man-made surfaces; it's anything but a shadowy upstart.
Avonite offers either polyester (Studio Collection) or acrylic (Foundations) solid surfaces.
Why You Might Like It
Avonite 100% acrylic Foundations' "Right Size Capability" program works with contractors and designers to produce massive sheets up to 204" long, reducing seams to next-to-nothing and eliminating trim waste. Like Corian, Avonite is another U.S.-made product, coming from factories in New Mexico and Kentucky. More »
2. Corian
The grande dame of all solid surface materials, DuPont's Corian is the product that, in 1967, kicked off the revolution. No more would residential kitchens be limited to laminate. The point of chemist Dr. Donald Slocum's invention was a surface that is solid through and through. Laminate is composed of layers; solid surface is homogenous.
Why You Might Like It
Corian provides a wealth of information and support for its product. Unlike other solid surface companies, which rely on the designers to clue in consumers, Corian is very transparent about its product, from start to finish. Corian will never be the cheapest solid surface on the market, but selection is copious. Also, if U.S.-made remodeling materials are important to you, you'll be happy to know that most Corian is made in Buffalo, NY.
3. Staron
You've probably never heard of Staron. But there is a good chance that you've got a TV or a mobile device from Staron's ultimate parent company--Samsung.
One convenient shorthand is to think of Staron as "Corian, but cheaper." When Corian's patent ran out, Samsung was one of many solid surface companies to rush in and begin duplicating DuPont's successful Corian formula. Only as the Staron brand matured did Samsung attempt to branch away from that initial Corian-but-cheaper formula and try new things.
Why You Might Like It
Because of Staron Tempest. The Tempest collection is especially striking, with its sparkly metallics combined with true depth and translucency. Tempest is a solid surface that looks much like a quartz surface.
A Top Encounter, a Huntington Beach CA-based designer, concurs, saying that Staron's Tempest
More »
has blown away the others in competing in the new arena of engineered quartz products such as Caesarstone, Silestone, and Zodiaq... Staron TEMPEST looks like engineered stone, but applies all of the most important elements in solid surfacing which are integral sinks, inconspicuous seams and the ability to repair, refurbish and resurface.
4. Swanstone
Like many other solid surface companies, St. Louis-based Swan has a long history with other types of home-related "surface" products. They invented a door-less, curtain-less shower unit called the Shell Shower, which, if viewed from above, is shaped like a nautilus shell.
Swan began making solid surface counters in 1987.
Why You Might Like It
Prices. Swanstone solid surfaces are often cheaper than those offered by other companies. All Swan products are made in the U.S., in Centralia, IL.
5. Formica
It seems preposterous: Formica solid surfaces? Formica is synonymous with laminate counters; Formica is laminate. Talk about a clash of two different worlds.
Long a mainstay of restaurant tables, bars, and kitchen counters, Formica laminate still surfaces the world. But what about solid surfaces?
Even though most efforts go towards the laminates, solid surfaces remain a tidy side business
Why You Might Like It
Formica is transitioning its solid surfaces from polyester to 100% acrylic. In the past, its attention to solid surfaces has been listless. Lately, I've seen a few exciting products come out, such as Bottle Glass Quartz, All That Jazz, and Cafe Quartz. Offerings like these make solid surfaces look less homogenous and more like real stone.More »
6. Wilsonart Solid Surfaces
Venerable surfaces company Wilsonart has existed for over a half-century now. Starting in 1956, Ralph Wilson Sr. began producing high pressure laminate in Texas. Only much later did Wilsonart enter the burgeoning field of solid surfaces.
The company stumbled when they introduced solid surface veneer (SSV), a 1/8" slice of material that fabricators were expected to glue to a particle board base. When that didn't work, Wilsonart pre-bonded the SSV to the board and fixed a polymer sheet to the bottom to protect it from moisture. SSV was a failure, resulting in cracked counters and a 2004 class action lawsuit that brought in a $23 million settlement to plaintiffs.
Why You Might Like It
SSV issue aside, Wilsonart is known for being attentive to customers (currently, they have 17 dedicated showrooms in the U.S. and Canada, something you rarely see). Historically, too, Wilsonart has been innovative. While I find that most of its creativity is still going in the laminate surfaces direction, hopefully their solid surfaces division will find a way to become a leader, rather than a follower, within the industry.More »
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