Factors to Consider for Picking Solid Surface Manufacturers
Material Quality
Most solid surface material is made with a ratio of roughly two parts minerals to one part resin. However, there’s a lot of room for manufacturer interpretation in that recipe.
Your solid surface manufacturer should be willing to tell you about the types of materials they’re using for their minerals and resins—and whether they are designed for durability and performance. They should also be able to speak about their quality control measures and whether or not they back their products with a warranty.
Design Capabilities
If you’re a designer, you want a manufacturer who can do more than what they show in their catalog. You want a creative partner who is willing to listen to your ideas and has the skills to help you bring them to life.
At Durasein, our favorite thing to hear from customers and clients is, “This might sound crazy, but…” Those ideas make our hearts beat faster, too. Just tell us what you have in mind, and we’ll figure out how to bring your visions to life.
Customization Options
Whether you need a unique shape to match your space or a color that perfectly fits your taste or brand, the best solid surface material manufacturer should provide ample opportunities to customize.
Your solid surface manufacturer should be ready to experiment with new colors and patterns. But customization shouldn’t stop with pigmentation. At Durasein, we specialize in creating solid surfaces with specialized patterns, cutout shapes, and exciting 3D forms. When anything’s possible, every space can be as unique as the person designing it.
Maintenance Needs
Not all solid surface materials are created equal. The brand you choose should be easy to clean, low maintenance, and resistant to stains and chemicals. It shouldn’t require more than a standard household disinfectant for cleaning, and it should never need to be sealed like natural stone or wood.
Warranty Specifications
Your solid surface material supplier should provide information about the warranties on their products. This tells you that they’re confident in the quality and durability of their solid surface materials. Should you find anything wrong with your countertop or other surfaces, you can trust that they’ll be there to set things right through repair or replacement.
At Durasein, we offer a 10-year limited warranty. It’s our reassurance that we stand behind our products and want you to be satisfied.
Sustainability and Responsibility
Any countertop manufacturer that uses natural minerals should be able to answer questions about sustainability and responsibility. For example, they should be able to tell you where their materials come from and whether or not they are using conflict minerals—materials that are mined in politically unstable areas that may be used to perpetuate human rights abuses. Common minerals that may come from dubious sources include tungsten, tin, tantalum, and gold, all of which can lead to the harmful exploitation of people living in these areas. Conflict minerals are not used in the manufacture of any Durasein products.
Manufacturers should also be able to tell you whether your countertop material poses a risk of silicosis for the people who may inhale dust during fabrication or installation. At Durasein, we’re proud to say our material contains zero silica.
We have evaluated the ingredients used in our processes and have made every effort to ensure that they don’t harm the people making or using them. What’s more, we regularly reuse hundreds of tons of pre-consumer acrylic resins, keeping them out of the waste stream.