There’s a perception in the countertop fabrication industry that the glory days of solid surface fabrication are in the past. I believe that this notion is wrong, and that the many advantages that solid surface materials offer the end user will ensure that this product category will remain strong in the marketplace for many years to come.

My opinion has been reinforced in recent months, as I have worked as a consultant to three different fabricators of other types of countertop materials who have decided to enter the solid surface fabrication market in 2007. However, as the stories below indicate, whatever the scope of products, proper training in the use of the material is key.

Fabricator Stories

Azteca Stone Works of Bakersfield, CA specializes in residential countertops and flooring in marble, granite and ceramic tile. According to owner Chano Arias and manager Hugo Sierra, the company has managed to grow in the tough housing market of recent years by emphasizing quality and customer service, and declining to do low-end work.

A few months ago, the firm added DuPont Zodiaq to its product line, which it was able to incorporate easily because of the product’s similarities to natural stone. However, when customers suggested that the firm add DuPont Corian to its portfolio of products, Azteca realized that its staff needed training in order to fabricate and install solid surface materials properly.

My wife, Debra, and I spent two days at Azteca’s efficient and well-organized stone fabrication shop this past July, where I conducted my seminar in the showroom area now under construction. The recently installed floor featured many colors and patterns of marble and granite for display purposes.

The four employees who will be the core of Azteca’s solid surface fabrication team were in their seats at 7:30 each morning – alert, attentive and brimming with a positive attitude. They understood that solid surface fabrication is very different from natural stone fabrication. I found them fully committed to quality and willing to learn.

During our time together, we fabricated a mock-up of a kitchen countertop, including a deck seam, a cooktop cut out, a seam-undermount sink and a coved backsplash. The Azteca employees asked many questions, all of them relevant and pertinent. At the end of our seminar, my wife and I left Bakersfield confident that the Azteca team was ready to add solid surface countertops to their product offering.

Another example of the value of training is evident in the case of a natural stone fabricator that recently completed a large Silicon Valley corporate cafeteria using solid surface materials.

This company did not have any previous experience working with solid surface materials, and did not arrange for advance training. As a result, the employees made many mistakes, and the countertops began cracking shortly after they were installed. As a result of a referral by ISSFA staff, I was retained by the construction management company to inspect the failed installation. Later on, I was hired by the fabricator to review the shop drawings and train the firm’s personnel to properly remove and replace the defective countertops.

Surfaces Mix with Music

In the case of Sausalito, CA-based Omnirax, the firm realized training was needed before adding solid surface countertops to its product offerings, and retained my services to provide that.