Solid Surface Returns to its Roots in the
Bathroom
By Russ Lee
Even though solid surface was originally developed for vanity top
applications by the DuPont research team, which invented the
product in the early 1960s, its most widespread use has evolved
into kitchen countertops. A prime facilitator in the shift in
emphasis from bubble bath to pots and pans was the invention of
joint adhesive, a seaming material that makes possible the creation
of large expanses of invisibly joined worktop surfaces. That
development, along with the introduction of an expanded color
palette, enamored specifiers and consumers to the beauty and
sanitary nature of solid surface.
The product gained widespread exposure in the latter part of the
1980s, and reigned through the ’90s as the surfacing material of
choice for use in high-end kitchens.
With the new century, however, has come stiff competition from
other surfacing options, causing some people within the solid
surface industry to reconsider the material’s primordial roots in
the bath chamber. They’ve come to recognize that as well as solid
surface performs in the kitchen, it is even more ideally suited for
withstanding the vagueries of steamy showers and dripping bodies,
not to mention the myriad chemical onslaughts from cosmetics,
cleansers and conditioners. The non-porous and renewable features
of solid surface simply make it an ideal product for the
bath.
It wasn’t too long ago that about the only options you had in
solid surface vanity tops were variations on a 14″x17″ oval bowl.
Today, your sink choices encompass the latest design features
currently popular with today’s consumers, and are available in
virtually every color of the rainbow. Best of all, with the
emergence into the marketplace of new companies offering diverse
vanity products, your fabricator now has more supplier options to
choose from when creating a custom vanity top. That often
translates into shorter lead times and more favorable pricing
structures. Companies like TFI Corp., Transolid, DuPont Corian and
Swanstone are leading the way in these new product
offerings.
Shower wetwalls are another perfect application for solid
surface, especially now that techniques for installing large
expanses of vertical panels with no visible seams have been
developed with great success. Most solid surface companies have
also developed wetwall “kits,” which include all of the elements
necessary to create a standard size shower. Accessories items, such
as soap dishes and shower seats, are readily available to your
fabricator, or he can make them himself.
Your fabricator also has access to products manufactured by
companies that specialize in casting and/or fabricating solid
surface shower pans that match or coordinate with the shower
wetwalls. And speaking of shower pans, Swanstone has developed a
slam-dunk retrofit affair that is designed to fit exactly the space
occupied by a standard 60″ bathtub. It even hooks up to the
existing drain.
Another application for solid surface in the bathroom that is
gaining in popularity is its use on the walls as full-height
cladding or as decorative wainscoting.
Considering the disastrous effects water can have on unprotected
traditional materials like wood and drywall, solid surface is the
ideal long-term solution. Essential Products, which recently merged
with TFI, produces a cost-effective line of Corian wall panels that
are engineered to install quickly. The concept, known as Wall
Dacor, offers three categories of wall panels that fit together
seamlessly by means of tongue and groove joints, and that feature
your choice of several design elements routed into the panels.
TFI has also developed architectural moldings made from Corian
that complement the Wall Dacor system perfectly. Now your
fabricator can order the ready-made moldings at a cost comparable
to that of traditional hardwood moldings and install them quickly
and efficiently. Your customer benefits from the large selection of
design options, as well as the maintenance-free properties of the
installation.
Imaginative solid surface artwork, like that created by artists
Becki Babb or Barry Gross, adds a personal touch to a custom design
and can result in one-of-a-kind masterpieces. In addition,
accessory items like receptacle plates, toothbrush holders, mirror
frames, toilet paper holders and other useful products are
available today from a number of companies that specialize in
producing such items cost effectively.
As always, your fabricator is a good resource for exploring
these and other solid surfacing options available in the bathroom.
Most likely, he will be able to suggest solutions to your design
challenges that are both functional and artistic. He may even have
developed his own techniques for shower wetwalls that are
particularly well-suited to the specific tastes of people in your
area, or he might introduce you to a new solid surface flooring
concept for the bathroom. Who knows what unseen opportunities for
creating that perfect bathroom lie hidden within the dusty walls of
your fabricator’s shop? All you have to do is ask.