I was told several years ago that DuPont limits the availability of their certification program to only those fabricators who can guarantee that they will do so many thousands of dollars worth of solid-surface business per year. [I don't remember the exact figure, but it had five digits left of the decimal.] Was I told a story, or is that actually the case?
I can't speak to the truth of that, Doug.
I got my certification in the early 80's through the regional supply house.
We went to a seminar for a day, listened to some boring stuff that was replicated in the printed matter, watched some dude show us the sleds and such, and then we had lunch.
I have gotten updates ever since but have not gone back to "school".
I was interested in buying a sheet a couple of years ago and the supplier said that I was still on the buy list, even though I hadn't done any Corian or Avonite bidness in a long time.
The real deal is, an independent fabricator buys the goods at retail and he can get the same goods, already fabricated - and installed - for less money.
Once the guys who were then laminate shops got into the solid surface stuff, the independent was knocked out because he could not buy the material at decent prices.
What is interesting to me is that the guys who used to be lam shops have now become solid surface and granite shops.
Solid surface is way more like granite than it is like lam.
There are still pure lam shops but they are usually devoted to bottom feeder work. the more interesting lam work is kicked up to the solid surface/granite shops, because they have the horses.
Rob is way more current than me on this and I would not be unhappy to have him correct me.
Regards,
Tom Watson
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
I went to DuPont 'school' for 3 days in Brandywine. Thermoforming etc. Quite informative. The Canadian distributor sponsored my trip. 4 Colours in both 3/4" and 1/2". I wanted the product to build loudspeaker boxes.
[snipped for brevity]I paid too much for DuPont for a few years, but architects were starting to spec it, so I kept my 'qualification' current. Then Wilsonart came upon the scene with a polyester product, soon to it was replaced by Gibraltar...an acrylic based product. Doing a lot of retail store interiors, I was always playing with glass, neon, plastics, laminates, ceramics etc. It was a fit. Many kitchen dealers wanted to sell those types of countertops. I thought it was an honourable way to make a buck, so it grew and grew.
Same here. But I still do lam.
Agreed
Indeed. I don't do post-formed crap either
You're still current. I will sell you material..
Rob
All fine for a variety of purposes but who said I was making a counter? My view on it is that Corian and the like are materials that can be used to make countertops and can also be used for other purposes, just as wood can. But by preventing anyone but countertop installers from buying it in anything but small precut sizes one is prevented from using it for any purpose other than countertops.
There ARE such sources. Just put "DIY solid surface countertop" in a google search and you'll find some on the first page returned.
If you need something less than a full sheet, why not visit your local fabrication shop? I found one locally who sold me a 3' x 5' "scrap" piece of Corian for $50. It's enough to get me through 2 largeish projects (router table and kitchen island). At that price, if I need another piece, I know I'll be going back for more when I need to build something else. I've been working with my piece for a couple weeks now, and it's really neat stuff. I still can't get over how heavy it is.
Seriously, if you don't need to finish all your countertops, just call your local fabrication shop. If you don't know one offhand, call any kitchen counter shop and ask them who does their countertops for them. That's what I did, and the scrap I bought was only one of a large number of pieces just sitting outside in the elements waiting for someone to buy it up.
Incidentally, for those of you interested in this stuff for turning, what size is the smallest useful piece for you to use? I may have some scraps I can give away when I'm done with these projects. I have the
1/2" kind, it's white with greyish specks in it.-Nathan
Thanks for the info.
Frank
Now we're talking. I give away blanks all the time. I sell left-over vanity-size pieces all the time. Cheap too. Last weekend.. 23" x 38" Meganite acrylic..wasn't her favourite colour, but for $150.00? I even glued an edge on for her.... free. Then explained to the husband how to install it.
If anybody in here wants a blank for a router table, and doesn't care about the colour... e-mail me. I'll see what I can do. Shipping may take a while, because I am spending all my free time needling Frank.
r
You can do whatever you want.
Not running out of ideas. this is a simple disagreement. Nothing I can add would change your mind, and nothing you could add would change mine.
And I didn't ask and won't.
Good for you, and I don't care what you do.
Because now I'm in the position of having to settle for whatever scrap he has on hand instead of buying what I want.
If you want to make something else that matches your kitchen island and he doesn't have another scrap of that same stuff available, then what?
There are?
Then please provide a link to just one of those suppliers of acrylic solid surface. There's plenty of polyester available but that's not what we're talking about.
I'd go down the street to another one and ask them, and so on. If none of the locals had it, and none of the locals where I have family had it, I'd try to find something that complemented it. If I knew the guy well enough, I'd ask for him to let me know when someone else is getting some counters done in that color and ask to piggyback on their order or something.
Maybe I'm more easygoing about this kind of stuff than other people, but I just don't see this as that big a deal.
Anyways, I was just sharing my experience in buying the stuff as an "outsider." It wasn't difficult, the guy I worked with was friendly and we both walked away from the deal happier than when we'd entered it. If it's not the way you want to work, that's fine, but I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to find something you're content with from a large enough fab shop.
-Nathan
This is where you're dead wrong. I thrive on other people's points of view. It is healthy to look at new (to me) ideas. I change my mind all the time as further info becomes available and conditions change.
Try it, it might work for you too.
r
They must have had two different training tracks; one for installers and one for fabricators.
My one day course must have been for installers only, because I don't recall any discussion of thermoforming.
My recollection is that we learned how to cut it and join it and do edge treatments. We were warned about color variations between batches. We were told how to prep the substrate, openings, penetrations, etc.
I was prolly using the terms fabricator and installer interchangeably and incorrectly.
Sorry about that.
So, did you guys just drink for the other two days, or did you learn something cool?
BTW - by Brandywine, do you mean the DuPont facility in Delaware? That's about half an hour from where I grew up. So where did I go to Corian school? New Jersey - about an hour and a half away - go figger.
Lowes, LG-HIMACS:
I did the clicky-pop and found this:
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Lower cost
The industry's only 15-year fully transferable warranty
All colors are available at Lowe's
Ping me when you are coming down. That's the home turf.
The river is the Brandywine and it winds through Chester County on its way to Delaware. There is one old DuPont estate that has become Longwood Gardens which is one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. Another DuPont estate is now home to one of the finest collections of furniture in the world - Winterthur. It's nice to see money made in gunpowder put to such fine use.
Andy Wyeth's place is on the Brandywine just above Chadd's Ford and if you are into his painting, you might enjoy seeing some of the country, buildings and people that he painted.
The Battle of the Brandywine occurred in the area and there was a local historian named Chris Sanderson who was famous for lecturing about it in such a fine and animated way that folks weren't even all that disappointed to learn at the end that we had gotten our asses kicked in that one.
There also happens to be a place that is renowned for its collection of single malt scotches. They have a great fireplace, for real gasogenes for those who feel the need to abuse their beverage, and a wonderful collection of Waterford crystal that they put to its intended use. An evening spent in one of the wingback chairs by the fireplace, good whiskey and good company is something to be experienced.
Oh yeah, they also serve food.
Regards,
Tom Watson
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
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