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I have a customer we are giving a qoute for a new kitchen, she like solid surface, but she is concerned about one area that she uses all the time to make cookie and pies. She is always rolling out doe etc. and cutting on the tops. I was wondering if we did a light color with a matte finish if this would help with the maintance of the scratches or would be better to have this area out of marble or does someone else have a better solution for this area. She has looked for large enough mats like tupperware used to make, but they do not make them any more. Want something simple to ease her mind about maintance?
Thanks for the help in advance.
Reuben, I’m just a supplier NOT a fabricator but…what? This lady will call you back after EVERY batch of cookies made to buff out scratches. Don’t know anyone cutting on their solid surface. Perhaps you could incorporate a butcher block insert. I’m sure the many fabricators here will have ideas of what to insert for cutting etc. Vance Industries has an array of cutting boards that can be incorporated. Check them out at:
I like the insert idea also. You could either use a piece of butcher block or solid surface. Just cut out a hole in the counter and rabbet the edge of your insert so it fits in the hole nice and snug. The insert could be replaced if needed and it is easy to sand out the scratches.
We did a butcher block insert for a chef and he really liked it.
We have seen alot of custoners use solid surface like this, with the only real problem being after the cookies are made and the 400 * cookie sheets are put right on the counters. This is a problem with most counters, one of the reasons why grout cracks, and cracks in stone get bigger, some say it is Expansion and Contraction.
Reuben,
I think a good initial education would be the key. I personally dislike inserts of any kind, they seem to always be hard to keep clean around the edges and it takes away from the smooth seamless beauty of solid surface. (boy did that sound like a commercial or what)
If she is using a cookie cutter aren’t those like a thin metal shape they press down onto the dough, or a wheel like a pizza cutter? I don’t see much harm in using those, I can’t imagine using a sharp knife to cut dough with, but I don’t do cookies much. Maybe you could make her the size of cutting board she needs out of ¼ solid surface and she could pull it out when she needs it but have a nice clean, smooth counter when she is not making cookies. Just a thought.
Shane
On the butcher block insert do they use mineral oil every so often to maintain it or just let it go. THis lady likes to make a lot of noodles and stuff with tons of flour. So I didn’t know if that might create problems later since this area is her prep area only.
Reuben,
All you need to do is supply her with a Teflon®t cutting sheet. The working temp range is
-20° F to 500° F. An 1/8” thick 24” X 48” is about $164.00. A 1/4″ x 12″ x 24″ Teflon® Sheet is about $94.00. Go here for more info http://www.usplastic.comDani
Reuben,
The women up here in Nebraska like to cook. We have done quite a few kitchens where we have put quartz on the center islands, only because they like to bake. It’s a cold surface and it works great. On some of the smaller kitchens, we have done the small counters along side the stove in stone and the rest in solid surface. All the other ideas will work. Some day I will actually do a solid surface top with a quartz inlay, so they will have the best of all worlds. I won’t be able to do that until I get my stone CNC. It will also act as a built in cutting board.
Mory
“Staying Outside the Box”
Reuben, I have a avonite cutting board, probally five years old or so. We take it to home and garden shows to show the durability of the unfilled polyesters. You can’t see the scratches, but can feel them with a fingernail drug across the surface. You don’t want one of the gloss colors, but satin or matte in a light cream or white color. If this one held up for years used as a cutting board, and it got a lot of use, using one for cookie cutters is a safe bet.
Mory,
When you expect to see the stone CNC ? Planning on doing granite and which brand of Qaurtz or have you decided yet?
In regards to the marble tops is there any reason you see those as rolling boards etc or is it just becouse that is what Grandma used to have? Curious becouse she asked about that as one of her choices.
Marble is used because it stays cool and keeps the dough cool. Carara marble has been marble of choice for this application for centuries. Marble is easier to clean than wood and the dough is less prone to sticking to it’s surface. If you have ever been to a mall where the make fudge you will see 3-4″ thick marble slabs being used for the same thing. Cokie cutters are usually blunt, and a dough knife is also. The idea of a seperate insert or even a piece that gets placed on top of the counter seems to be the way to go.
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