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Posts
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Hi Kelsey,
I almost answered this post but figured why should I? Formica hasnt been a client of mine since 2007 so I have to defer you to the fine Formica folks to address your concerns.
BTW, the map on this site of where the Formica plant is located in China is all the BS. It was never there, and moved several years ago. I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry.
The surfacing industry, like any industry is all smoke and mirrors.Just look at the 800 lb gorilla if you dont believe me. Some of that was made in China too. Just sayin
lenny… then don’t anwer that question… try this one..
Why would a company want to produce a product that really is not suitable for the constant contact of items commonly used in a kitchen.
or, is there something that can go wrong in the process which would make the product softer?
Kelsey, buddy,
I havent gotten paid to answer Formica questions since 2007. I wont do. Let Matt D, or some of the esteemed Formica folks deal with your concerns.
I am waiting and laughing a little to see how they will reply.
Hey guy’s anyone know of a sealer or something that can fill the scratches in Formica tops, I have a couple of clients that picked dark colors even though we warned them first and they are scratched heavily, one job I have re sanded 4 times and I am starting to get sick of it.
Andy, Matt Dufinetz told me the Formica product is made in China. I needed the info for LEED information.
Posted By Andy Graves on 16 Apr 2011 11:28 PM
Where is Formica manufactured? Does anyone know?CHINA…. says it all over the sheets!!
Posted By Peter Carpenter on 17 Apr 2011 03:19 PM
Hey guy’s anyone know of a sealer or something that can fill the scratches in Formica tops, I have a couple of clients that picked dark colors even though we warned them first and they are scratched heavily, one job I have re sanded 4 times and I am starting to get sick of it.peter… do you think the Formica is the same as your other brands of solid surface? Have you had to go re-polish another brand that often??
The back of the sample and literature on our dark colors state the following: “Wear and scratches on dark colors are more apparent and require more maintenance.” We put this provide this information for customers to become more educated when selecting colors for a specific application. All solid surfacing scratches white due to the nature of their composition. A white scratched against a dark background will be more apparent. All products made for countertops can be scratched. The advantage to solid surfacing is it can be renewed to the original finish over and over. For most other surfacing products, you are not able to remove surface scratches or it is extremely difficult to remove.So are you saying our competitor’s dark colors don’t scratch white?
Formica does the correct thing by marking and educating the customer. As a fabricator, you must decide if that is something you want to deal with.
We recently installed a Corian Nocturne counter for a yogurt store. Looked great on day one,, but day two it had white scratches in it. Looked bad and the customer wasn’t happy. Reminded her to read the contract where is stated that Nocturne was a difficult color to maintain and keep looking new.
She also noticed her signature on the bottom.
There is only so much you can do and the customer needs to live with the consequenses of their decisions. It does suck that it scratches, but that is just the nature of the product.
Posted By Kelsey Crisp on 15 Apr 2011 06:11 PM
Posted By Lenny E on 17 Mar 2011 09:38 PM
Hi guys I just found this.You are correct, Formica SS is a polyester blend and the fabrication methods Formica recommends are similar to working with an Avonite polyester product.
Yes the material is different than acrylic and it has its advantages and disadvantages. It is more brittle, but it resists solvents much better than acrylics and it’s easier to provide patterns with the depth that designers like. I could go on and on, but those of you who work with multiple materials are familiar with all the nuances.
As for the hardness issue it’s just as hard as an acrylic solid surface. Last time I checked the barcol hardness was generally in the 62-64 range.
The scratching differences are interesting. Darker patterns manufactured from both poly blend and acrylic materials scratch exposing the filler resulting in a white line. But the morphology of the scratch is different. If you examine the scratch under high magnification the polyester blend scratching cross section is more of a sharp V. The acrylic scratch cross section is more of a U shape, so the scratch tends to be more noticeable in a poly blend.
As for the back sanding that is per Formica specification. Since the interface of polyester blends need to be sanded prior to joining I am betting Formica thinks they are doing you a favor by providing the back sanding they do.
Changing the grit on back sanding is easy. It’s a belt change. If you contact the Formica folks, I am sure they could provide a back sanding that is to your liking.Formica seems to sell quite a bit of the material. I think they have a broad niche.
Back on topic… I went back to the job… been installed for 3 weeks to check on a question they had about their top. This is an older couple, one of the most expensive homes on the lake… everything very well kept. He said he was getting some marks on their top. When I looked at it, it was one of those OMG moments. This top looked as if it had been down for 10 yrs.
From a distance, it looked fine, but then in the light… it was full of scratches, scrapes, it looked bad, very bad.
The color is Copper Matrix a dark orangy red. When I was fabricating this, I knew it was different, it just felt soft, hard to sand to get the haze out.The customer said, this is not about you, you did an awesome job fabricating this, but why would a company ,make such a product that would look like this after such a short use.
I’ve offered to go back and resand one time free… I didn’t tell him this… but I would like to find out why Formica would offer a product that is not really suitable for use in a residential kitchen..IMO… I’ll never sell another job of it…A couple of years ago I was contracted to provide the countertops for a new medical clinic. It seams to me that I recall having to go back after the clinic opened and refinish the reception counter. I have a full sheet of Copper Matrix left over if anyone is interested.
Johnny C
Kelsey, the product is polyester and it is made in China and it is definitely not the same as Corian, lg or Staron it is very brittle we find the dust from fabricating it a nuisance and we are continually doing repairs to it whilst fabricating. It requires a different sanding technique to acrylic. How ever it is a cost affective product that sells well over here. Does any one know of a sealer I can use on it ie Amor all .
Hi Peter Carpenter,
Are you down there in Australia? I know those Laminex folks sell quite a bit of that material down under.
Hi Lenny,
Yes Laminex is a very popular brand here in Australia because of the price and how it is marketed. Lenny can you help me with some sort of spray on filler or some sort of sealer mate.Here is a pic of a job just done for the fourth time it is in a high traffic area and is a brown colour.
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