Tag Archives: solid surface

With DuPont™ Corian® and Zodiaq®, David Bromstad Helps Homeowners Find Their Personality

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Designer and TV personality David Bromstad is now the creative consultant for DuPont Corian® and Zodiaq®.

DuPont Building Innovations Reveals Design Personalities with David Bromstad to Encourage the Use of More Expressive Color in Home Design

 

WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Energetic and animated designer and TV personality David Bromstad is dropping his paint brush for a moment to infuse color in interior design through the use of beautiful and dynamic DuPont™ Corian® solid surfaces and DuPont™ Zodiaq® quartz surfaces.

Bromstad has worked with DuPont to design a fun quiz that will determine which one of seven distinct design personalities match a homeowner’s style to help in their quest to create personalized, inspiring kitchens and bathrooms using DuPont™ Corian® and Zodiaq® surfaces.

“Homeowners typically have one chance to design their kitchens and bathrooms, which are among the most used spaces in a home,” said David Bromstad. “Our design tools help to make it easier and more rewarding by introducing homeowners to their design personality and giving them a color palette to work with.”

After answering a few simple questions through a visual quiz, users are introduced to one of seven design personalities that best resonates with their style. Design personalities include:

  • The Collector: Every piece in her home tells a story. The Collector mixes textures from found objects with more classic styles for a palette based on rich browns and dark lichen. Light is brought in by sunshine yellow and soft greens.
  • The Socialite: The Socialite knows confidence is her best accessory. She’s self-assured at home and at work – always leading by example. Lighter grays and warm tones of sand are balanced by rich, jet black to create a feeling of luxury and longevity.
  • The Multi-tasker: The Multi-Tasker approaches life at full force – balancing and adjusting to the moment to meet it with exuberance. A family-friendly palette that is fresh, realistic, modern and classic – and infused with a much-needed jolt of coffee.
  • The Entertainer: With an eye for modern sophistication, the Entertainer is comfortable no matter where he is – which is usually at the center of any situation. Graphic red and black contrast for a high-end feel, but are softened with warm taupe and golden yellow for a truly sophisticated theme.
  • The Creator: The Creator loves anything quirky; what most people shy away from, he embraces. Mixed media, textures and inspirations make the color palette. From pairing water blues with coffee browns, this is experimentation at its bravest.
  • The Naturalist: The Naturalist feels most at home in the great outdoors and strives to bring a sense of well-being into her home. Soft buttery browns complement light beige and cream tones while speckle textures commonly found in stone and granite inspire solid surfaces.
  • The Traveler: The world is his inspiration. The Traveler mixes the best objects found in his travels – things that have an international significance to his life – to create a multi-cultural lifestyle. Anything exotic and unique is his normal; pottery clay, cobalt and indigo his color palette.

 

DuPont Building Innovations is a driving force in the transformation of the building and construction industry through its use of building and materials science to solve emerging needs and create value for its commercial and residential customers. The company maintains its industry-leading position by applying innovative thinking to the development of energy-saving weatherization systems and beautiful and long-lasting surfacing solutions. DuPont Building Innovations’ best-known products and premier brands include: DuPont™ Corian® solid surfaces, DuPont™ Zodiaq® quartz surfaces, DuPont™ Tyvek® Weatherization Systems and a broad portfolio of garden and landscaping products.

DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit http://www.dupont.com.

Like Corian® on Facebook at Corian® Design and follow them on Twitter @coriandesign.

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The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™, Tyvek®, Corian® and Zodiaq® are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates. Only DuPont makes Corian® and Zodiaq® surfaces.

5 Things You Never Knew You Could Do With Corian® or Solid Surface

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Bend It, Curve It, Twist It, Round It, Shape It…

Need a curved backsplash or solid surface countertop, a rounded shower stall, or a tub with a recessed soap dish or shampoo holder? Have you come against a situation where you need to bend solid surface materials around an odd corner or curved wall? Or perhaps you want to set your creative juices to work on a flowing design that includes free-form waves or columns? …No problem. Thermoforming is your answer!

What’s Thermoforming?

In the simplest terms, thermoforming is a process of heat-shaping synthetic material. And one of the greatest advantages of many solid surface materials is their ability to be heat-shaped in relatively few steps.

Innovative solid surface materials like Corian®,  LG HI-MACS®, Samsung Staron®, Wilsonart™ Solid Surface, Formica™ Solid Surface, Hanwha Hanex®, Avonite®, Meganite, and Mystera (to name a few) now offer the greatest flexibility (excuse the pun!) to make your creative vision come to life. What was once a complicated and time-consuming process through the carving, chiseling, or steaming and bending of materials like stone, granite or wood, is now made easier. Flexible when heated, these solid surface materials can be thermoformed into many shapes. With the proper heating elements and molds—dictated by the size and outcome of the project you are attempting—you can now bend, curve, twist, round-out and shape many solid surface materials into the desired contour within minutes.

People Prefer Curved Contours…

Incorporating curved features into your designs can even result in a boost in the desirability of your product.  As it turns out, flowing curves are just as aesthetically pleasing and desirable in man made designs as they are in our natural environment… and science has proven it. In a study conducted at Harvard Medical School1, it was discovered that people gave visual preference to items with curved contours over sharp-angled contours.

What does this mean for you? Introducing curved contours into your work and surrounding environment can directly influence the preferences, first impressions, or overall comfort of anyone who sets eyes upon it!

Ready to start bending, curving, twisting, rounding, or shaping?

Check out the details of how to get it done and read more about the technical application of thermoforming in our “Working With Solid Surface Guide – How to Thermoform Solid Surface”.   Pay particular attention to the one-of-kind thermoforming table contained within—the only resource of its kind where you can find comprehensive specifications for nearly every kind of solid surface material that exists at this time.

We look forward to hearing about your curved creations and experiences in the comment section below.

References

1 Bar, M., & Neta, M. (2006). Humans prefer curved visual objects. Psychological Science, 17(8), 645-648.

Corian® vs. Granite? The Top 9 Things to Consider

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Corian vs Granite

Return on Investment

Granite is currently a popular countertop material. As such, you will receive a higher price on the sale of your home in the current market if you have high quality granite kitchen countertops. If you’re not planning to sell anytime soon, then a return on investment may not be as important as cost and durability or how it enhances and enlivens your life.

The Winner—Granite, as long as it remains “popular” in the current market.

Cost

Live it up for less! You can purchase extremely attractive, lower cost countertops made with either Corian®* or Granite. Alternatively, you can also spend a small fortune on either to get the latest color and pattern. If you really want that to go all out and cost is not a concern, you can even create an extra special top out of a piece of Granite that contains rare fossils.

When if comes down to general cost comparisons, installed prices (per square foot) for Corian® vary from $30 to $130 and $35 to $225 for Granite.

The Winner—Corian®

Hygiene: Do you prepare food in your kitchen?

In commercial kitchens, any material that comes in contact with food must be NSF/ANSI 51 (National Sanitation Foundation – Food Equipment Materials) certified. Corian® is NSF/ANSI 51 certified since it is non-porous and has non-porous seams (that are invisible.) As a result, Corian® surface does not support the growth of bacteria. On the other hand, Granite does not meet this NSF/ANSI 51 standard, as it is porous and seams within the top can trap bacteria.

The Winner –Corian®

Aesthetically Pleasing

Granite has hundreds of color and pattern options due to its nature-driven pallet. The available selection is so expansive that it’s highly likely there’s an aesthetically pleasing option perfect for you.

Corian® also has over a hundred manmade colors and patterns, some of which mimic nature. Unlike granite however, a range of solid colors are also available. In fact, if you want a solid color to match something precisely, you can send a color sample to DuPont™ and they will custom make sheets for you in that exact color.

The Winner—Both! Go with Granite if colors and patterns designed by nature are your thing. Alternatively, go with Corian® if colors beyond nature excite you. An added Corian® bonus is that it can be custom made to match any color.

Upkeep

Granite needs to be sealed yearly, at a minimum. Corian®, however, never needs sealer or any liquid finish.

When it comes to cleaning, with Granite there is always that nagging concern that if a spill is not cleaned immediately, it will seep through the sealer and into the pores of the material. With Corian®, virtually any stain—including black permanent marker—can be wiped away (even the next day) with Comet® and a wet sponge.

The Winner—Corian®

Restorability and Durability

When it comes to heat resistance, you can’t place a hot pan from the range/stove on Corian®. Conversely, a pan from the range/stove can safely be placed on Granite. Neither Corian® nor Granite can withstand placing a hot pan out of the oven on it. These extreme heat situations can leave a scorched spot on the surface of the Corian® or in the sealer on the granite.

The good news is, if you accidentally scorch your Corian® top, you can always sand away the spot. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Granite, as the scorched sealant can permanently seep into its porous surface. So, be safe and use a trivet!

It’s never advisable to use your Corian® or Granite countertop as a cutting board. Always use a separate cutting board whenever possible. If you do end up scratching the surface of your Corian® countertop, the cuts can be removed by sanding them down. The appearance of cut marks in Granite can be made less visible by adding more sealant, epoxy scratch repair, or using a permanent marking pen.  

The Winner—Corian®

Ease of Fabrication/Installation

If you are experienced at working with wood, you can build your countertop—including sinks, faucets and 1-1/2” thick contoured edges—using Corian® and your woodworking tools. Working with Corian® is basically like working with hardwood.

If you’re adept at stone cutting, you can use diamond-edged tools to create your countertop. Start by purchasing one or more pre-cut, fixed-length blank Granite tops with finished edges. Then, use your diamond-edged tools to cut the holes for the sink and faucets. Another alternative is to fashion the top out of Granite tiles.

The Winner—Both, if you are handy!

Design and Artistic Potential

Granite is extremely flat and rigid material. Therefore, creating tops with flowing curves is not an option. Corian®, on the other hand, can be shaped into virtually any configuration by heating and forming it into the desired shape. This process is called thermoforming.

Another process, called dye sublimation, allows you to embed text and images into the surface of Corian®. This process heats the Corian® to open the pores along with a vacuum that deposits the dye into the surface. When it cools, it is no longer porous and the dye is permanently fixed just below the surface.

The Winner—Corian®  

Natural vs. Manmade vs. Renewable

There is no question about it—Granite is “natural” and it will last a long time. This is especially the case if the sealant successfully prevents the passage of grease, red wine or any other stain-inducing substance through to the Granite surface below. If stains do get deposited into the pores of the Granite, there is little that can be done except to replace the countertop.

Corian® is manmade, and when in need of a facelift, it can be resurfaced in your kitchen to the same “like new” condition as the day it was installed. To accomplish this, use the same sanding steps that were utilized when it was installed. Since the color and pattern are continuous throughout the material, you can give your Corian® countertop a sanding facelift every 10 to 15 years, as needed.

Winner—Both. Choose Granite if “natural” is your preference and Corian® if “renewable” is your preference.

Total “Wins”: Corian® = 4, Granite = 1, Both = 3.

 * DuPont™ Corian® is one of several brands of solid surface, all of which share similar characteristics and are typically used interchangeably. Other major brands include LG™ HI-MACS®, Samsung™ Staron®, Wilsonart™ Solid Surface (formerly Gibraltar®), Formica™ Solid Surface, Hanwha™  Hanex®, Aristech Acrylics™  Avonite®, Meganite™, and Mystera™, to name a few.

Solid Surface Countertops to Deliver Wireless Power?

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A rendering of the new PMA compatible Duracell Powermat wireless charger for the iPhone 5 being charged on a DuPont Corian kitchen countertop. (PRNewsFoto/Power Matters Alliance)

Imagine lying your mobile phone or tablet on the kitchen counter — or any countertop, from office work areas to tables — and have the device automatically start charging … no wires or wall-plugs required.

That seems to be the future for Corian® Solid Surface Countertops, which has recently joined the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) to work on creating wireless charging solutions that are embedded right into the solid surface material.

Corian® Solid Surface Countertops are already certified as environmentally friendly by the Environment GreenGuard and NBGS Green; this kind of innovation is another plus for those of us who work with solid surface — when the manufacturer is creative and innovative, we get to be creative and innovative too.

Embedding wireless power isn’t a totally new idea. Many PMA-compliant products are already being used in retail shops, malls, hair salons, and airports. General Motors plans on including them in upcoming car models. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf just began rolling out wireless charging “stations” in their Los Angeles based stores this summer, and Starbucks is testing them out in Boston.

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The Solid Surface Advantage

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As a craftsperson, DIYer, or fabricator, you are always looking for new, cutting-edge, quality materials to expand your options. Solid surface is one of the most versatile and unique materials available. Consider some of the many benefits to using solid surface material:

  • Easy to work with
  • Literally seamless
  • Extremely durable and sustainable
  • Nonporous and hygienic
  • Offered in a wide selection of colors and patterns
  • Easily repaired if damaged
  • No bowing, cupping or warping
  • No grain or splitting to worry about

Solid surface material is also a great alternative to wood. Solid surface is not affected by changing humidity. Its nonporous and hygienic properties make it a perfect countertop choice for water prone areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. In fact, it is so nonporous that you can remove a mark left by a permanent marker, for example, with a mild cleanser and Scotch- Brite® pad.

Another bonus to working with solid surface is that it carries the National Sanitation Foundation certification (NSF 51), which means it’s a suitable surface for a food preparation.

Where can you purchase solid surface material for the best price?

SolidSurface.com offers most major brands to professionals and the public, including homeowners and DIYers. Use our powerful online search tools to locate a specific brand, color, size or price. SolidSurface.com has a huge selection of overstock material in full and partial sheets at a fraction of the price.

Whether you are planning to turn material to make pens or hotplates, or you are working on a large kitchen or bathroom remodel, SolidSurface.com has the material to fit your needs.