I’ve been hoping to expand my capabilities and install solid surface countertops, an employee once told me it is like building with wood. corian has the name but there are lots of other products available, i think. i don’t really want to take a class or course ’cause i’ll never get the time to. i like to learn on my own projects anyway.. which i know is probably the hard way. anybody know sources of materials to a guy like me? and maybe a good book?
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Replies
Rip-
Most of the manufacturers and distributors of the material will not even sell to you unless you're a certified fabricator. Find a material that you like (and that's readily available in your area), and then find out what the certification requirements are. The course can't be THAT long....
Bob
bob, part of the problem, besides time, is i don't live near a big town where they give the classes ( i did look into it a while back) .. not to mention the downtime from my regular work....so as the years go by, my goal to learn solid surface is not happening. any reference books you know of? i live in a small town where i probably can get corian if i go to one of my regular "buddies" and use up a favor (which i don't want to do just yet...)
I'm a certified fabricator....I would strongly advise getting the training. Not becauseany individual part of fabricating is that difficult (but it can be kinda stressful when you do something that can either turn out looking like a million bucks or screwed up every way from Sunday).
Take the training because it will hopefully mean you avoid all the pitfalls that can mean big time warranty problems down the line. , Like, no square corners, and sand out any tool marks....if you don't, you may get cracks....and they may occur immediately, or a couple of years down the road (that's when most problems occur). No seams over dishwashers, stuff like that. Once you're aware of those kinds of issues (and there are quite a few of them), you stand a better chance of making some money at it. You'll also learn a lot of tricks to do it efficiently....and you will need to buy gear to do it efficiently. The margins have been eroded in SS work for a long time now, because of games from the suppliers; you'll be competing against hungry shops that do nothing but SS.
Corian will not sell to you (for residential; for a bona fide commercial job, you can get it) unless you have the course, and if there is another Corian person nearby, you probably won't get approval for the course. There is a black market for Corian, but if you're going to be doing a lot of it, there are alternatives. Corian is an acrylic; there are other good acrylics out there that are just as good. The other vendors have different rules; in my area, I can pretty much buy whatever I want without having to get certified on each product, but it's different in different places. In small towns, etc., what they will do soetimes if there aren't courses running, is that a company person will come out and show you the ropes on your first job. I HIGHLY recommend getting some instruction, somehow; it's an investment , not a cost.cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, N.S
Rip,
Corian and similar materials can be worked with carbide sawblades and router bits. Go to this site and look for clamps and other stuff you may need for making glue joints. http://www.pinske-edge.com/
Find a counter top maker and see if you can make a deal with them to supply material, or even get some training through them. Of course, none of the manufacturers will guarantee their products if constructed or joined by an unliscensed person.
However, (in my experience) they will uphold a guarantee if it's installed by the homeowner or someone doing the work.
rip,
I've worked with 3 brands. They're remarkably similar. Each had an instruction booklet that, when followed, ensured success. Most of the problems I've seen were tops sitting on unflat surfaces. The others were sloppy joinery. The first one, with Corian, scared me to death with over $2k in material. Still looks great.
You have a major obstacle in buying the material without certification. And if you're not in the top business, doing a top or two/month, you're going to find it difficult to ever get certified. They're worried about you "forgetting" how to do it properly.
I figured I'd better get certified when my supplier of choice had a bad experience with a poor installation. As I'd just finished a particularly difficult top with 4- 36" seams on a base that was over an inch out of flat, I figured there'd be no problem. Wrong. I don't do enough installations/yr. That house was recently resold with the new owners particularly excited about the kitchen.
Your best bet is to find a friendly certified top installer who will sell you the material. With the small handbook you shouldn't have much difficulty if you're familiar with basic joinery. Go visit your buddy.
One last possibility is purchase without certification. Last time I checked nobody wanted to do that but when pressed about "restraint of trade" would sell the material- with NO warranty.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!