Article 2 - January 2008, by Fred Vehorn

The Emerging Standard in QSR Countertops – Solid Surface*

(How to resolve solid surface issues, maintain their beauty and longevity)

For the past few (7+) years, and for many good reasons; variety of colors, rich styles, nonporous-antibacterial benefits, renew-ability, beauty, longevity, flexibility, etc… Designers and architects started to choose solid surface as the countertop of choice for their new Quick Service Restaurants. Recently, we have seen solid surface as the countertop of choice (90 %+) for their new establishments in many QSR brands. So, what does it mean? Or, what does it have to do with me as a Franchisee? Business Owner? Facility Director/Manager? Operations Manager? There is one very significant benefit of solid surface that is not yet commonly known that can save you a very large amount of money - Solid Surface in extremely renewable!

“I must admit, I was a bit skeptical, but I really liked the idea of the cost savings, so I decided to try it. I was surprised, even a little amazed at how good the Corian® looked after the restoration service was performed. Corian® restoration saves us nearly $5000 per store vs. replacements, it’s convenient, it’s easy, and there is no down time.” – Robert Horsley, Taco Bell Facilities Leader

Solid Surface Is NOT Laminate!
Laminate countertops have been around over 50 years and still have the largest install base of any restaurant countertop product and are what most people are familiar. When laminate breaks down, cracks, breaks apart, separates, chips, scratches, etc… the only remedy is to replace it with another countertop. This lengthy drawn out process involves; tear-out, new fabrication, installation, equipment disconnects and re-connects and usually some/much inconvenience and down time.

Solid surface is much different in that it is extremely renewable. What do I mean when I say “renewable”? Solid surface can be almost always repaired; if cracked- repaired, if broken-reassembled, if scratched-refinished and the scratches completely removed, if chipped-repaired, if burnt-repaired! Will you be able to notice where the repair services are performed - usually not, the countertops will look like-new again! Perhaps the best way to describe it’s renew ability, is by a real life event. A few years ago, movers were delivering a very large Corian® conference table to the upper floor. Since it was too large to fit in the freight elevator, they needed to use the stairway. Well, you probably know what happened next…That’s correct, it was dropped and fell down to the first floor and broke into about 20 different pieces. An experienced Corian® restoration crew came in that evening to “restore” and “renew” the Corian® conference table. Before the 9am board meeting began the next day, not one person even knew the Corian® table was shattered; it looked as nothing ever happened to their brand new Corian® table. (How is it that solid surface is so renewable? Well, that’s another subject matter.)

Solid surface could been installed for 5, 10 even 20+ years, and been repaired in multiple locations in a single countertop area, and after the restoration service, it can look as good as the day it was first installed.

Usually, solid surface restoration services can be either arranged after-hours or during slow business times, without any interruption in your business. Service is done on site, and if you use a company that specializes in restoration services, you should experience excellent results, and the service should be 99% “dust-free”.

So if cracks, chips, scratches and damages appear in your solid surface restaurant solid surface counter, you may want to consider restoration vs. replacement. It can be very effective, it will save you a lot of money and time, and it is much easier to implement!

* DuPont created solid surface (Corian®) 40 years ago. Although Corian® still has the majority of the installation base and market share for solid surface countertops; there are many solid surface brands that have emerged in the past 15 years. For the sake of this article we will use the generic- solid surface- as the reference for the new standard in QSR countertops.

Article 1 - January 2008, by Fred Vehorn

The most common issues in solid surface are…

Does your company sell or fabricate solid surfaces? If so, here is some advice.

Premium countertop surfaces are no longer exclusive to the luxury market. Today it's not that uncommon to find granite in a section of a fast food restaurant, quartz at a company's cafeteria or solid surface on the walls of hospitals, etc. These premium surfaces can have an immediate impact on an area's image, personality, performance, status, functionality, bacteria protection, reliability, durability, renewability and so forth.

However, is there anything that is completely maintenance-free?

I work for a company that specializes in identifying and resolving solid surface issues in the field. We don't fabricate, so 99 percent of the work we perform is in the field doing repairs and restoration. Over the past 20 years we have serviced more than 25,000 countertops. So, what have we learned when it comes to the most common issues? A lot, and I'm going to share some of that with you.

Improper Customer Education

Customers either have selective hearing or they are not being educated about what can damage their solid surface countertops. Many, if not most, have the understanding that anything goes because nothing can damage their solid surface top. They have the "it's indestructible" mentality, and therefore use it as such. They begin to put hot pots and pans directly on the surface. They slide heavy, coarse items across the counter. They are installing heavy-duty restaurant style stoves and cooking at very high temperatures for many hours of the day.

We were told of one Corian owner that gathered his friends at his house party to demonstrate that dropping a bowling ball on the counter won't crack his countertop, and how it's virtually indestructible. He was very surprised, borderline shocked, when it cracked during the demonstration. Why? He told his friends that it didn't crack the last time he did it!

Solution: Set Proper Customer Expectations

All surfaces have their pros and cons and customers need to be educated as to what they can expect of solid surface. What applications are better than others? Educating them on scratching … even diamonds can scratch; therefore their solid surface can scratch too. They need to understand the heat limitations. This and much more education would go a long way in reducing issues in the field.

Improper Installation

Poor installations are more prevalent in commercial applications than residential, but it still applies to both areas. The primary reason for issues caused by installations in commercial applications is that we see more and more countertops being installed by noncertified companies (either because of tops being shipped too far from the original fabricator location, or the installation teams on-site are installing everything — jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, including the tops).

In residential situations, installations, even by the same fabricator, is the least supervised work. Shop managers can easily supervise the work being fabricated in a single shop area, but once the tops leave the shop, it is usually rare that these tops are ever inspected by a manager or a foreman. Even the most qualified installers could be making ongoing mistakes; but sometimes it will take up to a few years before the issues are recognized.

Solutions: Certification, Training and Supervision

Certified Installers: If at all possible, have the tops installed by a certified installation crew. Remember, if it's installed poorly, it's usually a reflection of the fabricator. Try to educate the general contractor, or the responsible company, of the benefits of having the countertops installed correctly by a certified installer. The end user will have much fewer issues, enjoy the beauty of the tops more, and get more life from their countertops.

Training and Supervision: If your company is responsible for the installation, don't cut corners in training and supervision. Many companies spend a lot more time training in fabrication and neglect the installation crews. Both areas, initial and ongoing training, are highly beneficial. Take the time to visit customers after the tops are installed, and inspect the installation and see how your teams are doing. You will uncover a lot about your install crews with just a few site inspections. This will really help with employee development, and get more longevity of the counters with fewer issues and callbacks.

Improper Fabrication

We have seen a lot of improvement with how solid surface is being fabricated, especially with longtime certified fabrication companies. Owners have invested in better equipment and training, and they are experiencing better results. Poor fabrication, however, is an area affecting issues in the field largely with relation to all of the other companies that have jumped on the countertop fabrication bandwagon, such as cabinetmakers, those handling case work and others. As a result, like in any business, there is a learning curve. We are seeing in these areas, some very poor fabrication; there are exceptions, but as a whole new fabricators increase field issue by a large percentage.

Solutions: Certification And Outsourcing

Certified Training: Many manufacturers will provide training that is very reasonably priced, sometimes even for free. Additionally, there are 3rd party training companies and organizations such as the International Solid Surface Fabricators Association (ISSFA), The National Training Center for Stone and Masonry Trades (NTC) and others. These are excellent resources for fabrication training.

Outsourcing: If your main area of business is not countertops, you may want to consider outsourcing to an experienced certified fabricator. With today's equipment and the manner in which shops are streamlined, you may discover this is not only more profitable, but it reduces some in-house headaches and many field issues.