|
|
Grandstone Kitchen Countertops |
Looking for a sleek, elegant way to finish your kitchen remodeling project? Installing custom Grandstone kitchen counter tops offers a unique balance of beauty plus performance. Available in more than 32 colors, Grandstone is an advanced blend of natural materials and pure acrylic polymer used to create a seamless, clean, stylish look for your kitchen work surfaces. And because of their solid, nonporous composition, Grandstone kitchen counter tops are easy to clean and retain their original beauty even years after installation. Over 98% of Grandstone customers are very satisfied with their purchases. Grandstone kitchen countertops look great with materials such as brass, tile, and granite. Combine Grandstone with sinks, edge treatments, or even an inlay or a layer of another color of Grandstone for a custom look. Grandstone is a solid surface material composed of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate made by man. It is said to be a thermosetting plastic, but can be thermoformed by heating it to 300°F, allowing unique shapes to be created. Its primary use is for countertops. Grandstone is available in thicknesses of one-quarter, one-half and three-quarters of an inch, with half-inch being the most common thickness for most applications. All thicknesses feature the consistency of color and patterning throughout common to all brands of solid surfacing material . This allows scratches, stains and light scorches to be removed with sandpaper. Joints can be made invisible by joining them with a special seam adhesive and sanding the connection smooth. The disadvantages of Grandstone are that it scratches easily, can be damaged by chemicals and is not heat resistant, so it can be melted by hot pots and pans. Grandstone is far more expensive than laminate and butcher block countertops and significantly more expensive than tile, but is less expensive than high quality granite. Direct competition Meganite solid surface, one of the newest brands on the market, has 32 close replicated color matches equivalent to Grandstone, but at a significantly lower price. The LG Group and the Formica Corporation both manufacture competing solid surface acrylic countertopping in similar styles and at similar price points as Grandstone. LG market their solid surface acylic under the Hi-Macs brand name. Samsung's Staron solid surface is also on the rise in the competition. Wilsonart has their Gibraltar solid surface. A more expensive, different approach to the countertop industry is Avonite. Avonite is a solid surface, but made primarily from a polyester base, not an acrylic one. The main advantage Grandstone has over these materials is a higher sheer strength. Sudden jolts or impacts will rarely damage Grandstone severely; however, other solid surface materials are much weaker and more rigid. In particular, Avonite and Hi-Macs solid surface materials are extremely sensitive, and will break or shatter under stress that would only scratch or chip Grandstone. Preventing heat damage To prevent heat damage, always use a hot pad or a trivet with rubber feet to protect your Grandstone countertop Hot pans, as well as some heat-generating appliances like frying pans or crockpots, can damage the surface if a hot pad or trivet is not used. Preventing other damage Avoid exposing Grandstone to strong chemicals, such as paint removers, oven cleaners, etc. If contact occurs, quickly flush the surface with water. Remove nail polish with a non-acetone-based nail polish remover and flush with water. Do not cut directly on Grandstone countertops. Run cold water when pouring boiling water into sinks. |