Blog

Up(D)ate Night –Number 2 – Building a Countertop That Fits...

Flipping a house is nothing new to Tami Roushia. However, flipping a house and getting to enjoy it, well that’s why she’s participating in Wilsonart’s (Up)Date Night series. In this video, Tami gets to see how her countertop is made by the pros at The L.E. Smith Company in Bryan, Ohio.

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Update Night – Meet the Roushia Family – Mini Kitchen...

We partnered with Wilsonart and the Bryan Building Center to converge on Tami Roushia’s lovely home for a mini kitchen makeover.

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Cleaning & Maintenance of Solid Surfaces

Useful tips for your customers to have after installing a solid surface countertop or sink in their home. Most dirt & Residue  – Use soapy water, ammonia-based cleaner (not window cleaner), rinse and wipe completely dry. Preventing hard water marks – Rinse and wipe completely dry after cleaning; clean up spills before they dry. Removing hard water marks – Use a cleanser formulated for removing hard water marks such as CLR or Lime-A-Way. Difficult residue – Spray residue with Deep Cleaner for DuPont Corian® from Stone Care International.  Follow instructions on the bottle.  Wash area with soapy water, rinse and wife completely dry.…

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Mini Makeover To Be Featured In Online Show

By Marci Hummel Bryan Times Business Editor Coming soon to viewers everywhere: Tami Roushia and her new kitchen. The Bryan resident will soon be featured on “(Up)Date Night,” a kitchen makeover video on the Facebook page of countertop-maker Wilsonart International. The video also features the L. E. Smith Company, which fabricates Wilsonart countertops, and the Bryan Building Center, local retail outlet for the countertops. Andrea Bredow, a spokesperson for Wilsonart, said this is Wilsonart’s third video for “(Up)Date Night.”  The others were shot in Minnesota and California.  She said the company’s goal was to create a three-series video and that…

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Granite – Dig, Cut, Kaboom!

Granite comes from the Latin root word, granum that means “grain.”  It is from igneous rock.  Wiki tells us, “Igneous rocks are rocks that have been formed from the cooling of flowing magma from a volcano or crack in the earth with lava beneath it.   Igneous may or may not form crystals in there composition, and most of the rocks are from the mantle or the lower crust.” So, we also know that it cools slowly and when it does cool, it actually forms crystals from four key minerals; quartz, feldspar, mica and usually hornblende.  And, the composition can vary…

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What Is Engineered Stone?

It’s composite material and it’s made of crushed stone from the ground, sand or in rocks in nearly every geological environment around the world.  Quartz is a number one component of engineered stone. Quartz is crystallized silicon dioxide and it’s typically white or transparent.  It can be found in other colors if it comes in contact with impurities during its formation.  Quartz is EXTREMELY hard, with unusual depth, clarity and radiance.  The stone is mined, ground up and blended with acrylic.  Sounds pretty eh?  It is! This radiance is diamond-like and it makes a favorite choice for countertops.  There are…

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Do’s And Don’ts Of Caring For Laminate Countertops

After you install a laminate countertop, share with your customer some simple do’s and don’ts so they can preserve the beauty of their top for a long time. Do: Clean regularly with mild soap and water Use enough water to properly clean and rinse without saturating the countertop for a long period of time. For tough, dried food or grease, gently scrub using a sponge/fiber pad and mild soap. Don’t: Don’t set hot appliances or pans directly on the laminate.  You can burn and scar the surface. Instead, have a handy supply of trivets or hot pads to create a…

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So What Is Solid Surface?

Solid surface products (like countertops or cool store fixtures) are made with high performance resin; like acrylic or unsaturated polyester.  There’s a really neat design benefit with solid surface – it can be machined like wood – using special equipment and fabrication techniques.  This amazing material can be precisely cut and bonded to fit nearly any surface shape.  Plus, solid surface can be routed for decorative purposes and applied on to something else using special adhesives. Color travels through the product completely.  That makes it really easy to repair scratches, chips or stains that may happen over time – often…

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Laminate Countertops Are Made Of Paper? Really?

Laminate countertops were created in the 1950s. Since then, colors and textures have evolved so much that they imitate metal, stone, granite, marble and quartz.  Laminate is a beautiful and affordable choice – a great option for surfaces in the home, office, apartment complexes and healthcare facilities. What goes into making laminate countertops may surprise you! The techno term for laminate is HPDL – or high pressure decorative laminate. Layers and layers of both decorative and core paper bases are soaked with resins and compounded together using high pressure heat processes.  It’s cool to see it in the making (actually,…

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What Is A Custom Countertop?

Custom countertops are hand-crafted.  The front edge is square or beveled.  Custom countertops can be created with no-seam corners, making the transition from one end to the other very fluid. Backsplashes on custom countertops can be crafted and set on to a custom countertop. Bevel edge is available for a custom countertop backsplash as well. When bevel is requested by customer, and additional fee is charged with the edge upcharge (add in inches). Custom countertop profiles include: Self, Bevel or Wood. See custom countertop profiles here.

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