COUNTER TOPS

When purchasing a counter top for the home one should expect many years of lasting beauty and service from the laminate chosen. In most cases the amount of wear that shows each year is minimal. There are several factors that dictate the serviceability of laminate on a counter top such as the care of the users, the amount of traffic or type of use, as well as choosing a laminate that will work well in a given area. A pattern or color that would work in powder bath, guest bath, or bar may not be a good choice for a kitchen where the traffic is greater.
Over the years we have heard a common complaint from homeowners. "No one told me this color would show scratches so easily". It truly is unfortunate to have an owner of a new counter top disappointed when it could be easily avoided.
Our intent of the following disclaimer is to make sure the end user is well informed as to what to expect from their laminate choice. While the various laminate manufactures do not provide much in the way of guidelines in choosing the most serviceable laminates for a particular situation, we attempt to do so.
From our experience, over 40 years of building thousands of tops each year, we have found that while all laminates have some degree of light scratches they show more readily in dark colors and high sheen finishes.
Also to be considered when making a laminate choice that might be susceptible to showing scratches is the amount of natural light coming across the counter top. Windows over the sink and large windows in the adjacent eating area are the two most common sources of natural light. Also the degree of "critical eye" of the owner or user of the counter is an important factor.
Light surface scratches cannot be totally avoided in handling laminate. Our suppliers, fabricators, and installers are careful and conscientious but because of the nature of the product small light scratches do occur.
On certain colors we do require the following disclaimer to be signed by the buyer. This is not to deprive the buyer of the color they prefer but rather so our management knows the customer has been properly informed of a potential problem concerning the serviceability of the laminate chosen.
Any cabinet order that includes a laminate choice on disclaimer list requires a properly executed, signed disclaimer form before the order will be placed into production.
Below is a link to the disclaimer document, as well as to charts of colors, grouped by color number or name, that we have found to be "scratchable". You can also use the menu bar at the top under Product Info--Laminate Page--Disclaimer Form.