Counter Tops

WWS fabricates all of our own Laminate counter-tops from various laminate manufacturers and all of our own Solid Surface counter-tops from various material manufacturers as well. WWS also makes our own wood tops and offers wood tops in a wide variety of styles and species. WWS also offers a huge selection of both Quartz and Granite available to all of our customers.

Laminate Counter-Tops W/ Applied Edge– These tops are made of a substrate (Particle Board) that has a surface adhesive applied to the substrate and the laminate before being pressed together into a union. From this point, edges are set and applied to the slabs with an adhesive and carefully trimmed to fit flush with the top as needed. These tops make for a great top and the since they are custom made for your kitchen, typically seams can be avoided as long as runs do not exceed the manufactured sheet size. In the commercial setting the underside of these counter-tops are sealed either with a product or covered with a liner so that there is no porous material exposed. The reason that Particle Board is typically used as a substrate as opposed to plywood or other materials is because particle board is much less likely to warp or flex over long periods of time.

Post Formed Counter-Tops- Everything that is stated above with the applied edge laminate counter-tops fallows through to the P.F. Counter-Tops. The only difference between them is that with P.F.C-Tops, they are produced as full length products that have the edge formed onto them. The composition is the same between the tops and ultimately leads to only 2 major differences. There is a much larger edge selection in P.F.C-Tops and there is no seam at the edge. The other difference is that P.F.C-Tops must have a 45* Corner splice at every corner. While the edge selection is an attribute for the P.F.C-Tops, the splice at corners and flat end caps at finished ends is a very large draw back. The seams in corners are often a place that is the most likely to open over time and once it does, it will attract moisture and dirt, which will make it continually get worse and open more over time.

Solid Surface Counter-Tops- Solid Surface is a very unique product. Most types of counter-tops will have a tendency to wear down over time with scratches, scuffs, dents and more. Solid Surface will actually have the ability to get better the more often it is used and the longer that it has been used for. While it is subject to getting very fine hairline scratches that you will be able to notice in the correct lighting, with proper usage and regular washing with the recommended aids, any scratches will continually work themselves out leaving you with a renewed product that is always a little bit better than it was before. Solid Surface was made for the commercial setting due to its durability, but has found popularity in homes, hotels and apartments as well due to its expanding color schemes and price point. The composition of this product depends on the products mfg. Depending on the setting, WWS typically recommends an Acrylic Polyester blend composition. Adding Polyester to the Acrylic will make for a harder and more scratch resistant product. The 1/2” sheets are typically fabricated to 1 1/4” thickness with a build up on the edge and utilize an MDF substrate. Solid Surface is a non porous product and is rated the highest of all of the counter-tops for heat ratings. Solid Surface provides seams that are virtually seamless. What this actually means is the the seams are joined using the same product that the counter-tops themselves are made from. On speckled patterns, the seams should be very hard to notice, but on the longer wavy patterns, you will notice the grain shift where the sheets themselves come together. Solid Surface edge options come in a wide variety and can typically be offered in the same options as Quartz and Granite.

Granite- Counter-Tops made from Granite are solid slabs of natural stone. They are typically cut to standard slab sizes and a standard thickness of 3CM. There is a wide variety of Edge options to select from and can be polished to a few different sheen's. Granite counter-tops have much more variation built into them than other tops, since not all colors or types of Granite are created equal. You may find that some colors may have a tendency to hold up better to scratches and stains than other colors. Granite is naturally a porous material as it has natural fissures that run through the stone. Because of this, Granite must be sealed. If it is not sealed, it will be susceptible to permanent stains that can be caused by spilled wine, coffee, cleaners, juices and much more. Sealing counter-tops is not a hard or long process, it is very much like washing your counter-tops. It just needs to be done on a schedule in order to make sure that they are properly sealed at all times.

Quartz- Quartz is similar to Granite in the fact that it is made up of natural stone. The difference is that with Quartz C-Tops the material is first broken up and then reconstructed back together with a resin that binds all of the stone together. During this process, it makes Quartz a much more uniform product than granite and allows much more consistency between colors. It also generates a very scratch resistant and non porous product so that these counter-tops do not need to be sealed. Quartz is typically offered in standard slab sizes with numerous colors and wide variety of edge options. The typical thickness of Quartz is 3CM, but other options may be offered depending on the mfg.

Wood Counter-Tops- It is hard to give specifics on wood tops, as in many cases it depends on the type of wood that is selected. It will also depend on the type of wood counter-top that is being made. Typically we do not recommend making a wood top out of a softwood unless you have it covered with a very durable finish. The most common type of wood top is what is known as a butcher block top. These tops can be made from any species of wood, but are most commonly made from Maple and sometimes Walnut. What is most commonly referred to as a modern butcher block counter-top is where lumber staves that are planed to 3/4” X 1 1/2” and are glued together to the size of the overall top. After being sanded, formed and oiled, this will make for a very good top that will acquire a unique patina over time and will maintain a vintage look. A true butcher block top is where the end grain of wood is glued up so that once you cut into it, it has a tendency to fill back on itself much better. The end grain of wood is much more sponge like than other parts of the board. This is most commonly done for cutting boards only and not for entire counter-tops. Plank Tops are done very similar to the modern butcher block counter-top, however we use full thickness lumber planks in whatever width the customer requests. This will have the same attributes as the modern butcher block top. A more economical way to provide wood counter-tops is to use wood plywood and to apply a wood lumber front edge. This will give you a nice wood look, but will not offer the same kind of durability over time that the plank and butcher block c-tops will. These tops make for a great option at a lower use area such as entertainment areas, bay windows, fireplace surrounds, bench areas and more. Overall, wood counter-tops can make for a great option as long as you are aware that wood is a relatively soft product in comparison to other products used to manufacture counter-tops. If you like the patina of wood counter-tops they may be a great fit for you, but if any scratch or scuff is unwelcome, then it is not recommended.