URBAN LEGANDS - FACT OR FICTION

Solid surface is the generic term that describes Royal Stone's products. With respect to shower pans, vanity tops, sinks and tabletops, it is far superior to other materials like cultured marble, fiberglass, acrylic (not to be confused with acrylic solid surface) and tile. A description of the features and benefits of Royal Stone® shower pans (also applies to all Royal Stone® solid surface products) are found on Royal Stone's on our Features and Benefits page. Although it doesn't directly compare features and benefits to the other materials, it should give the reader a good understanding of what solid surface offers.

True and False. As a general group 100% Polyester solid surface products are prone to be more brittle than Acrylic solid surface products. As no two blends are the same, solid surface blends can have a broad range of results.

Royal Stone's Acrylic/Polyester blend is formulated to incorporate the best features of both the Acrylic and Polyester products have to offer. That is, Royal Stone® doesn't chip or crack during fabrication and has the flexibility of Acrylic without the brittleness of Polyester. Additionally, Royal Stone® has some of the three-dimensional depth and richness of color that Polyester offers compared to the opaqueness and muted colors of Acrylic.

False. Royal Stone® exhibits the same hardness readings as Corian's Acrylic Solid Surface products.

An Impresser, made by Barber-Coleman, is the industry standard instrument for measuring hardness. On the Bar-Col scale, 100 is the hardness of glass. Numbers greater than 100 are harder, and less than 100 are softer than glass. Like Corian, Royal Stone's current products Bar-Col between 62 to 64. Prior to Royal Stone's current formulation, its Bar-Col reading ranged from 58 to 62. Even when it was softer than Corian, the difference was incremental. That is, there was an almost indiscernible difference in hardness or resultant product performance.

Although true, the actual difference from product to product and from chemistry to chemistry will vary. Ultra-Violet sunrays and other UV sources will affect all materials. All colors will fade. In the case of clear resins, the UV rays will cause yellowing. Depending on the materials color, the yellowing may appear obvious or may be imperceptible. Yet the yellowing still occurs. Like different blends of Acrylic/Polyester, different chemical blends and brands of Acrylic yellow at different rates.

Royal Stone's susceptibility to yellowing may be slightly greater than 100% Acrylic Solid Surface products. Of the many thousands of Royal Stone® installations, there is yet to be one complaint about yellowing.

False. Acrylic sheet (like Plexiglas®), used in the thermal forming of acrylic tub, pan, and wall system, doesn't contain Alumina-Tri-Hydrate (ATH). ATH, a primary ingredient of most solid surface brands, is found in all Acrylic solid surface products and in all of Royal Stone's solid surface products. It is the ATH that gives solid surface its unique chemical resistance qualities, flexibility, fire resistance, etc.

Common household cleaners, including those with isopropyl alcohol, will cause crazing on acrylic surfaces (not on Acrylic solid surfaces). Crazing is microscopic stress fractures accompanied by surface embrittlement. Over time the stress fractures can cause failure. Royal Stone® is unaffected by most, if not all, of the common household and industrial cleaners and solvents on the market, including those with acetone. Acetone, like nail polish and nail polish remover, will adversely affect Acrylic solid surface.

False. There are many variations of so-called solid surface products in the market. As each has its own characteristics, it is impossible to explain the differences in general terms. To varying degrees all have shortcomings relative to chemical resistance, scratch removal, reparability, strength, durability, and longevity.

Swanstone® solid surface shower pans are such a product. Within its matrix is chopped fiberglass. The glass fibers add to the product's strength. In doing so, the wall thickness is reduced to approximately 1/4" or less. The result is that sponginess or flexing may be felt in the pan. Flexing will stress the pan and eventually cause cracking and failure. Should sanding be necessary to repair a scratch, chip, or crack, the sanding will expose the fiberglass. The resultant discomfort to the skin would be undesirable. Royal Stone's pans will not have discernable flexing under any normal use loading and is 100% repairable without diminishing its usability.

Cultured granite products have the appearance of solid surface with the exception that they are made with gel-coat technology. (See Gel-Coat comments below)

False. Gel-coat technology is totally different than solid surface. A Gel-Coated product begins with a sprayed on clear resin layer typically about 1/64th of an inch thick. Behind the resin layer, is the color chip matrix layer that is about 1/32nd of an inch thick. The remainder of the overall composite is a calcium carbonate layer. Sometimes the calcium carbonate is mixed in with the color chip matrix so that the color goes throughout the cross section of the part. Once the cast part is removed from the mold, the resin layer is the surface providing the finish or the product.

Contrasting the manufacturing steps of cultured marble and cultured granite with solid surface, consider: Solid surface is mixed in a vacuum to remove all entrapped gasses whereas cultured marble and cultured granite may have chemicals added to the calcium carbonate to increase out-gassing and have greater voids. Once cast, Royal Stone's solid surface is placed in a curing oven to drive the chemical reaction to its limit and maximize the physical characteristics. Finally, the entire surface of Royal Stone's solid surface is sanded to remove the resin rich layer that forms in casting. Its removal enhances the color intensity and product performance over its life. None of these steps occur with the manufacturing of cultured marble and cultured granite.

Quality of ingredients used in solid surface are generally higher, and thus, more costly. Of the three primary ingredients of solid surface - resin, pigment, and ATH - the resin is the most costly per pound, and represents approximately 30% to 50% of the matrix. Calcium carbonate makes up all but 1% or less of the difference. Both are substantially less costly than the resin and ATH used in Royal Stone's solid surface products. Lesser quality translates to lesser durability, longevity, performance, and cost.

False. Thermal formed shower pans, as any other thermally formed product, are sheets of material that is heated and distorted or stretched to achieve its final shape. With thermally formable acrylic sheets and solid surface materials, the heat can and usually does cause a change in material color. In the forming process, the matrix of the sheet is stretched and distorted to achieve the final shape. Like stretching a rubber band, the cross sectional area of the stretched material will be reduced in thickness. The internal bonds within the material are stressed as the material is being distorted. These introduced stresses can reduce the product's useful life.

Royal Stone's cast one-piece shower pans are free from distortion, stress, color shift and thinning of wall thickness. When de-molded and sanded, Royal Stone® shower pans are ready to install. The bottom side is fully self-supported and flat. Designed to reduce maintenance and cleaning time, the pans configuration has large inside radius corners between the pan's floor and sidewalls, as well as from sidewall to sidewall.