Mixing Solid Surface Brands
If you combine sinks and countertops from different makers, will warranties (and adhesives) hold? April 14, 2005
Question
Can the sink and the top material be from different solid surface manufacturers? Our owner believes they need to be same brand for warranty. How often do sink problems occur at the top-to-sink seam? Can anyone recommend a brand that makes a black sink?
Forum Responses
(Laminate and Solid Surface Forum)
From contributor S:
My belief is if you use different solid surface brands, each company backs up their products. We do it all the time. We once had a Dupont bowl crack that was in an Avonite top. Dupont paid the claim. I have never heard of a bowl releasing from the top. You could always ask your distributor if they will back you up. All they can say is no.
From contributor F:
I have done this several times also. Most manufacturers' material is about the same as far as expansion and contraction. But why risk your reputation to give your customer a better price? I have had several distributor reps say they will cover anything that goes wrong. But that was three reps ago and then it's "who was that guy?". My best advice is offer same materials with all jobs. If customer wants to go that route, inform them there is savings, but warranty could be a problem. Think in these terms of what happens if you have a Corian countertop with Avonite sink. Top cracks for some unknown reason, Corian will pay for replacement of top, not Avonite sink. You could cut out old bowl (maybe) and have to spend hours getting it back to installation condition if possible, all on your dime. Just sell countertops, be upfront and get the jobs worth getting.
From contributor S:
We are not doing anything underhanded. Sometimes customers like a certain bowl style. We are always upfront - it doesn't have to be complicated.
From contributor P:
We mix brands between sheets and sinks all the time with no problems. However, we are taking full responsibility if there is a separation between the two different brands. Sell what you want, and what the customer wants! I do believe, though, that you are taking the risk if the sink falls out of the top (we have had this happen before, but it was bad adhesive).
From the original questioner:
The reason for the request about differing brands is not to save on cost, but trying to find a black sink for a customer's top. The front edges will be black with a pinstripe on the top also in black, so a black sink would really look great, at least that is what we think now.
From contributor L:
Different manufacturers' sinks can be adhered with good results. But use some cautions. If you are adhering an acrylic product to an acrylic product the joint compound (if it is a structural acrylic adhesive) will form a chemical bond.
If you are adhering a polyester based sink to an acrylic sheet, you must abrade the interface because it is a mechanical bond. And as pointed out earlier the company may not warrant separation of the sink and sink.
