Solid surfaces are smooth, homogenous and non-porous. Man-made, they are created using a blend of minerals and selected dyes, which allow for solid block colours to be produced to a consistent high quality. Recently, trends have evolved into more unpredictable veined designs, which emulate more natural flowing textures.
In this guide, we will look to give you an understanding as to what points you should consider when purchasing a veined solid surface worktop.
The Colour Palette
Solid surface worktops are man-made from the ground up. This gives manufacturers much more control over the colours which are to be included when sheets are produced, when compared with materials with a natural composition, such as Quartz or Recycled Glass.
Here’s an image of Jesolo from the Apollo Magna range, alongside the colours which can be found within its’ veined textures.
Jesolo, Broken down into 3 main colours found on a single medium sized sample.
The three colours shown on the right demonstrate the colour range within the material. These exact pigments may not occur often, but it’s important to consider that in the most extreme of conditions, these colours may appear in their purest forms.
Every other colour within this sample can be seen as a product of the base colour and the three main colours found within the veins. Since these are random, you should make sure you are comfortable with any combination of these colours.
Directional Flow
Directional flow refers to how these colours intermingle. While veining is typically random in nature, there are often a few loose constants in each material choice. How you describe these is up to you, but here are a few examples of how you might categorise different styles of veining.
When choosing a veined surface, make sure you’re happy with large images of the material, as small samples may not be fully representative. Viewing full size sheet or slab images is essential to having a good understanding of the kind of movement, direction, and blending you can expect to see in your finished worktop.
Textures
The texture in a worktop material from a visual point of view is a way of describing the shapes and blends which give the surface its’ overall appearance. the below swatches from the Corian range give a few different ideas of how these can interact.
The veining in Rosemary very much recedes into the background, with subtle, gradual blends between browns, cream and forest green. Unlike the other two samples, this is in fact dominated by the inclusion of large chips, dominating the appearance visually and giving an overall coarse appearance.
Sandalwood still has a more viscous blend, with each colour retaining more of its’ own hue. This is offset by small chips, but they very much play a supporting role in this material.
In contrast, Gray Onyx has no supporting texture whatsoever. Instead, it is dominated by what could be characterised as a broad, wet blend, where different hues are pushed towards each other, creating a rippled effect.
