Solid Surface has fast become a favoured choice of material for homes and commercial facilities throughout the UK due to its seamless, sleek finish and hygienic properties. Although it is a well-established product that we walk past almost every day in public spaces, many people are still unaware of its remarkable backstory, how it is chemically engineered, and why it is called Solid Surface.
Let’s delve into the history, science, and sheer versatility of this game-changing material.
A Little Bit of History: The Invention of Solid Surface
The story begins back in 1963, when DuPont put a group of scientists together—including Donald Slocum—to identify and invent new technologies and materials to solve everyday consumer problems. DuPont was hoping to create a non-porous, workable material that could rival traditional hard worktop surface materials such as granite, marble, and natural stone.
What happened was sheer magic: their combined efforts created the world's very first Solid Surface material—Corian®.
DuPont registered a patent (which included Donald Slocum) in 1967. This patent gave DuPont a 20-year head start on any would-be competition, and a chance to develop the product fully and establish it in the worktop marketplace. Originally available only in white, Corian® was first introduced to the public in 1971 at the National Association of Home Builders show in Houston, Texas, spawning an entire global industry with the first manufacturing plant based in Buffalo, New York.
Introducing Solid Surface to the UK Market & The Post-1987 Boom
Mr Geoff Baker discovered the material in the 1970s and officially introduced it into the UK market in 1979 through CD (UK) Ltd.
During DuPont's 20-year patent window, other manufacturers were busily working behind the scenes to develop their own variations, ready to launch once the patent expired in 1987. When the patent finally lapsed, competitors emerged from all corners of the globe. At the time, one of the most notable was Avonite (made by Aristech), which altered the burgeoning industry yet again by introducing a wider palette of colours and, in certain ranges, utilising polyester resin alongside acrylic.
Today, Solid Surface brands are manufactured all around the world—including in the USA, South Korea, China, Turkey, and Europe. In the UK market today, specifiers can choose from a wealth of trusted brands, including the original Corian®, HIMACS, Staron, Hanex, Durat, Durasein, Mirostone, Meganite, Tristone, Krion, Montelli, Kerrock, and Velstone.
The Changing Face of the Solid Surface Industry Today
The Solid Surface industry, like any manufacturing and construction sector, is ever-evolving and changing. Over recent years, the market has navigated shifting material costs, global supply dynamics, colour range updates (across popular brands like Durasein and Tristone), and alterations in how sheet materials are stocked and held in the UK.
To ensure our clients, specifiers, and contractors are kept up to date with changes in both the Solid Surface market and the wider UK construction industry, we introduced our concise weekly newsletter—“The Voice of Solid Surface”—sharing pertinent technical updates, industry news, and a touch of light-hearted humour.
The Science of Solid Surface: How Is It Made?
You can only imagine the reaction of DuPont's scientists when their combination of raw materials produced such a stone-hard yet workable sheet. Chemically, Solid Surface is a man-made composite stone created from a blend of approximately one-third high-performance resin and two-thirds natural minerals, plus colour pigments.
Here is how the raw elements come together in the manufacturing process:
- Aluminium Trihydrate (ATH): The primary mineral filler is ATH—a fine white powder derived when bauxite ore (the by-product of aluminium mining) is refined. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust and one of the most recyclable materials in use today.
- Acrylic (or Polyester) Resin: The ATH powder is combined with methyl methacrylate (acrylic resin)—or in some specific brand formulations, polyester resin or an acrylic/polyester hybrid—much like a cake batter, to create the raw liquid mix of Solid Surface.
- Pigments & Particulates: At this stage, colour pigments and cured particulates (crunched-up pieces of Solid Surface) are added to the mix, enabling everything from crisp monochrome tones to terrazzo, concrete, and natural marble veining to be achieved.
- Casting & Curing: Finally, the mixture is poured into a mould, chemically cured, and cut into flat, stable sheets ready for dispatch to specialist fabricators.
Why Is Solid Surface Called "Solid Surface"?
So, why exactly was "Solid Surface" chosen as the name for this innovative product? Simply put, it does what it says on the tin: it is a completely solid, homogeneous surface all the way through.
Unlike laminate or coated veneers—which have a thin decorative top layer glued onto a chipboard or MDF core—Solid Surface is manufactured to maintain complete consistency of composition and appearance throughout the entire depth of the sheet. When a sheet of Solid Surface is cut, routed, or sanded, the colour, pattern, and veining run uniformly right through the material.
Key Material Attributes
- Batch-Coded Consistency: Because it is entirely man-made under strict quality control, sheets are produced in batch codes to ensure colour consistency across large commercial rollouts.
- Inconspicuous Seamless Joins: Sheets can be bonded together using colour-matched two-part adhesives and sanded flat so the join lines are indiscernible, creating the illusion of a single, solid piece.
- 100% Non-Porous & Waterproof: It is germ-repellent, stain-resistant, and never requires sealing.
- 3D Thermoformable: When heated to approximately 168°C in a platen oven, acrylic Solid Surface becomes malleable and can be formed into three-dimensional curves and organic shapes that natural stone cannot achieve.
- Fully Repairable & Sustainable: Because the material is solid all the way through, scratches and wear can be buffed and sanded out to restore the surface to its original factory glory—reducing waste and supporting circular, eco-friendly interior design.
How Can You Tell If Something Is Solid Surface? (And Where Can You Find It?)
Have you ever noticed a sweeping, curved reception desk or a sleek one-piece wash trough in a hotel or airport and thought, "Wow, what is that made from?" It was almost certainly made from Solid Surface.
People often confuse Solid Surface with quartz, engineered stone, granite, or marble. However, you can tell Solid Surface apart by a few signature traits:
- Warmer to the Touch: Unlike natural stone or quartz, which feel ice-cold, Solid Surface adjusts to ambient room temperature and feels noticeably warmer, smoother, and more tactile to the touch.
- No Obvious Seams: Even across massive L-shaped counters or long commercial runs, you won't see dark epoxy or grout lines between sections.
- Integrated Bowls & Curves: Sinks and vanity bowls flow seamlessly into the worktop as one continuous piece, and edges or upstands often curve smoothly without sharp joints.
- Bespoke Yet Replicable: While every piece is handcrafted to a bespoke design, its uniform sheet manufacture means fabricators can replicate a hundred identical units across a multi-site rollout.
Once you know what to look for, you will spot this "invisible product" everywhere: in airports, shopping centres, head offices, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotels, hospitals, dental surgeries, schools, universities, museums, laboratories, and luxury residential kitchens and bathrooms.
What Can Be Made Using Solid Surface?
Practically anything, within reason! Because skilled fabricators can cut, rout, CNC-engrave, thermoform, and seamlessly bond the sheets, Solid Surface is used extensively across commercial and residential interiors to create:
- Reception Desks & Information Counters
- Office Teapoints & Coffee Stations
- Commercial Wash Troughs & Vanity Units (with integrated sinks)
- Kitchen Worktops, Waterfall Islands & Breakfast Bars
- Bar Tops, Restaurant Tables & Café Servery Counters
- Retail Cash Counters, Plinths & Display Units
- Hygienic Wall Cladding, Shower Trays & Wet Rooms
- Bespoke Office Desk Tops & Credenzas
- Engraved Wayfinding Signage & Backlit Feature Walls
- Exterior Building Facades & Outdoor Planters
Work With Solid Surface Specialists
At BSF Solid Surfaces Ltd, we have been fabricating bespoke Solid Surface interiors since 1998. As accredited Corian® Quality Network Partners and members of the HIMACS Quality Club, we combine traditional craftsmanship with 5-axis CNC precision and 3D thermoforming to bring any residential or commercial brief to life.
To discuss your next project, sign up to The Voice of Solid Surface newsletter, request material samples, or get a bespoke quotation, call our team on 01277 263603 or email info@bsfsolidsurfaces.com.