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In recent years, I have read many great articles on countertops and countertop materials … granite, marble, soapstone, quartz, concrete, wood, glass, solid surface, laminate, and there are surely a few others. I’ve also written a few. From time to time, too, I’ve read articles on kitchen design. Funny really, but it seems somehow though, I regularly find my . . . way (in a sorta falling backwards motion) into discussions about, well, countertops. I say that like that, because admittedly I still have much to learn on the topic.
I can think of one occasion in particular, when friend and builder Todd Vendituoli published an article on his fantastic blog, The Building Blox. Granite: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. There was really nothing unusual about the conversation that ensued, other than I found myself spouting off an opinion I had, well, spouted off on in the past. And while I won’t bore you with the exact details of what I said, it probably went something like, “Having a real estate agent wife, I can assure you that granite is still king (at least in our market). But personally, I have been off of it for years. It’s not that I can’t admire some pieces. It’s just that I think there are better options for the relative cost.” Or something like that . . . and I did probably rant on about a few other things while I was in there.
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The Recent History of Wilsonart
Wilsonart? They have a long and storied existence. Through a brief look at their company history, I found that Wilsonart was founded in Texas in 1956, and, yes, they do now boast more than 50 years in the decorative surface(s) industry. By the end of 70s, and growing internationally, Wilsonart® Laminate had become one of the nation’s leading brands of decorative laminate. The company is still headquartered in Temple, Texas.
The HD line was launched in 2005. It was built toward the principle of affording families with dream kitchens on real budgets. Offering consumers what the company calls, “a look for less.” This collection yields the luxurious look and feel of natural stone, but with a performance, durability and an affordability that today’s active family desires. Just this spring, 14 new Mediterranean and South African-inspired designs were added to a collection that has now grown above 50 options.
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Getting to Know a Growing Wilsonart HD Collection
With these 14 new looks, Wilsonart has refined its design, printing and optical surface finishes to create the tones, color gradations, fissures and formations that give the depth and the dimension found in natural stone. As a result, the HD collection combines more than 50 designs with three optional surface textures, from gloss to matte (Mirage, Facet and new honed Glaze). Three edge options and eight sink configurations offer consumers hundreds of coordinated color palettes.
The entire HD line incorporates an Aeon Enhance Performance Technology which makes it stronger and three to five times more scuff and scratch resistant, as well as three to four times more wear resistant (compared to the company’s own tops without this technology).
Retro or modern, city loft or country cottage, bold graphic hues or soft shades of natural stone. Whatever your style may be, Wilsonart HD can help bring those ideas to life. Best of all, you can cook, clean, raise children, entertain, spill, splash, and really live with it, without a moment’s worry. A coordinated interplay of surfaces, edges and sinks, the Wilsonart HD line offers a complete design solution that makes beauty easy, as well as affordable.
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Thanks all for reading! For more from us on countertops, please see our top level category – Countertops. For more depth with Wilsonart, an interview with Wilsonart’s Mike Lallo, a Segment Manager, plus coverage of the Panel discussion 10 Looks for Less, here. ~jb