After more than 15 years of experience working in and around kitchens, you would think nothing could surprise the experts at Solid Surface Canada anymore.  You would be mistaken!

Kitchens are great, multi-functional spaces.  You can do tons of things in them, from cooking to entertaining to family time.  When you use solid surface for your countertops, you have a quite durable room, too, able to handle most of the punishment you could give it.  “Most” is not “all”, however, and here are some things you really shouldn’t do in your kitchen.

Leave Those Spills

Solid surface has advantages over natural stone in that it’s non-porous.  Bacteria and germs can’t penetrate its surface, like it can on granite.  That means spills aren’t as much of a problem on solid surface as they can be on other surfaces.  However, that doesn’t mean it’s a magic surface.  Leaving spills on your countertop overnight is a surefire way to ruin your finish.  Don’t forget to dry, either – letting water dry on your countertop will eventually lead to a film buildup, making your counters look blotchy and uneven.  Wiping and rinsing completely and cleaning up those spills before they dry will prevent those hard water marks from forming.

Forget the Stepladder

Sometimes, a pot or pan is just out of reach, or you need to clean the top of those cabinets.  You may be tempted to just climb on top of your countertops and use it as a stepping-stool to get to those hard-to-reach places.  But watch out!  Countertops aren’t designed to handle the weight of people; it’s designed for cooking activities and appliances.  You wouldn’t want to crack or chip your new countertop because you didn’t go get the proper tool for the job!

Burn, Baby, Burn

Solid surface is more durable than most surfaces, and can stand the heat better than most.  Still, even it has its limits.  Placing a hot pot or pan directly on to your countertop can lead to cracks and burns, even on solid surface.  Trivets and other heat-protectors should be used when handling hot pots and pans to prevent burn-in and scorchmarks.