Yes it's very true, why would a skilled person pay a lot of money and spend so much time on training courses just to charge the minimum? Ive been to fix so many jobs over the years because customers accept the cheapest quote to save a few pounds, whereas it ends up costing almost double the cheapest quote to fix. Bottom line.... I'm a great believer in you get what you pay for.

我有发送课程:)安可是更多的劳动力intensive to fit. I wouldn't say it was more difficult, in some ways it's easier. You need specialist cutters. The joints are easier to hide/get right than with laminate. It's not really a specialised job, but as with anything that has the word 'specialist' attached to it...window fitting, kitchen fitting, bedroom fitting, bathroom fitting etc (none of those things are very skilled)...the general public feel more confident... and so companies can justify charging more. Any decent carpenter/kitchen fitter could fit them.

It is true Encore requires more time and care to fit. It doesn't require any specialist tools. Encore is not a true solid surface product, like Corian. Encore is a composite product with a 6 or 8 mm thick sold surface layer bonded to a high density fibre board substrate. It can be easily cut and fixed on site using standard tools and the right saw blades and router bits. Jointing mitred corners requires careful preparation prior to bonding the solid surface layer using a special colour matched 2 part chemical resin. Once the joint has set excess resin is removed using an orbital sander and a series of rough to fine graded discs. The tops should then be buffed/polished and sealed using a proprietary product. The end result should be a seamless solid surface appearance.

No that's not true we have fitted encore work tops with no problem they are heavier than the usual 40mm tops a jointing compound should be used to keep the joints moisture proof , mitre joints and bolted with 3 work top bolts , a perfect joint and finish is achieved with a sanding of the joint area .

The cost of fitting solid surface worktops is more expensive than laminate worktops. Yes both the worktops are jointed the same but that is where the similarities end after you joint the top then the work starts, first you have to sand the joint to remove the excess glue and this must be done using an orbital sander preferably one that has two orbital setting 3mm and 6mm, this allows removal of material fast and then a good polished finished when the other setting is used, next you have to turn your attention to polishing the tops and this depending on the maufacterer can mean several different grades of abrasive pads then finishing pads. It is also advisable that your orbital sander is attached to some sort of extraction equipment as the dust produced from this process is exstensive. As the orbital sander is not capable of finishing into the corners you also have to spend time polishing theses areas by hand. So as you can see the cost involved in fitting solid surface is more and the equipment required is also not the same as standard worktops. So you could ignore good advice and have someone install it on the cheap but you will get what you pay for and putting it right from past experience does cost more. Oh also the cost of tha acrylic glues specific to your worktop and the special sanding pads recomended by the manufacterer also ad to the cost.

Putting it bluntly.... your kitchen fitters are talking crap!!
Seek another price from a genuine fitter.

Hi,

I suppose it depends on your idea of "difficult" it is true that solid surface worktops require a great deal more work to fit than say a laminate and specialist cutters are required to produce shapes and moulds.

Bear in mind that whoever fits the Encore will probably spend twice as long fitting it as they would a laminate and will charge accordingly, as mentioned specialist cutters are required and these are not cheap. As with anything I would suggest you ask for referances of previous jobs rather than relying on someone who has completed a fitting course.

On a more positive note it does look great when fitted especially if you can incorporate some more unusual shapes etc.

Hope this helps

Cutters are expensive 3 to 4 times usual cost than standard, labour, expertise etc... shop around for prices but they will not be much different. I always find that the customer is always happy to pay expensive amounts on materials but when its come to fitting them then they dont want to pay. You get what you pay for.

I wish you every luck in your project and Im sure you will make the right decision and will have a lovely fitted kitchen, fitted professionally. You would not buy a Merc and get is serviced by ford, would you!!!

Kindest regards,

Andy
Aura Carpentry

hi, encore work surfaces are just as easy to fit as normal worktops but with a bit more finishing. you also need to buy glue and finising pack to go with the worktops. we have fitted these tops before and havn't been on the course. hope this is helpful adrian

Fitting Encore worktops (like any other solid surface) is a specialist job, requiring expensive tooling and training, in order to achieve the best finish. There are fitters that solely fit worktops, so it may be worth seeing if you can get a more competitive price from them.

It is true that encore tops cost more to fit as they are more labour intensive than standard laminate worktops, also they are heavier which makes them harder to fit. As for the cost i couldn't say exactly without knowing any specifics, I would only expect at the most an extra days labour and materials possibly £150 more than standard.

Where are you based? I would be happy to quote.

Many Thanks

Chris Hill
Kitchen Solutions

Iv been fitting the Encore tops for years now and wouldn't say they were a job that required extra training to master, I know Bushboard offer a free course but I never bothered and I don't think I'd gain anything for it. I do charge slightly more than when fitting a normal laminate just because Jiggy blades, plunge saw blades and router cutters dull off alot quicker and wouldn't do a second job before replacing, also there's the extra time to sand and polish them but that's about it. There's no super skill or expensive tooling required apart from the resin gun. Rule of thumb I add half a day extra labour on and enough for a couple of pints when theyre done just coz they're crazy heavy