Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer

Background

A specialist in their field, this company is one the leading UK manufacturers of solid surfaces for kitchens, bathrooms and other key living spaces in the home. The company primarily supplies to designers and architects and has built an outstanding reputation in the industry.

The Challenge

The client approached Redwood early 2018, looking to improve their current abrasive practices in order to achieve a higher quality satin gloss finish on their surfaces. After an initial phone conversation with one of our Sia technical advisors, a meeting was arranged shortly after for a visit to their HQ.

The solution

Prior to our recommendations, the company had been using two different grits for the process of removing the glue line – an 80 and 120. On top of this, five different grits were being used to achieve the desired finish on their solid surfaces.

After an extensive review of the company’s workshop practices, Redwood Innovations were able to advise them on how to simplify their abrasive methods, by removing several unnecessary steps. In addition, we suggested implementing the use of a higher 180 grit to remove the glue line, then using a 320 and 500 grit, before finishing off with an ultrafine disc in either 1000, 2000 or a 4000 grit.

The discs used in these processes were from the 1950 and 7940 ranges. The discs up to 500 grit came from the 1950 Fibotec range with the multi hole configuration and the 1000 grit came from the 1950 Siafilm range. Finally, the 2000 and 4000 grit were from the Sia 7940 Siaair range, providing the final high quality finish required.

The outcome

Since overhauling the client’s abrasives process and changing the types of discs used, the whole process has not only been simplified, but the business has been able to dramatically improve the satin gloss finish on their solid surfaces – cementing their reputation among designers and architects as a market leader in their field.