Above: Self edge rolled cove countertop showing adjacent
coved splashes without the need for mitered seams at the inside corner.
Above: Bevel edge rolled cove countertop. Bevels, borders, wood and
other applied edges provide interesting alternatives to the standard self
edge.
Above: The development of postforming grade laminate allowed for
"softer" edges which proved more comfortable to work at.
Above: Solid Surface receptionists desk showing thermoformed corners,
and rigid seamed deck and edge inlays. |
Started in 1958, C. Mather Co.
soon earned a reputation for innovation and quality. In the early days of
linoleum countertops, Clayton "Chuck" Mather, like other countertop
fabricators, would heat and "cove" the linoleum from the countertop deck up
the wall. When plastic laminates became the preferred surfacing material, he
developed fabrication techniques to create a similar effect and the custom
cove rolled countertop became an early Mather trademark.
Most countertops of this time were rigid glued in panel sized slabs and
cut to shape as needed. The front edge was usually a metal band, called a
"snap-on edge" which was applied after the deck had been cut to size. Upon
the refinement of contact cement for countertops, fabricators could apply
the laminate itself to the front edge of the countertop. This became known
as the "self edge" front.
As laminate manufacturers developed better grades of bending material,
called "Postforming Grade" laminate, both the custom houses, like Mather's,
and the production houses begin rounding over the front edge of the
countertops. Mather continued to develop edge shapes and styles from
bordered inlays and applied edges, to special wraps and postformed curves.
In the mid sixties, Chuck Mather was shown a prototype of a product that
would develop into the solid surface product we know as Corian®. Mather was
the first in the state to work with the material and, with typical Mather
attitude, started developing new methods for fabrication and adhesion to
create countertops that the manufacturers of the materials could only dream
of. |
![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif){kind=small}
