BASIC SAFETY AND FABRICATION GUIDE. Safety Guidelines

Transcription

1 BASIC SAFETY AND FABRICATION GUIDE Safety Guidelines These manuals are designed t give basic guidelines t help ensure that Century Quartz Stne Surfaces prducts are t be handled, stred, fabricated, and installed crrectly with experienced and qualified installers. The infrmatin cntained herein is strictly fr purpses f reference and as such, Century Quartz Stne Surfaces and its affiliates assume n liability fr its accuracy r suitability r the use f such infrmatin fr prduct lines ther than Century Stne Inc., All wrk carried ut by any user f this Basic Fabricatin and safety guide n any Century Quartz Stne slab must be dne in accrdance with all laws and regulatins including but nt limited t, ccupatinal health and safety laws relating t the prtectin f the envirnment. Century Stne Quartz surfaces are cmpsed f 93% quartz, a natural mineral that is cmmnly fund in granite. The ther 7% are a cmbinatin f Plymer, pigments, and ther additives. The plymer acts as a binder, which hlds the quartz tgether in the prcess f manufacturing quartz slabs. Fllw OSHA Law & Regulatins t develp wrkplace health and safety standards including State and Lcal regulatins fr prper safety ventilatin. Any Quartz Stne cntains silica which can be hazardus t yur health. Always shape and cut material with wet tls, reducing the amunt f airbrne particles t be inhaled. Silica mnitring f dry cutting, dry grinding, and dry sweeping indicate that the levels f respirable crystalline silica are typically abve the permissible expsure limit (PEL) as set frth in OSHA regulatin, 29CFR (e), fr respirable crystalline silica. In rder t minimize the amunt f respirable crystalline silica in the air, dry cutting and grinding needs t be eliminated. This can be accmplished by purchasing tls that can be perated in a wet envirnment. By switching t pneumatic tls r electric tls that are designed fr wet peratin, repairable crystalline silica dust generated during cutting and grinding can be significantly reduced. Safety accessries must be used; Respiratry dust masks Ear plugs, safety glasses Steel te rubber bts Waterprf aprns

2 Glves Back supprts All electrical applicatins ut lets must be grund fault interrupters (GFCI) Keep wrk area clean. Cluttered areas and benches invite accidents Visitrs shuld be kept at a safe distance frm the wrk area. Fr additinal infrmatin, check the OSHA website at Basic Fabricatin Guidelines: VISUAL INSPECTION Century Quartz Stne slabs supplied by Century Stne Inc., have gne thrugh a quality cntrl check t detect pssible defects n the surface. Hwever, fabricatrs are respnsible fr determining if the slabs are fit fr use. Please cntact Century Stne Inc. immediately if the slab is defective. A full visual inspectin is essential and shuld be dne prir t cutting material. This manual des nt replace nrmal industry standards fr the fabricatin and craftsmanship a basic knwledge f stne / quartz fabricatin is required. Any failure by a Fabricatr t cmply with the recmmended methds f fabricatin f cuntertps frm slabs may result in claims by a end user against the Fabricatr and refusal f a claim made by a End user under the Residential 15 years warranty. The fllwing guidelines shuld be fllwed t ensure a high quality prduct: Befre fabricating, always visually inspect slabs t ensure that an acceptable clr match is achieved. D nt change the riginal surface finish f the slabs by re-plishing, hning, sealing, r therwise altering the factry finish. Strage Slabs must be stred in a manner that prevents warping. Supprt are required Slabs shuld be stred s that the prduct is kept in a perfectly unifrm manner that minimizes warping Slabs must always be stred in a way that the plished surface is nt expsed t the sun, and must nt expsed t lng utside in adverse weather cnditins in a lng ht summer and cld winter. Cutting Slabs:

3 T avid verheating the slab, nly water-fed tls must be used fr cutting, drilling, and plishing Century Quartz Stne Water flw shuld be cnsistent t ensure adequate cling f the blade. T ensure a clean and cnsistent cut, blade rtatin speed (rpm) and the traverse speed f the saw must be set up accrding t the guidelines prvided by the blade and saw manufacturer D nt cut square crners (crss cut) as this will create stress pints in the slab and may result in cracking. When cutting an inside crner, always use a cre bit t avid damaging the crner area with the cutting disc, sharp inside crners create a stress pint Cututs: Fr square cut uts fr sinks and cktps prceed preparing cutut always with cre bit at fur crners. All cuts shuld be dne using nly wet diamnd cutting tls t avid generating excessive heat, which culd als result in hairline cracks. The larger the radius f the crner cut-uts is the strnger the crner will be. Tp and bttm f edge prfiles and cututs are recmmended t have a minimum 1/8 radius r chamfer Seams: The surfaces t be seamed must be unplished, flat, dry and clean. All seams shuld be made level by adjusting the material befre adhesive sets. Make sure there is a minimum distance f 6 between the edge f a cutut and seam. Never psitin a seam ver the dishwasher. Never psitin a seam in the middle f a cutut. There shuld be n seams n an verhang f a peninsula r island. Ntches r grinder grves alng the edge f slab parts r laminated edges t be seamed may be used t enhance adhesin Always dry fit yur seams, they shuld fit tightly, be level acrss and lengthwise f the seam frm frnt t back and acrss. Shimming may be required at seam area as well as ther areas f the cuntertp in rder t level the seam area Prepare clamping materials, quality vacuum seam clamping systems are recmmended t prvide a quality seam Apply tape t face f Quartz at seam areas n bth parts Psitin slabs t be seamed at abut 1/4 apart Prepare plyester knife grade adhesives. Century Stne Inc., recmmend that fabricatrs always fllw the individual adhesive manufacturer s recmmendatins fr the use f their adhesives. Mix plyester knife grade adhesive manually t prper clr needed fr jb

4 Apply adhesive with putty knife fr plyester knife grade adhesive r use manufacturer s recmmendatins. Recmmend t apply adhesive t bth sides f slab/parts Apply adhesive the entire length and thickness f the seam area Clamping system shuld be kept in place fr a minimum f 30 minutes, until adhesive has hardened cmpletely acrss the entire seam length, r per manufacturer s recmmendatins Remve seam clamping system, nly after adhesive has fully cured alng the entire length f the seam Scrape excess adhesive using a razr blade frm the seam area per manufacturer s recmmendatin. Always take care nt t scratch material with razr blade; material is scratch resistant, nt scratch prf. Prperly clean all seam areas with denatured alchl MITERED EDGES Mitered edges shuld be dne at a 45 angle t ensure maximum strength. The jint shuld be clean, flush, and parallel. Please be aware that mitered edges have the greatest area f weakness and are mst prne t chipping. Our recmmended minimum edge prfile is a 1 8 bevel r runded. Ensure that the adhesive is thrughly distributed thrughut the jint fr maximum strength. Laminatins / Duble Edges Cut laminatin strips frm the same slab as the cuntertp. When laminating, it is imprtant t make sure that the laminatin piece is the full length f the tp piece and cut at 45 n the utside crners. Ntches r grinder grves alng the edge and cuntertp slab t be seamed may be used t enhance adhesin. Prper distributin f adhesive is imprtant t visual quality and strength f seam. SINK/COOKTOP INSTALLATION All under-munt sink cututs must have the inside edges plished t match the surface. All under-munt sinks shuld be sealed t the cuntertp using 100% silicne. Please be sure t use a prfessinal sink-setter r supprt rail system. When installing the sink and the cktp, make sure they d nt apply pressure n the cutut. Anchrs shuld be installed as per the fixture manufacturer s recmmendatins. D nt secure mechanical fasteners (screws, nails, etc.) directly int the material. Twin bwl installatins (Tp r Under-munt) where the hle is in the cuntertp require extra care t ensure that there is sufficient material left fr strength. Extra supprt is required t ensure that n cracking ccurs. All cast irn sinks (Tp r Under-munt) must be supprted underneath the cabinet. N anchrs shuld be used t munt t quartz surface under any circumstance.

5 Installatin: The fabricated cuntertp is t be mved and handled vertically, aviding twists and cllisins. Prir t installatin, visually inspect the cuntertp fr any surface imperfectins such as scratches, cracks r aesthetic defects. Make sure the substrate is n an even and true plane. If the cunter is t rest n cabinets, make sure they are set level and flush, adjusting the leveling feet if necessary. Dry set all the cuntertps carefully t make sure all seam are perfectly matching and level. Stand the cunter tp vertically plished surface against the wall, then apply adhesive (100% clear silicne r equivalent) t the substrate r cabinets f all the edges. Carefully then lwering the stne nt the substrate r cabinet. Apply als cntinuus bead at bttm f backsplash, t be adhered t cuntertp surface. Apply cntinuus 1/8 beads t backsplash hrizntally at bttm f backsplash Overhangs: Supprt is required n verhangs ver 8 fr 3/4 thick and fr 1 ¼ thick slabs ver 12 Overhangs exceeding the maximum requirement shuld be supprted with brackets/crbels. Please make yur custmer aware that any successive trades must nt use the new cuntertp as a wrkbench, a stepping r a standing platfrm, and that any trades using slvents r adhesives shuld take due care t avid and / r remve any spills created by their slvents r adhesives. We strngly recmmend that yur custmer cnfirm, in writing, their satisfactin with the material and wrkmanship at the end f the jb t cver yu against damages caused by thers.