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, 29CFR1910.1000(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
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 www.osha.gv. 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:
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
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.
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.