Kitchen worktops that stain or mark easily will potentially lead to customer dissatisfaction, complaints and returns. FIRA’s cabinet materials expert, with over 40 years’ experience working with the kitchen industry, is recommending companies to carry out testing to prevent consumer problems further down the line.
“Testing the performance of a surface finish or coating to a set standard provides an invaluable guide to the surface durability of the product and reduces the likelihood of problems arising,” explains Vaughan Taylor, technical specialist for surface finish testing at FIRA International, which carries out a range of surface finish performance tests to British, European and international standards for both domestic and contract environments.
“How a surface finish or coating performs in its designated environment is an important consideration at the point of manufacture,” continues Vaughan.
“Knowing that a product has passed all relevant tests can be used as additional reassurance for your customers. I would recommend protecting your business and its reputation by carrying out surface finish testing to help ensure that your products won’t disappoint your customers!”
FIRA’s Testing Laboratory will carry out tests to help ensure that surfaces perform to a customer’s requirements, providing results and advice.
Its comprehensive range of tests simulate real-life situations and help to identify common problems, such as the reaction of a surface to liquids spilled and not cleaned up immediately, a hot object being placed on a wet or dry surface, or a jar or can falling from a cupboard above a counter, which can provide valuable information to a manufacturer or supplier about how the surface is likely to perform in use.
The FIRA Testing Laboratory provides a service for all types of furniture and related products for the domestic and contract markets. This includes flammability and fibre performance tests on fabrics and foams, performance tests on adhesives and boards, and structural testing on finished products.
Highly-skilled technicians also develop bespoke testing equipment for use in the UK and other countries.
T 01438 777700
www.fira.co.uk/surface-finish
