Frigo Design uses only the highest grade 304 #4 Stainless Steel. The high percentage of chromium and nickel (18% and 8%)
creates a Stainless that is highly resistant to stains, corrosion, and discoloration and at the same time exhibits the rich,
vibrant shine synonymous with a Stainless Steel appearance.
Copper is a “living” natural product and therefore will react to the environment by tarnishing or creating it’s own patina.
The process may be controlled by occasionally waxing the Butchers / Beeswax. These products may be re-polished for a bright
appearance. Re-sanding on site to remove signs of wear and scratches is also a fairly simple process. Minor scratches and
mineral streaking can be brushed with a household Scotch brite pad.
Frigo design highly recommends that when purchasing Copper or Brass for the use as backsplash ONLY, that the customer opts
to have the application of …Non-tarnishing Sealer. This will eliminate tarnishing, preserver the original “shine &
brilliance” and allows for easy cleaning with just warm water.
For Stainless Splash it is recommended that a Fingerprint-less Sealer be baked-on by Frigo Design. This will retard
fingerprinting and will allow for easy, time-saving spot cleaning, rather than having to clean the entire splash with a
special Stainless cleanser.
Frigo Design’s exclusive Matte Finish. This non-directional hand finish not only creates a sophisticated look, but makes it
much easier for general maintenance, polishing, and re-finishing. As with most other countertops materials, Stainless Steel
is subject to scratching and denting. Although a "hard" surface, tops will gather minor scratches in everyday use and will
dent if a heavy object is dropped on surface. Deep dents are virtually non repairable, but most surface scratches can be
polished out with the use of various abrasives and a medium amount of effort. (See refinishing process below).
No countertop surface, except butcher block is made to withstand cutting directly on.
All will scratch and will ruin your cutlery.
Frigo Design's exclusive matte non-directional finishing process does make it much easier to "blend-in" scratches versus a
top with a standard 304 finish. Will your efforts yield a "perfect" undetectable scratch removal? Probably not "perfect"
because the area polished will have a "shinier" appearance that needs time to weather and change to the match the luster of
the balance of the countertop's surface.
There are many different cleaning procedures suggested by a multitude of different organizations and individuals including:
stainless manufacturers, designers, homeowners, etc. The following are basic "things to do" to clean stainless steel or copper...
-
Never use chloride based cleansing liquids, such as bleach. Using these type of cleansers can permanently stain and
corrode the stainless surface.
- Clean with warm water, mild soap or ammonia thoroughly rinsing and drying with soft cloth.
- Always wipe surface with a non-abrasive cleaning pad such as a damp rag or a sponge.
Application procedures for applying or Re-applying Matte Finish to
Stainless Steel or Copper Countertops
Using any type of orbital hand held sander equipped with a FINE grit sandpaper-#180 (use a spray adhesive to hold sandpaper
on sander)… let the sander move all over the surface in no particular standard direction. Let the sander do the work. Do not
apply any hard pressure. Move the sander up and down and from side to side to produce a non-directional random look to the
metal. When the matte finish is achieved throughout the surface, remove the Fine grit sandpaper and replace with a PURPLE
scotch brite pad. The color purple designates a specific grade/grit of scotch brite. As in the first step, let the sander do
the work. Just guide the sander in all directions until the scotch brite pad has created the desired finish – softens the
look of the pattern produced in the first step. Wipe down surface with a soft cloth and alcohol until surface is free from
any residue.
Follow same procedures for re-finishing Copper Matter countertops. Except: do not final clean with a stainless cleaner, use
any copper polish.
Always wear latex gloves when working with stainless and especially copper. This will eliminate leaving fingerprints on
stainless and tarnishing copper, caused by the acidity in one skin.
If you should have any questions regarding the above,
please contact Frigo Design – 1 800 836 8746
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