At East Coast Chair & Barstool, we answer questions about restaurant furniture all day, every day. Some of the questions are unique to a particular situation, but many are relevant to all of our customers and are asked quite frequently. In those cases, we are going to start answering them here on our blog so that all readers can take advantage of the information.
One of the common questions that we get asked is about table tops. Most people know what a wood, resin, or laminate top is, but many ask, “What is Werzalit?”
The answer is:
Werzalit is a company – Founded in 1923 by Jakob Friedrich Werz, Werzalit is a family run company headquartered in Oberstenfeld Germany, with representation all over the world. The company was originally started as a small glue factory until, in 1941, Werz took over a manufacturer of molded plywood materials. Eventually, Werzalit became the inventor of a patented process in which fine grains of wood are mixed together with synthetic resin and molded into tabletops, surfaces, and other products.
Werzalit is a process – The patented process founded by the company in the 1950’s is also called Werzalit. It uses specialized machines that generate immense pressure to mold wood grains and resin into usable shapes. The company licenses the process and technology to manufacturers around the world.
Werzalit is a material – When most people think of Werzalit, they think of the actual material, as in a Werzalit table, a Werzalit counter top, and so on. As a material, Werzalit is a strong, dense composite that is resistant to scratches, temperature fluctuations, and staining. Werzalit is a popular commercial material thanks to its durability, low maintenance, and steady performance under even the harshest indoor and outdoor conditions.
While the name Werzalit has become synonymous with wood-polymer composite tables in many consumers’ minds, there are alternatives on the market that offer the same material composition under different names and price points. For example, Topalit is a popular table top brand that is similar to Werzalit in performance, but is manufactured by a different company in Austria. Similarly, the IsoTop wood-polymer composite tables that we carry utilizes the same manufacturing process as Werzalit, but is available at a lower price point.
