# Corian or Granite counter tops



## Teetorbilt (Feb 7, 2004)

An oldie but a goodie is tile and it is coming back 'in'. Another less expensive alternative is granite or slate tiles.


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## Floorwizard (Dec 5, 2003)

Wow, a great saleperson who burns the competition to sell THEIR product. Nicely trained.

Corian is great. So is granite.
Corian is valuable, and granite is something that took millions of years to make, and gets set on your cabinet with little inbetween.
good and bad to both.
Let price decide.
Oh...and make sure you know weather tiles or slab is the one being bid


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## DecksEtc (Feb 8, 2005)

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't granite require more support than corian? If so, you may have to upgrade your cabinets - which would be another cost consideration.


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## powrus (Nov 17, 2005)

Six months ago our local Lowes offered either a granite or quartz counter top which was thinner than the normal, more popular products. There appeared to be no compromise on the overall strength/durability of the countertop and the cost was dramatically less. The exposed edges were doubled up so a casual observer would never realize the top was thinner.

Checking back two months ago, Lowes no longer carries that product. The rep who gave the initial sales pitch on the thinner countertop said it could still be had from Canada or some other Country. Due to store policy he was somewhat evasive. I didn't know how to do a search for that product myself, so we still haven't done anything.

Just another 2 cents worth of input.


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## Floorwizard (Dec 5, 2003)

There is a Granite called Bennisimo that is thinner, but the factory milled edge made it look alot thicker.
They came in tiles, and are half the price of slab.
But then you will need a substrate along with the cabinet, but it's a good alternative.


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## Floorwizard (Dec 5, 2003)

http://www.benissimosystems.com/


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## Lonicera (Dec 23, 2005)

*Concrete is good*

This is a link to concrete countertops.

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/countertops/


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## daveincincy (Dec 28, 2005)

Something to consider is maintenance for either product. I've heard stories of how someone left a margarita glass on the granite counter only to have to pay someone to come out and fix the counter. I like the look of granite, and many people get the impression that it's indestructible, but hearing some of the problems you can face with granite makes me wonder if it's worth the expense unless you're particularly anal about cleaning things up right away. I guess this can be said for most countertops, but I think Corian may need less TLC than granite. I'm no expert so I recommend asking the pros about maintenance for each.


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## Floorwizard (Dec 5, 2003)

Maintenance is easy on granite if you seal it.
The margarita people did not.

Corian does not need sealing and should be just as easy to clean.


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## powrus (Nov 17, 2005)

Jms92 - Watching TV this morning we noticed a home project wherein the countertops were going to be soapstone. Maybe someone has some experience with this product and its expense.

Here's something I copied from another site.

_"True Soapstone is inert. Alkalis and acids won't affect it as they will a granite, marble, or slate. For over one hundred years, soapstone sinks and tiles have been used in science class rooms and labs along with work tables and counter tops. Its longevity to long term"_


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## pranderson (Dec 20, 2005)

I work in an Emergency Room (Occupied with heavy traffic 24/7). We had Corian surfaces placed on all our counters surfaces about a year ago. They're holding up great! The only maintaince I've seen on these has been wiping them down with fairly harsh chemical disinfectants several times a day. It would seem that they should hold up at least as well in you home with only occassional use. I agree with the previous post, your granite guy is trying to sell you his product.


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## GailMae (Jul 21, 2009)

do not buy a dark color in corian. it scratches easily and the scratch shows up as a light gray. you will be sanding and buffing as often as you do your dishes. Gail Schroeder


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## Tom3982s (Jul 24, 2009)

*Tile*

I have always had ceramic tile. Small grout lines. Cheap also! Looks amazing...


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## Nia (Jul 18, 2008)

1st let me say if you have the skill and want to save money then do it yourself.

2nd if you choose to go with a product and have someone else do it, then shop around for a quality, reliable contractor to install it for you. Talk with their references and you'll find that a good company will provide better service and cares about your project then Lowes.

3rd I offer customers, granite tiles, slate tiles or Formica that has texture and looks like a stone when they don't have the money for granite. If you choose tile, I would suggest larger sizes so you will have less grout lines. Most of my customers don't want to go back with Corian.

What state do you live in?


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## RDS (Feb 29, 2008)

GailMae said:


> do not buy a dark color in corian. it scratches easily and the scratch shows up as a light gray. you will be sanding and buffing as often as you do your dishes. Gail Schroeder


Not to harp on this point (raised in another thread), but this has not been my experience. I have 3+ year-old black Corian in my heavily-used kitchen and it has never scratched. Obviously this is just anecdotal but I thought I'd toss it in there. Maybe there's grades of quality in Corian?


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## cabinetman (Jun 3, 2007)

Jms92 said:


> I have Formica counter tops that suck! Appears there was bad glue in 1989 when we bought them. There coming loose like crazy and need to be replaced. Wife and I really know nothing about counter tops, I was going to be a cheap and just replace the formica myself. I can do this, but we are exploring our options of Corian or Granite.... Stopped by Lowes today and got a rough estimate of $45 per square foot for Corian. Then we went to a cabinet shop and the basically said Corian sucks and gave me a price $50 for Granite. Input needed please educate us... $4000 for Kitchen counter tops is a lot of money to me ....???? Hate to spent that kind of money foolishly.....



A quick fix for loose Formica would be to heat with a heat gun (don't scortch) to get the surface hot. Then just press down until it cools. If there is sufficient glue it will stick.

There is just one grade of Corian. Glassware is usually a goner if dropped on granite. Granite is VERY hard. Corian provides a surface more forgiving to glassware. Corian can be repaired by a homeowner fairly easy, which isn't true for granite.


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## beerdog (Dec 10, 2008)

Here is what I learned after going through a kitchen remodel. Very few salesman are going to give you a straightforward assesment of countertops. If they sell granite the everything else is gonna suck. Corian guy will give you the old wine glass on granite story. Etc, etc.

Granite - Best looking. Many, many color options if you go to a granite shop. The shop we went to easily had a 100 types to choose from. 50$/foot is the very low end arround here for a basic garnite. The really nice stuff was almost 150/foot. Not a do it yourself project. Very heavy and the install cost is low compared to the material. I have had no stain issues although I did seal it properly. The granite shop said the key to avoiding stains is to not let spills sit for a long time since granite is pourus. The only thing I do not like is that putting down glasses and plates is somewhat noisy since the granite is so hard. The edge treatment you select will also add cost. weight should not be an issue since it is spread across a wide area. Everyone I know who has granite loves it. Go to a granite shop yourself. That is what the cabinet guy is doing and just tacking on a fee.

Corian - can be just as expensive as the entry level granite, but way cheaper than high end granite. Could be installed yourself, but some places may not guarantee it. I am not sure why. I think you have to be very carefull on how you drill the holes. Not as pretty as granite......looks synthetic. Looks better than laminate. The better looking colors are more expensive. No seams arround the edges.

Quartz - very good material. Will be more expensive than entry level granite. I did not think it was as pretty as granite. It just did not have the same look. I think it was a little more maintance free.

laminate - easily a do it yourself project unless you have custom cuts and joints. Does the job. Cheapest. I did not think it was much nicer than corian except for the edge treatments.


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## owenmpk (Sep 6, 2009)

This drives me nuts. I am a geologist and granite is not porous. Other types of rock that are sold as granite may be porous. I have had “granite” counter tops for over 25 years, and have never sealed them and never will. The reason I am placing quotes around “granite” is that even my “granite” countertops are not granite but a rock that is called Gneiss but is commonly called “granite” by the resellers. But since the minerals that make up the rock have not degraded it is still a non-porous rock. I have seen some staining of countertops that the lay person would call “granite” and on closer inspection the problem I see is that the rock had started to degrade before it was cut from the earth and some of the minerals that make up the rock appeared to be altered which would make sense they would take a stain. 
Also I am a DIY person and have put in my own stone in my office and around my fireplace. It is not hard unless you get slabs that are large which end up being heavy. I have worked with Corian and like it but is soft (I can shape it with a carbide tools) so I prefer “granite”. I will be doing a kitchen counter, bathrooms and shower for my son’s home and hope to shape the edges myself. What I have seen it is not too difficult and the savings will be substantial. Note if you purchase your own slab it can be ~$5/sq foot!


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## molly0 (Apr 17, 2010)

*Corian beware*

Seriously, 

I went with Corian about 5 years ago and will never ever buy this product again. It cracks, it scratches and the "warranty" isn't honored. I am already looking to replace it. I chose a darker color (red) and it looks horrible.


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

Very good post by Owenmpk. I am a geotechnical engineer, and am also astonished by the variety of stone that is called "granite". Unfortunately the geological definition of granite is not followed by the companies that sell the product. Anything with mica, biotite and quartz is apparently classed as granite, regardless whether it is metamorphic or igneous. Not that the user really needs to care exactly what type of rock it is, but it does make a huge difference in terms of stain resistance, hardness, and overall durability what type of minerals are in the rock. Unfortunately, unless you have geological training, you aren't going to know. The moral is to bring a geologist with you when you select your slab.

I have "granite" counters, although in truth they are gneiss. Very beautiful, extremely durable, and no we never sealed them, I don't want toxic chemicals on my food preparation surface. The stone can scratch, however this has not been a problem for us. We also spill wine regularly, as well as many other things, and we clean it up immediately. No stains of any kind.

I have no problem with Corian, soapstone, formica, tiles, wooden counters, concrete counters, or any other kind of material. Just make sure you understand fully the properties of the material, the maintenance requirements, and your ability to fix the surface if it is damaged. Nothing is perfect, else everyone would use it.


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

We remodels last year and went through all the options for kitchen countertops. Corian is good, granite is good. Granite usually has more appeal and value - a consideration for resale value. We ended up going with granite and are extremely happy we did. 

We found a company who installs pre-fabricated granite countertops - they have factory made counter sections, island tops, etc. in a variety of sizes and colors - and then they modify and install as required. This saves costs all around. We ended up with granite and a custom look for less than corian and other similar products. :thumbsup:


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