Compared to the more “glamorous” kitchen countertops such as marble and granite, Corian countertops are regarded as old-age countertop materials whose time has passed, but this is not true.
The countertops have evolved over the years, and if you are looking for kitchen or bathroom countertops, you should highly consider them. Would you love to know more about the countertops? Here are Corian countertops pros and cons.
What are Corian countertops?
Before we proceed, it’s wise we have a backstory about these countertops are. Corian is a brand name for a solid surface countertop invented by DuPont in 1967. The countertops are made of a material derived from a blend of acrylic polymer and bauxite. Now that is out of the way, let’s proceed.
Corian countertops pros
The countertops come with several great features that include:
They come in a wide range of colors.
The first countertop colors trended towards the earthen shades with a dappled pattern, but the modern designs are built with a wide array of hues that range from pure black or white to yellow, blue, purple, and gold. It’s also not uncommon to come across some countertops with neutral shades of brown, gray, and beige.
The countertops also come with a wide range of patterns that vary from pebble to sand to glass. You can also get customized colors and patterns.
They are easy to clean and maintain
Unlike other countertops in the market, Corian countertops are easy to clean and maintain. The cool thing is there are plenty of ways you can clean the countertops. You can spray the countertops with household cleaners, wipe them off with a handheld scrub pad, use soap and water, among many other ways.
When cleaning Corian countertops, you should note that they aren’t resistant to chemical damage, so use pH-neutral cleaning agents.
You don’t need to seal the countertops.
Since the countertops are non porous, you don’t need to seal them every year, saving you a lot of time. The countertops’ non-porous nature also means you don’t have to worry about the surface staining when spills happen.
Although, you should get rid of the spills as soon as they happen, you don’t have to worry that the spills will cause stains, as it’s the case with granite, marble, and other porous materials.
The countertops’ nonporous nature also means the countertops can’t suffer from mold, mildew, and bacterial growth.
They create a seamless appearance.
Since the countertops don’t have visible joints, they create a seamless appearance of your worktop. This feature also makes the countertops easy to repair and resurface in the event of scratches and other types of stains.
If you have minor scratches, you need to undertake minor resurfacing by sanding or rubbing the surfaces with an abrasive scrub. While you can rub the countertops, avoid rubbing them vigorously as you risk causing physical depression on the surfaces.
Corian countertops, cons
Like the two sides of a coin, the countertops come with their fair share of negatives. These negatives include:
They aren’t durable
Although the countertops are easy to clean, maintain and repair, they aren’t as durable as granite and other countertop materials. This means that you have to install them several times in your lifetime compared to the other countertops that you install once, and you are done, of course, unless you want to change the look of your house or you damage them.
They are expensive
Although not as expensive as natural stone countertops, they still don’t come cheap. This means when you install them two or more times in your lifetime, you will be parting with a lot of money compared to when you would have installed granite, marble, or other more long-lasting materials.
They can’t withstand heat.
Corian countertops can’t withstand heat at all. In fact, they are easily scorched by hot pans. Due to this, you need to use trivets, hot pads, and other protective materials to protect the surfaces from extreme heat.
They aren’t easy to find
The countertops aren’t easily available in home centers like the other countertop materials. The only place to find them is in specialty building supply outlets catering to professional markets. This drives the countertop prices high making it hard to find expert installers. In most cases, you are forced to hire granite contractors Raleigh who aren’t Corian countertop installers.