What is the thickness of a corian counter top? Is it built up similar to a laminate top?
Standard base cabinets are 34-1/2″ and standard counter top height is 36″ Should I assume the corian will be 1-1/2″ thick?
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Corian comes in sheets 1/2" thick. The fabricator will build up the front edge of the Corian top to 1 1/2" (or larger if that's the style you want.) 3/4" to 1" cleats get screwed to the top of the cabinets and the top is set on the cleats. The bottom of the built up edge will line up or slightly overhang the top of the cabinets. On 34 1/2" cabinets the top will be 36" high.
Brian
Actually, you can get Corian in 1/4in, 1/2in, and 3/4in thick sheets, I haven't actually seen any counters with 1/4 thickness (not that I know, anyway):
http://www.corian.com/CorianPublic/corian/a/en/h/Products/StandardandWideSheets.html
Two ways it's normally done; one is to take your 1/2" deck, and add two more 1/2" thicknesses, gluing face to face and stacked to a thickness of 1 1/2"....sometimes the middle one is a different colour for an effect. This is the easiest way to do it.
The second way (better in my opinion), which often works better especially with Euro cabs that were designed with standard postform countertops in mind (I 1/4" buildup), involves the fabricator either taking a 3/4 rip and gluing it on edge to the underside of the deck, or in a bigger shop they may v-groove at that point, and fold it....either way you get a 1 1/4" front edge, same as postform, and there shouldn't be any problems with doors and drawers swinging. With an 1 1/2" buildup (can also be made with a rip or a v-groove, some people prefer it because it looks a bit more substantial), you can still make things work by changing the thickness of the build up strips that go between the cabinet top and the underside of the countertop.
With the second method, if you want a contrasting strip on the front edge, it is usually inlayed; the inlay is usally smaller than the 1/2" required by the stacking method, and I think it looks better.cabinetmaker/college woodworking instructor. Cape Breton, N.S