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Which is best, Corian or granite? I can’t decide which one to choose for our island countertop. I like the colors/patterns available in granite better, but I’ve heard it stains and glare can be a problem.
I’ll be using this top not just for cooking prep but for crafts and such too, so I want something that I don’t have to be afraid of staining or scratching.
Could I please hear from anyone who has had experience with one or the other, or both.
Thanks,
Glenna
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Replies
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Glenna;
I suppose if you're going to be doing alot of photography in the kitchen the glare might be an issue... :)
I won't venture to guess which salesman told you that staining and glare are problems with granite.
I've never seen a stain in four different kitchens. Seal it when you install, and then every year or so thereafter.
Don't let oil sit on it. Heat is not a problem. Pans off the stove right onto the surface-OK.
It cannot be scratched! It will dull your knives. I suppose you can scratch it with abrasives, but you really need to try. (Corian can be "polished out", but...why should you need to? Because it will scratch.)
Granite is a natural material, and I find the emotions it can evoke make it superior to Corian.
I like the stuff that has broad, flowing patterns but this requires extra attention to any seams.
G' Luck
Adam
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Can someone please tell me about concrete counter tops. I am about to remodel my kitchen and would like to know what materials are best. I am a professional cook (chef) and would love to have stainless but my husband is afraid it will look too commercial. The compromise would be to have a stainless free-standing work table in one area of the kitchen and then my counter tops some other material. Please let me know what are my choices other than corian, granite. Thank-you.
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Joseph Fusco
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Joseph FuscoView Image
*ditto Adam also.Granite has poetry in every piece. Corian does not. Mate a green granite with dark cherry, or a light specled grey with maple. You'll have a work of art to compliment every meal you create there. Darrell
*I still love my solid maple counters after 15 years. Maybe Martha Stewart would look down her nose, but they work for me. I occasionally scrape and re-oil them back to new. (About 10 min. work)(I have tiles near the stove and sink tho.)
*Corian looks great but scratches and some of the lighter colors will stain. You have to pay someone to come out and refinish your top if it sees heavy use. Granite is still the best in terms of looks and long lasting. Reseal it once a year and drive on. Concrete is nice but if you have little time or have not handled concrete leave it to the experts to do. Sorry I'm not a fan of corian or the soild knock offs....... but it paids the bills
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Glenna,
Pluses and minuses to both. Yes, granite is more attractive, and pretty stain resistant if you seal it, but it's really unforgiving. You'll lose a lot of chips from the bottoms of glasses and china, and any stemware you happen to knock over is usually a write off. Corian is much more forgiving, but it does scratch and it can stain. Unfortunately, there is no perfect countertop material.
Personally, Corian is going in when we remodel our kitchen.
Just my $.02,
NickB
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I have to vote for corian as well. But only because I know how easily it can be repaired/refinished. Granite definately scratches but it shows more on darker colors. Just had to buff out a granite counter that was installed 3 weeks ago because some ninny put a metal canister down and left a mark! I will admit that I like the look and feel of granite a whole lot more but how can you compete with the ability to sand out any minor scratches or stains with a little 220 wet/dry sand paper and a scotch bright pad? Not to mention the regular cleaning with a little cleanser! Take it from someone who regularly installs both, corian will be alot less headaches
*You'll have more stains or marks with corian. As for the issue of glare, order a "matte" or "honed" finish. A pro can come into your house and with the proper equipement and assortment of grinding/polishing compounds make gloss granite turn matte or polish matte granite back to gloss.My personal preferences are for stone where we cook (island) and immediately around the sink, and wood (maple) for the countertop that runs between the stone near the sink, over the dishwasher and over to near the kitchen table.This way, hot pots/pans off either the cooktop or out of the wall oven can go on stone (no trivets), and all the dishes come out of the sink, cabinets, or DW can go onto wood. The wood is also the plate prep area prior to bringing the plates to the table. The upkeep for stone/wood is not traumatic or life-threatening, unless your biggest effort of the day is depressing buttons on your remote control.Stone is gorgeous. Wood is beautiful. Corian is, well, plastic. My opinion, which is what you asked for.
*I agree with Joe, do a search using "concrete countertops" as the search word. It will open the doors to a few threads back in the archives as well as a few recent ones.Here's one to start. Email if you have additional questions regarding CCtops.
*Glenna,I did a kitchen in which the customer wanted both, Granite in the butler's pantry and island and Corian for the rest of the kitchen.It worked well together.Vince
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Our friends at This Old House love soapstone. How does soapstone compare with granite and Corian in the real world?
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Vincent,
Real nice work. I like your best of both worlds approach.
Richard Max
*Thanks Richard,but It was the home owner's choice so I can't take full credit.Vince
* Vince,
Joseph Fusco View Image
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Once you go granite you will never go back.
Granite is a stone. You can not damage it thru
normal household use. I will not scratch or stain
(with possible exception of very hot oil). Darker
colors will not show anything. Brazilian Blue
granite might be a problem, but @ $250 - 300 per
sq ft, you wouldn't be doing crafts on it. Go for
the granite!!!
*I do quite a few kitchens and most of them have Corian tops or Corian with Granite islands. There is no perfect top. Corian is the only solid surface material that I use after having a problem with Gibraltar. Corian will not permanently stain but more importantly will be affected by heatGranite will not be affected by heat but will stain, not many people will reseal granite once after it's installed much less every 6 months. I did a kitchen 4 years ago in a pinkish granite, with a island cooktop. Now island is very discolored compared to the far end of other tops. It seems to me the more $$ spent on tops the more people don't take care of it. The belief is that they spent more to get granite and it's bulletproof, that is why they spent more. I have bevel edge laminate in my house, in a few years if I don't like the color I can change it. that doesn't happen often with granite or Corian
*Ditto Again AdamGlenna,you've gotta ask yourself a couple of questions before you do your island.1) do you want to spend your money on something that will stimulate conversations?Something that took millions of years to create.Something that had to be quarried from the earth, carted down a mountain, sawn, ground down, polished,put on a boat to the US, trucked to a fabrication shop where it has to be cut, shaped, polished and finally carted to your home and installed, not to mention its natural ability to take just about whatever you can deliver. (within reason)Or do you want a piece of plastic????!!!!Just my opinion...But I may be partial........
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Corian- absolutely not.Why not use formica and save all that money. Granite is a great choice.Soapstone is nice if you don't like the high finish luster of the harder stone. It is more apt to stain however.Just say no to plastic if you can afford it.
*And, um, there's always this month's issue of FHB. We all do still read the magazine, right? :)Back to wood: A client is dead set on butcherblock in a sink area. I talked her up from Ikea to real hard maple material at least, and exacted a promise that she will take good care of it (I put a staining disclaimer in the contract anyway). Q: If NO cutting will be done on the c-top, can I go ahead and varnish it watertight, maybe epoxy the endgrain around the sink cutout? (2) Alternatively, would it be a good idea to undermount the sink and do a tile surround to eliminated the water-collecting rim area?Interesting how passionate people are about their countertops. It has be tihnking about granite for our island again. Though I'm getting fond of the surprisingly nice-looking (and affordable!) 3/4" plywood temporary top I made in 30 minutes, complete with a radius for a snack area...
*I agree I would rather have granite myself but....I get tired of this notion that people think everything is "man made" that is plastic. Just as your granite took millions of years to make so did plastic and every other God made thing on the face of this universe. I do believe that plastic is made from petroleum products. Which are created by, i beleive, fossil fuels from things from millions of years ago. They are pumped from miles below the earths surface, put on barges, shipped across country and processed by man. Then made into items such as cars, computers, countertops, etc. Now...what is so unnatural about plastic or any other material. Wood, glass, mdf, all are made from materials that were here when God created earth and will be here when we all are gone. If this is not so, someone tell me who was born and brought something to this planet that was not already here. Or did some aliens land on a space ship and drop plastic off for us. Oh well I still vote for granite because it looks better and wont melt....
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Which is best, Corian or granite? I can't decide which one to choose for our island countertop. I like the colors/patterns available in granite better, but I've heard it stains and glare can be a problem.
I'll be using this top not just for cooking prep but for crafts and such too, so I want something that I don't have to be afraid of staining or scratching.
Could I please hear from anyone who has had experience with one or the other, or both.
Thanks,
Glenna