Corian IS solid all the way through. It's just that it's composed of acrylic, and that's the "substrate" they're talking about. Just like a scratch on stone uncovers the unpolished "substrate" of stone that appears lighter (look at the unpolished back of a sample to see what I mean), a scratch on Corian will appear lighter due to the acrylic matrix. Dark colors show this MUCH worse than light colors. But, it can be polished out---by a professional. Don't try this on dark colors yourself unless you are willing to polish out the whole counter because it creates a more "matte" spot in the counter. It's barely noticable on light Corian colors, and those I can recommend. For a dark colored counter, you want stone or laminate, depending on your other requirements.

I think Corian and other acrylics are more suitable for the bathroom, where there is usually less abuse.
Have you looked at quartz countertops, much tougher, no maintenence, lots of colors?

I have friends that have a dark Corian counter top, it shows the scratches. My cousin has a light colored Corian, and you can't see any scratches.

I totally agree with emilynewhome. a good idea is to order a large corian sample; you can get ten by ten inch squares, then give it a test run and see what you think. if you are reasonably tough on a kitchen, you probably won't be pleased, imho... it does scratch easily, and then the scratches stain easily (at least with light colors). people laud corian's ability to be buffed out, but imo, that's not a simple, everyday thing to do. i scratched up my sample (in a light color) pretty badly, and even the light scratches wouldn't buff out at all with an abrasive cleaner, scrubber sponge, or very light sandpaper. it would have taken a more methodical sanding, i think...

the quartz countertop samples (like zodiaq and caesarstone) were a hundred times more durable, in my experience. so if you can find a color you like in one of those, you might be happier...

I have had a corian counter for 11 years and am glad to be replacing it with granite when we remodel. My corian is a medium solid gray color. We have never been too thrilled about how it looks. It shows scratches and the only way to get it looking good again is to have it sanded. On the up side...it doesn't need sealing, doesn't stain and I don't think it would burn, however I never would put anything hot on it without using a trivet or pot holder.

I had planned on going with solid surface but then talked to a friend who used to install it. He mentioned that it scratched easily and the only real way to sand it out is to have a professional do it because they will have to do the whole thing to match it. He said there were many times they had to go and rip out newer countertops and replace them with something lighter because of how bad the scratches show up on the dark colors. He said if I was determined to go with solid surface, to stay away from dark colors and stay with the Corian brand name. I took a knife to my sample which was on the lighter side but it definitely scratched easy! I'm going to check out quartz but originally thought it would cost too much so I'm not sure yet what I will do. Does anyone have anything negative to say about quartz?

>>stay with the Corian brand name.>>

I beg to disagree. DuPont charges a premium for their name but installers and GCs love them because DuPont has excellent customer service and makes it very easy for them to get things fixed under warranty. This is NOT a small thing for a service pro - ask any of them who have fought with LG and other Korean mfgs over issues DuPont would have fixed without complaint.

However, ALL acrylic solid surface is similar and DuPont's Corian is no better than any other. LG's solid surface is identical: they used to mfg it for DuPont, and when the patent protection ended they promptly went into business for themselves.

There are 2 advantages to solid surface:
- seams are invisible, so corners and sinks don't show seams
- low maintenance and easy clean-up

If you think solid surface scratches easily, try stainless steel someday. Every material has advantages and disadvantages which are well-known by now.

I have beige granite-look Swanstone and it never stains, even with spices like turmeric and pimenton. Because of the pattern, scratches are invisible (ours has been installed since 2003). I like the matte surface as we have direct sunlight in our kitchen 365 days/yr so glare is a real problem for us. It's heatproof to 375 degrees so I have no trouble putting hot pans and tools down - although as I used to have laminate I'm accustomed to using trivets or potholders for that extra margin of safety.

Solid surface is like carpet - it uses pattern to minimize wear. Unlike carpet, you can bleach it for sanitizing purposes. It's been a great counter for baking - very good with puff pastry, for example - and the lack of visible seams makes clean-up so much easier.

There are many beautiful granites, and I'm also fond of Cambria quartz. But we got Swanstone at a terrific price, and have been very happy with it. It isn't "in", but it has been a great performer in a very hard-used kitchen.

Thanks everyone!

I had been leaning away from the quartz and so on because I have a marble-topped side table in the LR and it feels really cold in the winter. So I extrapolated that a big ol' hunk of stone in the kitchen would have the tendency to suck all the heat out of the room. Any of you northern folks have any experience w/ that?

We're intending to add insulation to the walls--for some reason there doesn't seem to be any behind the cabs (you could keep milk in there in winter) and I'm ready for an end to refrigerated plates. But still. Anything to keep the heating bills down.

I had pink speckled Corian and it didn't show scratches or dirt. It's a very nice material for a kitchen and the integrated plastic sink is wonderful--quiet, soft, water stays warm, nice design.

Corian can look bad (see: pink speckled) but in the right colors and kitchens, it works beautifully. Play with samples; play hard!

I have a 48" raspberry speckled corian vanity top in my bathroom for many years and it looks as new as the day I got it. Highly recommend.