"I was told by a kitchen salesman that Corian is like an engineered quartz stone material that allows for there to be no seams."

Well, he was your average salesman all right. Corian is solid plastic. No quartz in it at all. There is NO SUCH THING as a "seamless" countertop. If the countertop is longer than the available slabs, it will have a seam. If there is a corner, there will be a seam. With Corian, because it's glued together, the seams will be "inconspicuous". That does NOT translate to seamless, nor does it translate to "invisible". Some colors of Corian have virtually invisible seams, but with others, the seam is visible, just not prominent.

And, there is NOTHING wrong with any type of countertop material that has properly fabricated seams. It will be just as servicable and functional as any countertop with seams. The exception is laminate, as it's dificult to get a seam tight and caulked enough to avoid water infiltration into the substrate of partical board, which will eventually swell when exposed to moisture over a long term.

Corian does a better job of disguising seams than quartz, the other man made counter top. On the one in our condo, you could not see the seam at all. I only knew it was there because I watched them install it.

Corian is not solid plastic !

It is made of 65% stone and 35% plastic (PMMA/Polymethyl Methacrylate/Plexiglas).

And indeed, Corian seams are truly invisible if properly installed if you pick a solid color (they use the same resin to fill the seam and polish the whole thing).

The downside of Corian is that it does look like plastic (it can be fine in a modern kitchen, but would look cheap in a traditional one) and that it does scratch easily.

I suggest you get you a sample of Corian and try to scratch it. You'll succeed. Easily succeed. It IS solid acrylic, which is plastic. It's nice for what it is, but it's by no means hard wearing, especially the dark colors.

I'm living in a kitchen right now that has it- not my kitchen, just housesitting. It's not as delicate as I thought it might be from what I'd heard about it-- it's not near as scratchable as laminate, for instance. And it has a nice smoothness about it-- it can be very soothing looking, because of the invisible seams and the calm colors. But to my eye it looks much more plastic/artificial than quartz does-- maybe because quartz has 93% or whatever it is actual quartz in it.

If the point the salesperson was trying to make was that it has no visible seams that is true. Otherwise I don't find Corian to be like quartz counters. Quartz seems harder and more rock like to me though I've not seen what the seams look like. Corian seams are completely invisible. There are a lot of things you need to consider other than that though - as others have pointed out. I have had a combination of Corian and granite in my kitchen for four years. I really like it but I'm not averse to having plastic counters. I even like laminate and have that at my weekend lake place.

Corian is about a third resin and 2/3 Aluminium TriHydrate (ATH). CaesarStone is 93% quartz (silicon-oxygen) and 7% resin and pigment, which is highly polished to bring the quartz to the surface.

It depends on the quality of the install, but Corian seams can be made so that there is no palpable crack. Quartz and natural stone seams can also be so closely butted that nothing gets into the seam, and the seams are filled. The seams are more visible in natural stone because of the coloration.

Corian is a good product. I have it in my studio. But it's pretty plastic. :)

I had corian in my old house. It is a good countertop material, but it is plastic. It looks and feels like plastic. The seam was invisible though.

We've got corian in our master bath. We've been pleased with it there and have no regrets.

That being said - I'm glad we did the bath before the kitchen. It is NOT a material I would have been happy with in the kitchen due to how easily it scratches and stains. Yes, the stains do come out -- but not without some work.

Do you think he meant Caesarstone? And was just confused?

I don't think having a seam is that big a deal if it's done right. First, make sure that your fabricator does seams well. Ask to see some counters they have installed. Second, collaborate with the fabricator on where the seams should go. Most counters have options - the seams can go in a few different places - so make sure you have a say so you can pick the more out of the way places.

I met with my fabricator at the slab yard, and decided which part of each slab would go in each spot of my kitchen and where the seams would go. My counter has two seams. One is off to the far right of the sink, a spot that is not frequently used or noticeable. The other is mostly inside my appliance garage so that only about 6" are normally visible.

I think it's far more important to pick a material, color and pattern that you like than to pick a material simply because the seams are invisible.

We replaced what I believe to be Corian countertops with granite. I was concerned that the installers would damage the backsplash tile during removal of the old counters. They just whacked the contertop with a hammer breaking it into pieces, making removal easy. I would not have expected the material to be so brittle.

We were all set to go with Corian because we heard that no matter what happens with it, you can sand it down and make it new again. My KD said that if something major happens to it, you can cut that piece out (with a special saw) and they can put a new piece in there and you wouldn't be able to tell there was ever a hole there to begin with.

What turned me off was seeing a friends 4 year old Corian with a huge burn mark in it and the surface was just horrible looking. She has 3 kids (like me) and they killed it! She said she was scared to do anything on the counter and it wasn't as durable as she would like.
Corian isnt cheap either!! We went with granite.

One thing about my friends counter is that it looks like 1 piece. You can't see a seam anywhere and there are 2 seams in the U shaped counter.

We have had corian countertops in our kitchen for over 15 years. They look about as good today as the day we put it in. We're empty nesters, so that might have something to do with it. We use trivets and cutting boards all the time.

The seams are invisible on our beige countertop surfaces. In some other colors, it might be a problem. A lot depends on the competence of the installer.

I would worry about granite because it is hard to keep clean and shiny looking. The nice thing about Corian is that it's so easy to maintain.

Granite is VERY easy to keep clean and shiny looking! Especially if you use the same common sense you would use with corian....cutting boards and trivets. You can cut on it...it won't hurt it, although it will dull the knife. A good installer will make seams that are difficult to locate. I have granite now and have nothing negitive to say about it at all. It is gorgeous!

Not all granites are "shiny looking" and even ones that are, often are very easy to "keep clean". If, for example, you have a granite w/a "pattern" to it, it will most likely always look clean, even when it's not b/c the "pattern" hides "dirt". Additionally, even if you have a dark granite, if you wipe your counters at least once a day, they will still look clean.

Now, if your counters get dirty b/c you're using them (i.e., you've messed them w/spills, etc.), I would think the best surface for "hiding" your mess would be a surface w/a "pattern"...and the best ones for that would be a stone (looks much better b/c they're natural, not artificial). Any uniform surface will show large spills, etc. and the lighter the surface (e.g., white, light gray, beige), the more dark spills will show. Light spills, like water, shouldn't be that much of an issue for either light or dark.

I also don't have to worry if I need to put a hot dish/pan on the counter in an emergency...my stone will not melt or crack. [No guarantees on the cracking, but IIRC, you have to exceed 500o or so.] I use a trivet or potholder or some such usually when I put something down on the counter, but I've been known to put things straight from the oven & cooktop on my counters w/no ill effect.

my sister walked into my newly renovated kitchen in our old house and told me she couldn't believe i went with granite over corian.
i should also mention that her head rattles when she shakes it.

We have two homes...one with granite kitchen and one with corian kitchen. I like them both equally. I love the corian sink (bc it is seamless). I like how corian is "warm" to the touch.

I wish I had corian in my bathrooms though instead of granite. The water stains (which go away after a few hours), etc. drive me insane. (Bathrooms have a light color granite while the kitchen in that home has very dark.)

If I had to move again, I'm not sure which I'd choose for the kitchen. Probably granite but only because of threads like these, LOL. Just seems like most people think granite is the best thing in the world and I'm always thinking resale value.

I do think corian looks better in certain colors. I highly recommend the designer series they have. I have the tumbleweed corian and it's really gorgeous. Our house was appraised recently and the appraiser noted that our kitchen had granite. (If he had touched it, he'd realized it wasn't of course.)

melrosgirl, I have the tumbleweed as well and I think it is gorgeous. I prefer the feel of corian over granite too, and I'm pretty sure my head doesn't rattle when I shake it!

Swampwiz, this is a constantly rehashed topic on here. ;)

You should be able to find numerous threads. After reading a LARGE number you will find:

A) There are at least half a dozen nice countertop materials to choose from today (granite, soapstone, quartz, butcherblock, corian, laminate, etc., etc.)

B) Most people really like The One they picked! (Which is a good thing, IMO. Happy Garden Webbers) :)

C) Every type has it's pros and cons, none are perfect. Beauty truly IS in the eye of the beholder when it comes to countertops.

BTW, I have DuPont's Zodiaq quartz. It is 93% stone by weight, held together with an impervious resin. Can't say my one seam bothers me, and the material is MUCH more stone-like in it's properties than plastic-like. Cold, hard, solid and I've cut on it and put hot pots on it with no effect (mine's black). Depending on the color, it looks like stone, feels like stone, and behaves like stone. Are you sure the salesman didn't mean THIS DuPont product?

biochem101--> A,B, and C sum it up pretty well.

Wow. I'd ask for a do over....

Is that really Corian? I'm shocked! It's impossible to see ANY seams in my Corian countertops! Either it's not Corian or you had a terrible installer.

Man made materials with an unpredictable repeat pattern often have issues with seams matching well. There are posts all over detailing similar matching issues with all manner of brands of quartz, but specifically Cambria. The Corian with the big movement has the same issues. The patterns are random. That is why most fabricators require a signed waiver acknowledging the fact that the seams will be visible, and not match.

If perfectly matching seams are very important to you, then counters without movement, or book matched consecutive slabs of granite should be the only choices that you should consider.

Natural stone will have a predictable pattern that can be used to create flow.

This backsplash has 3 seams in it. But the pattern flows because the pattern was predictable. This is what you can not get from man made materials.

mary, if you would like some advice about your situation, start a new thread with "Question for Joseph Corlett"'. He is all about Corian, very knowledgeable. He might be able to steer you towards some type of resolution. Worth a try. I really am sorry for how your counter turned out. :/

The Cook's Kitchen said it all. Material with movement shows seams. Not the Corian's fault.

Guess that's why I love my white Corian! Looks totally seamless!

So Joseph, is there no way this could have been done any better/differently, to help the two slabs blend?

"So Joseph, is there no way this could have been done any better/differently, to help the two slabs blend?"

The only way I could see this being done any better and remotely cost effectively would be to photograph every slab in a distributor's inventory, then manipulate the slaps to the layout on a computer program like Slabsmith. I would charge a lot of money for all that fooling around.

Sophie is correct.

Oh, ok. Thank you.

Has anyone used a polish on corian I.e. gel gloss? My counters are new and already have light scratches I thought this type of counter would be more durable. Any suggestions?

Give Dani Homrich a call at 248-852-9248. He'll sell you a bottle of Perfect Finish and instructions on how to use it.

We built a house the same year we bought a vacation condo: 2001. The condo has off white Corian counter tops with an integral double sink. It's seamless and warm to the touch. If the condo were not a vacation rental-- or if guests would not cut ON the counter -- I doubt we would have had to have it resurfaced, but we did -- once.

Our house has Costa Esmerelda (sp?) granite counter tops. It's freezing cold and you can see the seams. I have never had to treat it against stains -- just wipe with a damp cloth -- no buffing dry.

I clean cooktops, sinks and Corian with Bon Ami powder. (Can with the little chick and the slogan, "Hasn't scratched yet.")