The Siligrant farmhouse appears to be made of a different material than their other sinks. I just ordered a new Corian farmhouse sink for a kitchen remodel. I haven't received it yet, but I found it on their website. The Corian farm sinks run about $700. The Siligrant is a bit cheaper.

Even though the seamless idea of a Corian sink is a good one, I really hate my Bisque one. I'm basically a lazy cleaner and I'm not interested in scrubbing a sink for 15 minutes or so every day. I have read some excellent cleaning suggestions on here so I'll try those. My original contractor grade stainless sink didn't stain like this one does. I like what Mr. Corlett did with that Karran E540 sink. I'm not really concerned about what is considered "dated" or not but I am interested in a single bowl with drain to the side like one of the Blanco siligranite models. At this point, I don't even mind if it's a drop-in if the inside won't stain as badly as my Corian. My biggest issue would be cutting out the old sink since I do not have any previous experience in using a router. If I went with a drop-in, I'm assuming that the cut wouldn't have to be perfectly smooth. I need to install a new disposal soon and I would like to do it at the same time as a new sink if I'm going that route. I do not enjoy crawling around under sinks too often.

I have bone colored corian from 1998 and I love it. My dishes are a very busy pattern and I don't have to worry about them clashing. The corian is beautiful when I decorate with reds and greens for Christmas, browns and oranges for fall, red and blue for The Fourth, and pastels for Easter and spring. There isn't a stain on it after all these years. From the day we moved into our house I've been sorry I didn't get the integrated sink. I'm now making changes to my kitchen and planning to replace the corian with granite so I can get an undermount sink. The contractor that was out last week told me corian is making a comeback (I'm sure not the almond/bone colors). Worrying about hot items has never bothered me - I just throw out a hot plate/pad.

Ms. Seeker:

You don't need to replace your counters to get a seamed undermount sink in Corian. You need $1,500.00.

"At this point, I don't even mind if it's a drop-in if the inside won't stain as badly as my Corian."

Corian does not stain, however, it has owners that aren't aggressive enough in their cleaning.

"My biggest issue would be cutting out the old sink since I do not have any previous experience in using a router."

Excellent point. The router is several hundred dollars and the bit is over a hundred. And if the base of your router and backsplash won't let you reach as far as you need to cut the sink out, what are you going to do then? This ain't a DIY.

"If I went with a drop-in, I'm assuming that the cut wouldn't have to be perfectly smooth."

You would assume wrongly. All cuts in solid surface must have all machine marks removed, 1/16" radi top and bottom, and be sanded to 150 grit or finer. This prevents stress risers which preclude cracking.

" I need to install a new disposal soon and I would like to do it at the same time as a new sink if I'm going that route. I do not enjoy crawling around under sinks too often."

Don't over-tighten the disposal; it's unnecessary to prevent leaks in solid surface sinks and over-stresses them. That's what got me the job pictured above. I don't enjoy crawling around under sinks too often either, but people pay me a fair amount to do so.

Thank you, Mr. Corlett, for your expert analysis. I was only thinking cosmetically when I guessed that the cut didn't have to be smooth but you certainly proved that was wrong. Yes, I'm a person that is not aggressive in cleaning my sink because my previous sinks were easier to clean. The sink is not damaged so I'll start trying some cleaning techniques that I've read about. The Corian countertops are only eight years old so it's probably foolish to replace them just for a sink. I really do want a single basin sink but I'll get by without it.

rsmalley2:

Get yourself a small random orbital sander and a variety pack of grits with a red and gray Scotchbrite pad. Dive into that sink and in about an hour or less, it will look new. Keep the sander moving and you won't hurt it.

Rsmalley2 there is no way you should be scrubbing a sink for 15 minutes a day! Once you get the sink back to cleaned up again get yourself some microfiber cloths and wipe out the sink at the end of each day. It should take you take less than two minutes, possibly less than one. Set a timer. You'll be amazed at how little maintenance is required. But some maintenance IS required

Kim - here is mine. We had granite on our island and cooktop area but corian for the rest. Effortless to clean the sink with that bleach spray product. Spray, let sit, rinse.

Thanks for the tip about the orbital sander. I had wondered if that was an option and I'm glad it is. I think that I will do that and then use the other good tip about the bleach spray to keep it maintained.

Thanks for posting a pic 3katz4me. ...Beautiful kitchen! Our cabinets are a similar color. How long have you had your Corian counter and what was the name of the color? Thanks again,

Kim

I stumbled across this just now and couldn't be happier! We just settled on a house Thursday; the home has the seamless corian countertops with double sink. The sink looks just like those pictures Joe posted in January of '15. I'd never heard of corian before. Never would have guessed sanding it might do the trick. I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Question for anyone with experience: the garbage disposal in this place is controlled by a switch mounted beneath the sink, in the cabinet. At our last house, I'd installed one of those small buttons by the faucet that controls power with air. I'd like to install one again - can corian just be drilled through or is that asking for disaster/cracking. If yes, what bits work best? Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Any bit but an auger type and kiss the top and bottom edges with sandpaper. A laminate trimmer with a straight cutter works very well too.

Kim - that kitchen is about 11 years old now. Sadly we moved in December and I left my dream kitchen behind. I'm happy though that someone who loves to cook bought it. I don't recall which Corian color it was. Kind of a basic ivory color with medium flecks in it. I loved the Corian and thinking about replacing the granite on the island in our current home with one of the newer colors.

3katz4me thanks for getting back to me. I hope you're enjoying your new home!

My Corian counters & integrated sink are 15-16 years old. Counters are white with white swirled grain - looks like the sort of marble you might find on tabletops in an old-fashioned ice cream parlor. They still look great and I love them. But the small sink where the disposer is installed is not so good - it's discolored and crazed; where the sink and counter join is separating and turning black. Probably mold, but no amount of cscraping, cleaning or bleach will cure the problem. Sounds like replacing the integrated sink is likely not an option. Will think about trying the random orbital sander - but that scares me to the core - afraid I could make the situation worse. May just have to resign myself to living with it.

eazpena: Try the random orbital sander. Keep it moving and you'll be fine.

I believe some people are confusing old solid surface countertops and integrated sinks that you purchase as a single unit with custom Corian products. Corian is a specific brand and not just a catchall for solid surface materials. They have very modern/contemporary products available that do not look dated as some have said. We did a recent install of a Corian Bold 966 sink where the drain is towards the rear. The sink shape has the very trend square edges top and bottom with slightly rounded corners. The fact that it is completely integrated means no lip between countertop and sink to catch crumbs and liquid stains. Very stylish, extremely user-friendly and you can't get a cleaner look. You can see more Corian brand sinks here.

We have corian-style (different brand) counters with a large integrated sink, installed about 7 or 8 years ago. It's so functional with easy upkeep. I do take care with the dumping out of boiling water -- which was recommended -- so the sink is holding up fine. Our kitchen wasn't the height of trendiness when we remodeled, so it's not really in or obviously out (at least not to me...) It's easy to clean and still looks great. I would do it again.

When I read of people having trouble keeping their Corian sink clean, I can't help but wonder if it's some other solid surface, not Corian. Just yesterday, I was cooking up the last of the black eyed peas I'd bought for New Years. I was using an ancient Dansk enamel pan - just didn't want to lift up the big heavy Le Creuset for such a small batch.

Well, the phone rang, I started talking to a "summer friend" whom I haven't really talked to since Christmas, and the next thing I knew, I smelled something scorching. Yes, it was the black eyed peas and that pot was an unholy mess. I put it in the sink, added water and a squirt of Dawn, and left it until after dinner (a new menu!) cleanup. What a mess! I got some of the burned stuff out, but not all. So, I put a Finish Powerball into the pot, filled it with hot water, and left it over night. This AM, I dumped it out and again, sink an unholy mess of burned stuff, dark water, burned peas. I finally got the pan clean (who knew a pastry scraper could be so handy!), and as for the sink, all I did was rinse it out - no stains at all.

My SIL makes french press coffee all day...makes it, and forgets it, so then he dumps the grounds in the sink and makes a fresh pot...and repeat above. It is usually the end of the day before he cleans the sink and there are no stains in that sink and he's not really one for doing a lot of work cleaning anything. DD's sink is about 10 yrs old now and looks like new. Mine is 13 1/2 yrs old and also looks like new.

The only time I need to do minimal scrubbing is if there has been a cast iron pan sitting for a time in the sink - makes gray marks, but they easily clean out with a dish wand filled with Dawn.

Solid surface integrated sink dated? Umm...what date are we talking about?

housebuilder14, it is not that hard to change out an integrated Corian sink... you really shouldn't fear the idea (of making a future sink change), so long as you have access to a skilled Corian installer.

When we bought this house, the kitchen had arctic white Corian counter tops and an integrated tiny-tiny-itty-bitty shallow sink. The door into the dining room is too close to the sink wall for the lower cabinets to be full depth, (too close to put a dishwasher in the sink wall, either). I think that is a large part of why the prior owner, way back when, who put in the Corian, went with such a tiny sink. A drop-in 22" sink is not possible with this depth of countertop.

We weren't ready for remake of the kitchen at that time, but really wanted a oversized sink so we bought a large apron front. We really liked the classic charm of the bright white matte countertops, and really didn't want to replace them.

It took an old-school Corian installer less than one day to cut out the old sink and install the new (undermount, apron front), including bringing several leftover samples of arctic white from the 80's from his backyard heap of leftovers, finding a perfect scrap match, for stitching in the counter top deck for the new faucet area behind the sink. Anyway, if you are curious, here's a few photos of the process/day (don't fear it!):

As purchased:

initial fit test after cut out of sink, and cut back of under-deck plywood:

before final caulking/silicone:

This was 5 or so years ago.... When we mustered up the inertia for full kitchen remodel last year, we demo'ed and rebuilt the lower cabinets, changed cabinet & counter shape/configuration a bit, but kept/reinstalled the same apron front sink.

I know this is an old thread but so happy to see someone able to replace an integrated sink. I unfortunately cracked my integrated Corian sink today by setting dry ice in it while I unpacked a food shipment.

It's leaking now and will have to be replaced. The crack will fill with contamination and turn black eventually.

I’m wondering if the crack can be repaired with epoxy?

Yes, it can, but it will be ugly, fail, and get contaminated. The adhesives can't take the thermal cycling a solid surface sink goes through even with an insert style repair. I fixed my buddy's sink chip with an insert I stole from under his sprayer escutcheon. Invisible at completion, now there's a contaminated perfect circle.

If you want a quick repair, tint some super glue with nail polish, push it into the crack, tap on the sink a bit, and sand off the excess in the morning when you fiberglass the bottom to stop the inevitable leaking. Do this right away before you contaminate the crack any more, please. Don't use that side of the sink and sell the house immediately.

Yikes now I’m really scared! Have you heard of the stuff they use in the airline industry to make repairs? I saw a chat thread in a fabrication site.

Haven't heard of it.

Mr. Corlett please move to Chicago! Seriously, I have learned a lot from this thread and have decided to stop listening to all the nay-sayers and order a Corian vanity with integral sink, which is what I've wanted all along. I'm tired of people telling me what I'm *supposed* to like.

Tsippi S. I agree. It's great to do the research, but get what you love. I am on my second Corian sink simply because we did a remodel after 20 years. My first Corian still looked like the day we put it in. Hope you love yours as much as I love mine.

"I am interested in a single bowl with drain to the side like one of the Blanco siligranite models. At this point, I don't even mind if it's a drop-in if the inside won't stain as badly as my Corian."

I beat this Blanco Silegranite to death this afternoon:

No, that's not a shadow at the drain:

do other solid surface brands have an option for an integrated sink, or is that strictly a Corian thing? And if they do, is it as good as Corian? We're still in the deciding/planning stage, and I'm trying to figure out what I want, and where I can find it, so I can compare prices. The easiest thing in our part of the Middle of Nowhere would be a white laminate/formica w/a stainless sink buuuut I need to research and make sure I'm getting the best for my money. If I spend a little more and am able to get something that is going to last longer, that makes sense to me.

"Do other solid surface brands have an option for an integrated sink, or is that strictly a Corian thing? And if they do, is it as good as Corian?"

Yes, other brands offer integrated sinks, but please make sure the sink is 100% acrylic or stainless steel (www.karran.com Edge series).

Staron acrylic sinks are as good as anything DuPont, Corian's manufacturer, has ever produced.

Are Staron counters as good as Corian? I know they're supposed to be all the same thing? I've got samples from Wilson Art, Livingstone and Staron. The latter two have a white w/glittery sparkle things in it so I am partial to those two brands. Have not ordered Corian samples yet.

I really like the idea of the integrated sink. If I were considering an apron front sink, would I be better off going the stainless route?

Staron counters are as good as Corian. Corian's patent ran out many years ago; anyone can make it.

My customers are very happy with their stainless steel apron sinks in solid surface tops. Here are two and I'm doing another next week:

Elkay has a new quartz 36" apron front sink. I can't wait until someone buys one. I came close the other day, but that's a 3K sink replacement: half that on new work.

P.S:

Unless you like unremovable sink spots, I'd avoid lighter colored quartz sinks. This spot cost this Blanco his life:

Those stainless ones look really nice. Nice to know about the Silgranite-that was one of the others I was looking at b/c I thought they were supposed to be "fool proof" I guess. Maybe to be on the safe side I should stick to stainless. My husband isn't one to be careful w/the counters *or* sink. (so maybe I should be looking at laminate counters instead of solid surface!)

If your husband isn't the careful type, you'd better be looking at solid surface instead of plastic laminate.

haha true-I just figured if they got messed up, it would be easier/less expensive to change. We might be in a bit of a pickle, anyway, being in the middle of nowhere trying to find someone certified to install solid surface.

I like the look of the Corian integrated sinks but don't care for the maintenance at all. Give me stainless steel any day of the week. It never stains and it laughs as it swallows gallon after gallon of boiling water. I REALLY like the old timey porcelain enamel over cast iron sinks but who can afford those these days. I have one of those - original installation - in my 60 year old house and its still fine, but has definitely collected its fair share of dings and chips by now.

With Stainless steel, a quick swipe with a scrub brush and spray some water around and you're done. For porcelain enamel, a little scouring powder and the same treatment and again, you're done.

As for "dated", any time you follow the fads you're going to be "dated" immediately upon installation. Fads come and go. The only thing that matters is what YOU think of the appearance. If you like deep purple walls and red shag carpet you should absolutely have deep purple walls and red shag carpet. YOU'RE the one who lives there after all. (I actually did know some people who had a room with deep purple walls and red shag carpet, *I* certainly wouldn't have picked those colors but why shouldn't they have what THEY want?)

I think its hilarious that back in 2014 somebody thought that Corian sinks had already been "dated" 10 or 15 years before that, while they are still screamingly popular here in 2018, LOL! If I had a ton of money I would probably try for an integrated sink/counter combo, but I don't so - stainless steel and tile it is! I'm doing my kitchen countertops for well under $100, including backsplash. Not a big kitchen I'll grant you but its a long way from dropping 20k on a kitchen redo.

Oh yeah, and the "dated" original built-in "cabinets" are getting stripped and repainted and new hardware. There is one drawer that needs a little reworking where the dovetails are separating at one corner but that cabinet is coming out anyway (its only 15" wide and the space between that and the main counter/cabinets is 36" to accomodate a very old and long gone gas stove, leaving the 30" modern stove swimming - so I'll replace just that one cabinet to close up the gap).

The drawers all have hardwood drawer slides and they slide smooooooooth as butter still, even after all these years. Tossing them because someone ELSE thinks they look "dated" would be nothing short of criminal. Respect the craftsmanship! I guarandogtee you that no modern cabinets will still be functional sixty years from now. The only gripe I have is - no corner cabinet and for some bizarre reason the drawers are only 14" or 15" deep.

In 2002 we build a new home with Corian. I just love it. Sold house to my son and moved.

I have been doing 2 baths and complete kitchen working with Lowes. I was told today that I needed a 3rd slab, I have a Blanco undermount sink, Koehler undermount sinks. Lowes dose not have Corian. But I'm going to use the Corian again. I just need to know if my undermount sinks will work. Please helpme.

mohholder:

The sinks will work, but for your kitchen and if you like Silegranit, you owe it to yourself to look at the Karran Edge series sinks in quartz. Seam undermounted just like a Corian sink but with no caulk or crud lip.

I have Corian countertops with the integrated sink in my kitchen and also in two of my three bathrooms. The kitchen was done in 1998 and I've had no problems with staining or cracking anywhere. In fact its held up so well that I can see so reason to update anything in that room. We're currently updating our master bath and dressing area and I had been considering using Cambria quartz but wouldn't you know that the one that I picked out is a luxury color and 30% costs more than the other colors. So where do I end up? Back at Corian with an integrated sink. They have several beautiful new colors that mimic quartz and are cost efficient especially when you consider the expense of completely redoing a bathroom these days and another one that needs to be done soon.

Hi All! I have learned sooooo much on this site. Thank you Mr. Corlett.

I have had Corian countertops since 1998 with a granite composite under mount sink. Love the Corian, not the sink so much because it seems yellowed since installed. But I do a lot of canning so the sink has put up with a lot of beet juice and boiling hot water with minimal distress, no cracks. Just clean with Soft Scrub and bleach sometimes.

We are now building a house. I am again using Corian for the countertops. I am considering either a Corian integrated sink 850 or an LG-HiMacs integrated sink 3118. I do not like the sink drain in the center of the sink as in the 3118 but that sink is an inch and a half longer than the Corian so better for skillet handles to fit in sink.

Do you have an opinion as to the staining or cracking or other issue of either product I might consider before making my final decision?

Thank you. Cynthia

Cynthia:

Thanks.

I'd highly recommend taking a look at the Karran Edge series stainless steel sinks. They mount just like an acrylic (Corian) sink, so there's no caulk or reveal between the deck and sink. One just turns into the other. I'm installing another one on Friday this week. No heat or cracking issues ever, and easily refinished if you scratch it.

Here's the 540:

I’m also interested in solid surface. I’m the rare bird that prefers a double sink but want my new sink to have a low riser separating the sides. I have found a couple of choices in under-mount stainless that would work for me, but I’m wondering with the flexibility of the corian, has anyone seen a low rise divided sink installation offered in solid surface?

The new Karran QU630 in quartz can be undermounted and has a low divide. Click on the "Image Library" for specifics, please.

Thanks for the link. How does quartz compare to Corian, etc. as far as usage and value?

Thank you for the suggestion. Cynthia

" How does quartz compare to Corian, etc. as far as usage and value?"

If you want a white or lighter sink, go acrylic please. The quartz people just don't have the performance in the lighter colors yet.

Joe, is there a thread floating around by chance where you discuss the pros/cons of the sinks you've worked w/ and your recommendations for specific ones? I was at a remodeling place today, looking at the little material samples for sinks and thinking hmmm I wonder what Joe says about this one..or maybe this one..They have Silgranit and Karran.