Yes we welcome the idea of a third party Corian rep coming out here. Sanding out the seams is definitely something we are open too but that doesn’t solve the issue of the seam placement, gaps or the shoddy sill design. Can any professionals weigh in on what is reasonable to ask for in this situation?

It looks like they put together your counters out of remnants they had in the shop.

Not acceptable.

Thanks for your input chispa. We are agree with you.

Joseph Corlett, I see you're the Corian expert on here. If you can offer any insight on how you would have approached this solid surface job I would be incredibly grateful.

I also think that they used what they had. How did the owner explain the decision to chop up the counters so many times? Really, a perfect installation uses that many pieces....would hate to see his bad installation.

He is saying the placement and number of seams is due to matching up the veining and the constraints of the sheet size.

"matching the veining" How could he say that with a straight face? Is this person Corian-trained? There is some sort of certifcation program they have to go through. Were the installers certified? You need to talk to Corian to find out. That is the first call.

That looks like a no way to me... but could you share the first photo of the kitchen without the orange lines drawn in please?

The slab size for this color is 30" x 144". 9 seams?

I'm so sorry for you.

I love Corian, and I love the color/pattern you chose. It should be beautiful.

I had Corian in a prior house and my seams were borderline invisible. I feel bad chiming in here because I'm not an expert in any way - but yours don't look good to me. I'm so sorry.

The wall ding is acceptable though, IMO. You have to expect a certain amount of dings when you're pulling counters off existing cabinets and then adding new ones on. Again, IMO.

I would not give up. I would tell the store owner that you will be registering a complaint directly with Corian and are requesting an independent party come to examine what you have.

Yeah, the wall scuff is normal.

Nothing else is.

Called Corian and they are going to have a rep call me back. The shop we used is listed on Corian’s website so we assumed they are certified. I believe you’re correct that the sheets are 30” x 144”. We know that dings and scratches happen and we aren’t upset with those but feel it’s reflective of their hurried install. Here is the photo without the lines

Thank you for your insight patriceny. That’s the route we are taking.

Fori, agreed!

What exactly is a level #1 miter? If that is the build -up edge to get the thicker top, then I don't see a miter edge at all - one of your pictures shows a horizontal seam at the build up.

Take tons of photos and definitely get with the Corian rep ( be sure to get their business cards to make sure of who you are really dealing with - unfortunately these days you can't trust anyone! )

I haven't sold Corian in a long time but I do remembering suggesting a coved backsplash. It was a different way of connecting the 2 that just was much nicer.

I hope this all works out for you - it seems a bit wonky...

I just removed 25 yo corian the island was 6 x 8 and no seams. I would say this is a crap job. I replaced corian with quartz and have only 1 seam hidden in corner area. Yes I know where it is but no 1 else notice Do not accept have them replace or fix if it’s possible

With the unmarked photo.. I think I can see where the lines are on the island, the left counter, and above the stove. I know the one above the stove was listed in the quote, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be able to see the seam areas on the rest of it like that.

Debbi, I have no idea what the level #1 miter means. But yes, there are white scuff like lines around the edges. Shop owner says these are veins but they obviously aren’t especially when they are running the opposite direction of the pattern. We are learning about coving and agree this is all very wonky. Thank you for the well wishes!

Beesneeds, yes it’s really hard to see in the photo with the poor lighting and from that far away but all the seams are quite visible except for one. Doesn’t seem acceptable.

Have you paid this in full?

The picture above does look like a vein - the color is described on the website as having veins in varying intensity. The "level #1 miter" was written on your receipt - so there should be discussion as to what that meant.

The picture I was referring to was this one:

That is clearly a horizontal seam and not a miter and not a vein. Now of course I could be completely wrong, but I would bring it up!

ILoveRed, no we have only paid 50%

Debbi, yes there are many areas around the edge of the countertops where you can see the seam just like in that photo. The white lines are much more pronounced than the veining and only exist around the edge of countertop so I'm pretty confident it's a product of their seam job. I could be wrong, interested to see what Corian will say. Yes, we are realizing there are many conversations that should have taken place now that we're on the other side of it. Thank you for your input!

JuneKnow, agreed. We understood the seams would not be invisible. I don't feel like we have unrealistic expectations. I will say that it is frustrating that there are areas where the seam is nearly invisible but then so many areas where they jump out. Consistency would be nice. We agree that it appears the wrong adhesive color was used. It looks too dark for the material. The pattern is so subtle that we don't have huge concerns about the pattern being mismatched at the seams, again this was just the shop owners defense as to why were dealing with so many seams. I don't know how many slabs were used nor what they cost but I feel that at nearly $10k it could have been executed far better than this. Definitely room for improvement. Thanks for the input!

What is the veining supposed to be? That looks like a speckled counter, not veins. There are lines, but those look like cut marks from manfacturing/installing, not veins.

beesneeds, it’s supposed to mimic the look of concrete so the veining is just lighter, super soft washes. There is not a ton of variation in my opinion.

JuneKnow- thank you! that makes sense! So how many sheets do you think were used on this install? Again, we thought we paid top dollar for a clean install, we weren’t presented with seam and budget options. I wouldn’t give this shop another dime based off the gaps and sill alone. Another sheet isn’t any good if if it isn’t installed professionally.

Lol Joseph Corlett, thank you! I also was under the impression this color was forgiving. The shop is not willing to do more than come in with a colored sealant and sand it into the gaps. As far as I can tell thats not a valid solution. Waiting to hear back from Corian to file a complaint and get a rep out here. Hopefully that's the right course of action to take. I really appreciate your input!

Fifteen or sixteen years ago I had about 30 linear feet of Corian installed in my kitchen, including a 48" angled peninsula. I think that there is a long seam along the peninsula that I have never noticed (it joins a 12" piece to the 24" width of the peninsula), and one seam on each side of the kitchen. One counter is 16 feet long. I still have this Corian and the counters have served me well.

"Only bookmatched natural stone, and nothing else, could fulfill that expectation, with more expense and more slabs purchased."

There isn't a stone on the planet that can be seamed as inconspicuously as Corian Neutral Concrete.

It's almost 9:00 p.m. and I just woke up from my nap, so this is sober me speaking.

The reason the seams in the second picture look so crappy is because they didn't rip the edges off the sheet. Solid surface sheets appear perfectly flat, but they're not. The long edges get "rolled" on their way through the abrasives. Those rolled edges have to be ripped off and dressed to get to the true flat required for perfect seams.

When the rolled edges are seamed, they create an elongated adhesive line which is much more visible.

Measure between the seams on the island. Fifty bucks says they're 30" on the button. They can't be. 29 1/2" tops at least on the center piece.

"The shop is not willing to do more than come in with a colored sealant and sand it into the gaps."

If that works, I will personally stop what I'm doing, come to your area, rent shop space, and provide and install the countertop of your choice free of charge.

A mitered edge is inappropriate here.

"Waiting to hear back from Corian to file a complaint and get a rep out here. Hopefully that's the right course of action to take."

It is. DuPont is crazy about defending their brand. They can't have crap like this on the interwebby.

They'll probably offer the fabricator free material for a do-over. If the fabricator refuses to donate the labor, this will be the last sheets of Corian they ever buy. DuPont's got guys on waiting lists to be able to buy Corian.

All of you have been so helpful! Joseph Corlett my husband especially appreciated your comments. And you nailed it- those seams measure exactly 30”. Even though the shop is listed on Corian’s website, I definitely think they don’t handle much of this stuff and that their speciality is quartz installs. We are in touch with Corian and in the process of filing a formal complaint. I’ll update when I have more to share. I truly appreciate every comment. Thanks all!

Thank you for the update Erin. Joe knows his stuff so you're in good hands listening to him.

I love Corian, had it in a prior home and would get it again in a heartbeat. I think your kitchen will be beautiful when it's done. Hopefully this is just a minor bump in the road. Every blessed renovation I've ever done has almost pushed me over the edge at the time....but someday, once it's actually done and the dust has settled, it's all worth it.

Regardless of the varied opinions about pattern matching and seams (I'll go with Joe's opinion, since he has many years of experience with the material!!), the window sill and caulking are still unacceptable, and need to be addressed with Corian as well!

Two of my seams is for all intents and purposes, invisible however, one seam is slowly opening up, just a teeny tiny amount, but enough to collect dirt. Repairing it creates two seams so we just scrub it extra well when we clean the counters. We live in Texas and foundations can be quite dynamic so we expect the shifting slab to cause little problems everywhere.

cup:

That's fabricator error, not foundation. A proper insert repair will create two seams, but depending on the color/particulate/movement, they will be much more inconspicuous and sanitary than yours.

Erin-

What ended up happening with your Corian counters?

UPDATE- we filed a formal complaint with Corian, they asked for the installer's info and that was it. Still haven't received any communication from them since their initial response to my complaint. We found our own Corian expert- one of the original 29 certified Corian installers, an incredible guy by the name of Fred Juencke who is now retired and whose son has taken over his business, Delta Plastics (and the company we wished we had hired from the start). Fred came out and inspected everything and then joined us for a meeting on site with our installer and his Corian rep. Our installer and Fred know each other from the industry and that was helpful because the installer couldn't deny the problems. However, long story short, installer continued to have a poor attitude and is not willing to address all of the issues and we don't want to invest any more to attempt to salvage this poor job. We walked away from them and our deposit. We will be ripping it out and having it redone. Corian's warranty will only cover their material, not the install apparently, which is also really disappointing.

Thanks for the update but YIKES. Please post photos of round two

Erin- What a headache for you, that is such a bummer!

One would think that if DuPont makes their fabricators /installers go through such hoops in order to preserve DuPont's good name, and the good name of the Corian product, that DuPont would want to preserve that, and so DuPont would want to do something for you.

I don't know what, but something.

Erin- Can you please clarify something-

Was it DuPont's Corian that you were installing, or DuPont's other product, the Corian Zodiaq now called Corian Quartz?

Joseph Corlett, 😂 😂😂🤣😆.

Erin: So sorry. Corian is beautiful and durable and should have no visible seams when properly installed. What a nightmare. Update us on your second attempt. We're all rooting for you. And good for you for standing up for yourselves.

Hope you are able to get the Corian issue resolved. Sounds extremely frustrating. I just wanted to pop in and let you know I really like your 2-tone kitchen...the colors, hardware and overall look!

"Corian is beautiful and durable and should have no visible seams when properly installed."

The first thing DuPont teaches you at Corian school (yes, it's real) is that seams are always "inconspicuous" and never "invisible".

Joseph: I enjoy reading your well informed comments. I have white Corian countertops in a kitchen that was nicely remodeled by prior owners. I have a 10 and 1/2 foot run of countertop on the longest side. No visible-not even mildly visible- seaming. It has a sink plopped down in the middle and no visible seams. The little strip that runs vertically for 1 inch under the countertop and has to make some angles/turns does have visible seams. But they are quite neat and snug.

I also have Corian in the main bath with an integrated Corian sink. It has a 6 foot run with mitered edges and an integrated sink of Corian. Very pretty , seemingly very durable and again, no seams. Maybe we are just lucky in our contractors in OKLA. I hope so as I am getting ready to have serious masonry and concrete work done -storm damage-what a mess....

Anyway the Corian is great and has stood up to teenagers cutting things sans cutting board-lectures followed but it buffed out. Handymen also had to trim it a bit to install a new range which theoretically had the same dimensions exactly as the prior range. Ha ! The deliverymen just left it in the middle of the room . The guys I called are friends and not the highest end professionals but they cut the Corian and wrestled with the range for me. I love the stuff. Heaven knows what I would have had to endure with a tight granite or quartz opening. I don't even want to think about it ! It does not permanently stain either. Easter egg dyeing with a 6 year old just last week. It all comes out. Wine, tomatoes, oils ditto. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

loobab- it's DuPont Corian solid surface in neutral concrete.