Corian vs Avonite Solid Surface Ctr.Tops
Hello everybody, My wife and I are going to have our kitchen updated a bit. We have decided to do solid a surface countertop and sink. The company doing the work can provide Corian or Avonite. We don't know much about solid surface tops and are looking for some recommendationds as to which manufacturer to consider. Are the ingredients used by these manufacturers to cast the solid surface tops essentially the same from manufacturer to manufacturer or are there some significant differences? Is one manufacturers material more stain resistant than another? Is one material more resistant to boiling water being poured directly on it than another. Have heard that Corian might recommend pre-heating a Corian sink prior to pouring boiling water into it or sink failure may result? Is there one finish (matte, semi-closs or gloss) that should be considered over another for ease of maintenance, stain resistance and overall appearance? Does one manufacturer require more periodic maintenance than another? Would appreciate all comments and suggestions. Thanks, Bob Hi Bob - I don't know anything about the Avonite product, but if it were me I would not choose Corian for a kitchen countertop. There are too many other products that do a better job. Google on Corian and read up on some of the drawbacks before making a decision. I have always thought (rightly or wrongly) of Corian as a synthetic marble. It has some of the same features (scratches, stains, burns etc.). You might also want to consider a granite or manmade epoxy/quartz product (Silestone, Cesarstone etc.) instead. Corian and Avonite are competing solid surface materials. Probably not the exact same material but close enough. Colors will be different, but the characteristics are essentially the same. They have advantages over Formica, by a long way, and over natural stone. They are less prone to stains, are repairable, and no visible joints. Cost wise, not too much different from natural stone. But a step up from solid surface would be a man made stone. The benefits of stone without the problems, stone stains(has to be sealed 1-2 times a year), has joints, and the color is not consistent. You cannot select a natural stone from samples, the real item will not be the same. Personal experience in a vaction condo: I (gently) slid my coffe cup on the Corian countertop and it scratched it! The solvent in hairspray pitted a friends' bathroom Corian. I would recommend the epoxy/quartz products as much more durable. Or granite. After reading Justbill's reply I feel I have to defend granite tops a bit. Mine are 3 years old, they have zero stains, scratches, chips, burns etc. I don't use it as a cutting board but my wife does. I have placed very hot pans on them without any discoloring. The U shaped counter has two seams. The installer used a razor blade dragged across the seams to ensure a perfect mate. Approximately 1/16 wide, they are barely visible. I selected the stone from a sample and then went to the stoneyard and picked the actual granite slab that was used. It is exactly the same as the sample. IMO no way can a man made match mother nature. Visit a stoneyard and look at what she offers. Granite must be sealed every 6 months or so. Sealing the top is exactly the same process as what I do to clean it, just a different product used. It takes me about 20 minutes to do the whole thing. Most of that is removing and replacing stuff (coffee maker, toaster etc.) Incidentally, my sister in law has a 6-7 year old light colored Corian countertop. It looks like crap with scratches and stains. I think that's why it's touted as repairable. Because it needs repairs. Epoxy/quartz are probably better than granite for maintainability. They just haven't been able to match mother nature in appearance yet. It may have sounded like I dislike granite, not so. But it is not the perfect material people think it is. While not all stones will stain, staining can be a problem, especially if the client expect ALL stone(especially theirs) to be impervious to stains. When properly cut and matched, there is nothing more breathtaking. Solid surface also has its' problems. Dark colors show white scratches, and it does scratch, hot pots can be a real problem. But most dings can be easily repaired with a scotchbrite pad. All materials have pros/cons, you have to weigh each for your application. I am a fan of formica (high pressure laminates), because if you grow tired of the color, it won't cost you and arm/leg to replace it. And there are edge treatments that hide the brown line and add pizzaz. Working with a tight budget, we first looked at the bigbox one-piece laminate countertops. Then, good ol' ceramic tile. But for the same money, we're considering using some nice-looking 12x12 marble tiles at $2/foot. I've heard that marble is susceptible to acid (vinegar, citrus) stains. And also scratches (though I can't believe it's not harder than Corian). Any other downsides? Marble is pourous, Corian is not. Granite tiles might be a better choice. Most likely less $$$ than a full stone top, and much nicer than Formica. Make close, tight grout joints , the fewer the better. Many threads I've read about granite countertops talk about applying a sealer at semi-annual intervals. So I wonder if the same would apply to a marble surface -- and, if so, if the sealer would address the porosity of the marble. I've seen some decent 12x12 granite tiles around $4/sq ft. One Depot I visited had some jaw-dropping 24x24-inch granite tiles thru Special Order. $10-$12/sq ft is a little steep for me, though. Still, with 24-in tiles, you'd hardly notice that they were tiles.... Not all granite needs a sealer, but better to apply one that have the stone stained by grape juice. Marble is much more pourous than granite.
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