Temp Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 I have a travertine worktop top under a washbasin. Despite sealing it gets stained easily and I'm considering replacing it with white Corian or similar. Anyone got corian worktops and how do they perform? If you leave a wet copper coin on it would that be a disaster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoveringbuilder Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 I have corian worktops, been in use about 9 months now and no staining, I did realise one day there had been beetroot spilled on it and was in the horrors in case it had stained but no it was fine, only thing I would say is they get small scratches on them very easily and lose their shine, I have one that is very rarely used and it’s still shiny but the others have small surface scratches and are a bit dull although I believe I can have them repolished Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simplysimon Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 we had corian in a motorhome around the wash basin. it came with a stain but was easily polished out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSniff Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 We've had a Corian worktop in the bathroom for more than 10 years without issue or stain. Not sure I've ever left a wet copper coin on it though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan F Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) Hi, We get stains on our cream coloured Corian, particularly with things like pepper/beetroot etc. Stains can be removed fairly easily using "Bar Keepers Friend Surface Cleaner" that comes in the Corian maintaince kit. Stains are removed via mild abrasion, but this doesn't really impact the look/feel of the worktop given ours has a dull finnish anyway. I wouldn't use Corian if you want a shiny surface, because otherwise minor scrathces (not noticable from a distance), along with stain removal, will gradually make the surface less shiny as @Christine Walker also suggested. That said, we are going to look at Silestone (quartz) or Deckton for our new build, for the kitchen at least. Edited September 3, 2019 by Dan Feist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 We fitted off white Corian in the office coffee making areas at work and they stained badly, but some of that may well have been because those surfaces often sat with tea/coffee spills on them for some time. Whatever the cleaners used didn't seem to be able to tackle the staining, but they may have just been using the wrong stuff. We have Silestone in the kitchen here and it's very good indeed. Doesn't seem to mark at all, and definitely a lot tougher than Corian (but also a fair bit more expensive, I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 We used to make the Corian smaples that were sent out, thousands of them. It is pretty easy to polish up. That gets rid of most marks, scratches and stains. Jewelers Rouge, T-Cut, Farecla or even Jiff/Siff will normally do it. Polished up nice from an 800 grit Wet or Dry rubbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntloos Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Sapienstone seems to be one of the contenders for 'perfect' worktop, given that they are claimed to be heat, scratch, and mark-proof. I hear corian is indeed too brittle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Corian is softer than the quartz based materials like Silestone. It is not scratch resistant but you can polish scratches out. It also tends to mark so if, for example, you are preparing strawberries on it you will be left with marks that cannot be wiped off. You will need a scotchbrite and cream cleaner. The solid colours can be joined seamlessly. I prefer quartz as it in non-permeable and scratch resistant. Just don't put hot pans on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Corian is an acrylic polymer, with some alumina trihydrate in it. So no good for putting hot pans on, why it is better as a spashback rather than a counter top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 14 hours ago, Temp said: I have a travertine worktop top under a washbasin. Despite sealing it gets stained easily and I'm considering replacing it with white Corian or similar. Anyone got corian worktops and how do they perform? If you leave a wet copper coin on it would that be a disaster? Just NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOO! Against our better judgement and initial dislike for white surfaces, we were talked into a white Corian worktop for where our sink is. Our main request was easy maintenance for this area, but it's a bloody nightmare. EVERYTHING stains it. You can't leave anything steel (eg, baking tins and trays) on it or it gets rust stains that take a long time scouring with baking soda to remove. Tea will mark it quickly if not wiped off. It isn't heat resistant. We have a couple of scratches beside the sink that have turned brown and can't be scrubbed clean (probably needs a harsher abrasive than we've used to date). In short, white Corian is bloody horrible and one of the worst choices we made in the entire house. It didn't even look very good when it was first installed, in my opinion. In contrast, we were required to sign a waiver for the marble we have on the other surface in the kitchen, acknowledging that marble is a soft, porous material and that we won't hold the kitchen company responsible for it not looking perfect with use. Yes, it's etched and has acquired a bit of a patina over the last four years, but it doesn't seem to stain, and it still looks amazing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patp Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Thanks for the tip! The last kitchen refurb we did, in our old cottage, we went for a wooden worktop. A year down the line, in spite of every care, it has water marks around the sink area and various other marks here and there. The only saving grace is that the grain of the wood hides a lot of these. Being an old cottage also helps because nothing should look "perfect". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 39 minutes ago, patp said: Being an old cottage also helps because nothing should look "perfect". Yes, I think that's a major disadvantage with the sleek, pristine modern look. Next house(!) I'll be incorporating a lot of reused materials and going for more of a lived-in vibe. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntloos Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 52 minutes ago, patp said: Thanks for the tip! The last kitchen refurb we did, in our old cottage, we went for a wooden worktop. A year down the line, in spite of every care, it has water marks around the sink area and various other marks here and there. The only saving grace is that the grain of the wood hides a lot of these. Being an old cottage also helps because nothing should look "perfect". This is an interesting point, thank you. I wonder if you can have a contemporary 'sleek' design that does allow for such marks and scuffs, up to a point. For example, a white worktop indeeed seems asking for annoyance, but some darker materials with a more noisy pattern seems helpful to obscure such problems. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 A friend told us to discount Corian. We went for granite in our kitchen. All ours gets is a wipe down with a damp cloth and it looks the same as when we moved in eighteen months ago, although it is black. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex C Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 We have a black granite with a matt 'leathered' finish. It was a great choice and has not picked up any obvious marks at all in 2 years of heavy use. The leathered finish is created by thousands of tiny scratches so just hides any other marks that may happen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 19 minutes ago, Alex C said: The leathered finish is created by thousands of tiny scratches so just hides any other marks that may happen. Nice ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1c Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 We went for stainless steel & love it, but the kitchen has a pretty industrial look - the doors are brushed aluminium. The first mark on it felt pretty traumatic, but they build up to form a patina of use & it now looks great (IMHO). No staining, easy to clean & heat resistant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 12 minutes ago, Nick1c said: We went for stainless steel & love it, but the kitchen has a pretty industrial look - the doors are brushed aluminium. The first mark on it felt pretty traumatic, but they build up to form a patina of use & it now looks great (IMHO). No staining, easy to clean & heat resistant. I would have gone for this but my wife didn't like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitpipe Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 We also looked at Corian and then discounted it. Used Silestone, a composite, and it's weathered fine over 3 years. Ours is a mushroom colour so will show a tea / wine stain if left but the HG range of cleaners do a great job of restoring it to new. Few small chips but nothing noticeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted September 4, 2019 Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 Humm I guess I better have a rethink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gc100 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 We had a white quartz top, over 6 years later it looked exactly the same as when we installed it. I'll be getting the same in the new build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Previously we had granite . After 10 years looked as good as new . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozza Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Have a look at Bushboard Encore. I think it’s much cheaper than corian and I fitted mine myself. Did an invisible joint and I’m not a joiner. We have had it in glacial white I think is the name of the colour. In for ten years. Tea stains and the like sand out. About a year ago my kid decided to draw on thin a4 paper with sharpies, resulting in her picture being replicated on the worktop. Unbelievably I was able to sand and clean out the marks. It’s very heavy stuff though, but I think they do it in a thinner version now. 10/10 rating from me. Brilliant product. I wasn’t able to afford corian but it had the same effect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 Thanks for that. Will have a look. Someone also suggested white glass might be an option. I can imagine polished glass would show scratches though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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