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Posted: 12/16/2005 7:58:07 PM EDT
[#1]
Doesn't granite needs to be oiled once in a while to keep it's integridy? Or is that marble I'm thinking of? (or both?)
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:02:00 PM EDT
[#2]
No granite needs to be sealed every couple of years or else food tends to leave nasty stains. |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:04:38 PM EDT
[#3]
All natural stones need sealing once in a while, so they don't stain.
I have granite, very cool stuff. Corian is great too, my in laws have it. I think it really comes down to personal preference, color match etc. They are both durable as hell, and look great. I think granite is a little tougher. |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:05:59 PM EDT
[#4]
I was told Granite needed to be sealed once a year. Appears Corian scratches like crazy...
PS lowes gave me a price of $52 per sq ft of Granite, with numerous extras for this and that... Chicky said there price couldn't be beat.... Got to love salesmen/ women... |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:08:40 PM EDT
[#5]
We got corian, less maintenance and worry.
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:10:59 PM EDT
[#6]
If you can afford granite, go for it, I have the Venetian Gold. You just seal it once a year or so, depending how much you clean it. it's very easy on upkeep.
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:12:08 PM EDT
[#7]
Granite is cheaper than Corian nowadays. I prefer natural surfacing whenever possible
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:13:53 PM EDT
[#8]
Bulletbait
How long you have Corian? Does its scratch up? What color you have? a light or a dark? They said dark colors show scratches so bad they recieve complaints...??? I don't know if this is BS or not???? |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:17:11 PM EDT
[#9]
Armoredsaint
How long you have it? Any way you can sent me pic's? |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:25:28 PM EDT
[#10]
Corian scratches relatively easy really, but it buffs right out, literally. A light abrasive cleaner and a scotch brite pad (or fine sandpaper) will do it. Whereas polishing granite if it gets scratched can be a more intensive task. |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:26:16 PM EDT
[#11]
We've had it for one month, we just got a new house. It's tan/ sand. SHMBO picked all the colors. I would just be happy if she actually used it, just once.  Anybody else have it? |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:32:10 PM EDT
[#12]
I'm in the same boat.
Used Silestone in one of the bathrooms. Really like it in there, but was thinking granite for the kitchen myself. |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:35:38 PM EDT
[#13]
Corian's really good material. I have never heard anyone badmouth it. The salesperson must have some sort of incentive to push granite or something.
As mentioned above, Corian can be really abused and it WILL buff right out. My boss said his son did something boneheaded like left a hot iron on a Corian counter, melted the crap out of it. A little sanding and all the damage was erased, looked brand new. |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:36:17 PM EDT
[#14]
Go here
http://www.corian.com/corian/a/en/h/Main/index.html Try contacting them and getting a few specific samples you like sent to you. Decide which one you like best. Test the others with a knive, drop something on them. See how it works. If you cannot get any samples for free tell them you are a designer and you need to replace some samples that a client took. They might send you a whole set! For anything like this tell the manufacturer you are a designer. They will send you so much schwag. It is kind of cool. |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:40:42 PM EDT
[#15]
In true arfcom tradition....
get both  Reconsider the formica. Spend the difference on an AR50 for your wife 
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:44:26 PM EDT
[#16]
Not really he seem'ed to be real straight shooter.... He said 10 years ago all he sold 1.5 million per year in Corian because it was way cheaper than Granite. Now he said he sells 1.5 Mill in Granite and 300 K in Corian becasue Corian has became more expensive as Granite. I just want to know what is better because this will hopefully be the last counter top I have to buy. I hate to spend money on this shit, when I could be buying guns...
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:46:56 PM EDT
[#17]
Holy shit ... Perhaps my Formica thats becoming unglued, Will just Buff out...
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:54:02 PM EDT
[#18]
Either way, both are durable as you could ask for. I've got granite in my house and would never look back. So far we have not resealed the granite (4 years) and it has not been a problem. I've got a large kitchen that gets quite a bit of use and we have never managed to damage the stone. With the granite we can take hot stuff right off the stove or out of the oven and go directly to the counter top with out hot plates. I don't know if you can do that with corian. Down side is the stuff is hell on a glass if you drop it.
Shoot me an IM if you want a couple of pictures. Frog_Legs standing by... |
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Posted: 12/16/2005 8:56:26 PM EDT
[#19]
Corian-
Advantages- Acrylic man made material, shapes easily and can be formed into just about any shape/edge style. Looks good, can be repaired relatively easily. If it gets scratches it will clean up with a palm sander and fine sandpaper. Solid color throughout, so any scratches or burns can be sanded through if they are not too deep. Very sanitary, non-porous so bacteria has nothing to grow on. Very durable. Color is very consistent. 10 Year transferrable warranty. Disadvantages- Can be damaged by high heat, any pots or pans directly off a heat source need to be placed on a trivet. Relatively soft so it scratches easier than laminate, but can be sanded smooth again. For the most part only available in a non-gloss matte finish. Corian will do high-gloss, but very rarely and it will turn into matte finish over time anyway. Granite- Advantages-Natural beauty, nothing shines or grabs attention like a natural stone countertop. Very hard material, so it does not scratch easily. Disadvantages- needs to be sealed every year or two. If it is broken or damaged, very difficult if not impossible to fix depending on damage. Natural product, so colors can be very inconsistent from lot to lot, make sure you approve your own slab prior to install. Generally a 1 year warranty. Either way you go they are both a great choice. I can tell you if you have an island, definately think about using both. Corian or solid surface on the main countertops, with granite on the island. If you use colors that complement themselves well, the granite will give you the showstopper appeal , with the benefits of corian on your other tops...... |
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Posted: 12/17/2005 7:00:47 AM EDT
[#20]
My parents did that about ten years ago. Black granite on the island. White corian on the main counter tops. Looks very sharp. My brother did put some seriously deep scrathces in the corian. They buffed right out. |
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Posted: 12/17/2005 7:16:44 AM EDT
[#21]
Corian
We are in the processes of planing our new home and we have decided on Corian in the kitchen and baths for the following reasons. It looks good especially with the built in under the counter sinks, it is easy to clean, if you damage it you can either sand it or us the filler and repair are not noticeable, price for installation is less than Granite and it won't chip as easily as Granite. |
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Posted: 12/17/2005 7:17:51 AM EDT
[#22]
Corian
We are in the processes of planing our new home and we have decided on Corian in the kitchen and baths for the following reasons. It looks good especially with the built in under the counter sinks, it is easy to clean, if you damage it you can either sand it or us the filler and repair are not noticeable, price for installation is less than Granite and it won't chip as easily as Granite. |
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Posted: 12/17/2005 7:27:03 AM EDT
[#23]
Look into quartz countertops - no sealing, polishing and very scratch resistant.
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Posted: 12/17/2005 7:28:51 AM EDT
[#24]
I used concrete and stained it black. The stain mixes in with the concrete and is homogenous so if you chip the counter top is wont show up as bad. Aquaseal is applied after the concrete dries.
 Cost me about $250 for 18 feet of counter top. I made the wroughtiron cabinets for about $350. |
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Posted: 12/17/2005 7:42:27 AM EDT
[#25]
plywood.
get a couple stains, break out the belt sander..... |
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Posted: 12/29/2005 7:45:56 AM EDT
[#26]
... True, besides granite is too pretentious |
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Posted: 12/29/2005 7:50:53 AM EDT
[#27]
You searched for posts with hivemind in them didn't you? I agree granite is pretentious. |
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Posted: 12/29/2005 8:21:04 AM EDT
[#28]
We have granite countertops and couldn't be happier with it. We went to one of the surplus outfits here in town and ended up getting the same granite that Lowe's offered in their level 3 tier for half the price, installed. We've sealed it once in the couple of years we've had it, and it hasn't stained or anything. You just have to be careful about setting things down on it, a couple of people have broken their glasses on it.
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Posted: 12/29/2005 8:37:07 AM EDT
[#29]
Just had the kitchen counters redone in Caesarstone, a non-porous quartz product. Wife did not want granite because of the need to seal and potential for stains.
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Posted: 1/3/2006 8:16:58 AM EDT
[#30]
jms, what did you decide? I am getting quotes for a kitchen remodel and am facing the same dilemma. Personally I am leaning towards Corian for the lower maintenance appeal.
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Posted: 1/3/2006 8:26:21 AM EDT
[#31]
If you kitchen is from 1989, the first question is how do the cabinets look? It may be worth while to do new cabinets too.
Another question: How nice is your house? No sense spending money on granite if it will seem out of place in your house. How long do you plan to live in your house? If you are thinking of selling, i do not think granite will increase the value 4k like it will cost. Stay away from HD and Lowes. They suck. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 9:34:59 AM EDT
[#32]
What do you seal the granite with?
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Posted: 1/3/2006 9:38:24 AM EDT
[#33]
Granite is the way to go.
Corian was within a couple dollars per foot. Lowes was 8$ per foot higher than the company we went with Beautiful tropical brown Lebrew |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 9:47:20 AM EDT
[#34]
We went with Corian.
The deal we got with the integral Corian sink added free of charge sealed it for us. The granite we wanted would have been about $500 more and the trouble of sealing it every year, as directed by the counter guys. We almost got it as it would have looked great. The Corian we got does look great and we have had no scratching issues at all. The only thing I don't like about the Corian sink is that it COULD stain if you pour certain things in it without rinsing it out. The stains are easily removed later, and with the proper cleaner, but it is a little more intensive than a SS sink. As was mentioned, most places have low-mid grade granite for about the same price or less than your average Corian price per foot. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 9:49:03 AM EDT
[#35]
Granite....
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Posted: 1/3/2006 9:49:58 AM EDT
[#36]
What's the verdict on the synthetic countertops with the fiberoptic lights run through them?
Kharn |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 10:14:10 AM EDT
[#37]
I would go granite, with silestone second and Corian third.
As other posters have said, granite needs to be sealed. OK, fine, everything needs some maintenance. On the negative, you can scratch or chip granite. Corian can scratch, but you can polish out the scratches. We have Corian, and one thng I can ssay with assurance - DO NOT get the integral, white Corian sinks. Anyone who tells you Corian is impervious to stains is full of horse puckey. The white gets very ugly every few weeks, and I have to scrub it with Softscrub with bleach (the bleach part is important). Yes, one has to bleach out the stains. I would recommend a stainless sink with whatever you get. BTW, get the undermounted sink: looks better, and you won't have a raised edge to gather dirt and mold. I put the Silestone second, though I have no experience with it. Suposedly it is the same as used in lab tables, so I'd guess it's better with stains, etc. Probably easier to polish out a scratch. My wife and I are going to be looking for a new place shortly, and if there is still a choice to be made (for example, building new or buying something under construction) we will go for Granite with undermounted stainless. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 10:27:58 AM EDT
[#38]
If you do a lot of cooking, go with stainless. If you don't cook, go with bling.
 (actually tagged, because I am undecided too) I have had great luck with Formica. I don't think my remodel co-designer (wife) will let me get away with it again. There are some great cultured marble products out there too. These can be overlays on your current counters for huge savings. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 10:36:18 AM EDT
[#39]
I put stainless in my house. It is great. No staining, no sealing just wipe it off. Having the sinks in at countertop level with no seams is really nice too. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 10:37:12 AM EDT
[#40]
We have the same dilemma, but it isn't too bad. The way you write it, it sounds like you are spending a whole afternoon scrubbing. If so, you guys must eat or pour out some pretty nasty stuff. The worst on our sink is the juice from Progresso Minestrone soup. With hot water, I can usually have the color back to "off-white", which is what it originally was, in a matter of a couple seconds. Once, my wife poured tea out and didn't rinse it out. We had to drop some oxyclean in there and hose it down. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 10:49:16 AM EDT
[#41]
Tile is about $3 a ft.
Granite tile is about $5 a ft. Solid surface is nice, but it isn't ten times as nice. My folks have tile countertops we installed ourselves that are 20 yrs old and still look like new. I've put the tile over formica, and I've used plywood for new installations, either way works. If your formica is delaminating you'd have to use new plywood. oak works good for trim if you don't want to use the special tile for edges. Poured concrete works good too, and you can inlay whatever you want. JMHO. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 10:49:37 AM EDT
[#42]
I build custom kitchens cabinets for a living and IMHO nothing beats the beauty of natural stone. The once yearly maintenance for granite is easier than waxing your car and much easier than the maintenance required fixing scratches in solid surface on a daily or weekly basis. The other issue that often comes up with solid surface is thermal shock, heat producing appliances such as fry-daddies and electric skillets can cause cracking in solid surface countertops, which requires professional repair. Installation is the one thing that makes or breaks a granite job. Make sure you can see examples of the installers work before purchasing. Also get some prices from granite shops directly, Lowes and Homedepot are simply middlemen. You can often get better pricing directly. Just my 2 cents worth.
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Posted: 1/3/2006 2:08:50 PM EDT
[#43]
No, it's not anything extreme like that. But, it is annoying when the story is that Corian isn't porous or some such, and more sal;es-talk that it doesn't take a stain -it does. It takes less than 15 min. do, but shouldn't even be that. ANd, it is an indicator of what may happen on other surfaces. I like to keep thinks clean. |
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Posted: 1/3/2006 2:22:20 PM EDT
[#44]
Granite! No Doubt. Corian will scratch and burn. It's just overpriced plastic.
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Posted: 1/3/2006 2:30:46 PM EDT
[#45]
Corian is good stuff, easy to maintain. Just don't set hot stuff on it. I've never heard of it melting, but I've seen it shatter from heat. If the prices are similar, definitely go with stone.
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Posted: 1/3/2006 2:32:39 PM EDT
[#46]
Granite
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Posted: 1/3/2006 2:46:27 PM EDT
[#47]
I would go with the Granite. We have it at our house for the past 3 years and it has held up well. Corian is a good material, but I think that granite looks better IMO.
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Posted: 1/3/2006 2:47:45 PM EDT
[#48]
Dupont Zodiaq
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Posted: 1/3/2006 3:36:55 PM EDT
[#49]
Corian.
My sister in law complains that they break a lot of glassware on their granite counter tops. One must be cautious about heat with Corian. I remember my Dad cracking his counter top with a hot pan. Sounded like a rifle shot... BOOM. oops. |
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Posted: 1/4/2006 5:13:24 AM EDT
[#50]
How much of a pain in the ass is it to get granite sealed every year? How much does it run?
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