Corian Creativity and Colour Constraints for Kitchen Worktops

Granite, Timber, Quartz, Laminate,Ceramic and Glass are all long standing favourites in the greatBritish kitchen for worktop choice. But each material has itsindividual streng...

Granite, Timber, Quartz, Laminate,Ceramic and Glass are all long standing favourites in the greatBritish kitchen for worktop choice. But each material has itsindividual strengths and weaknesses and all of them suffer fromhaving both a ridged structure and a lack of versatility. This leavesmassive opportunity in the market for products such as Corian,Staron, Hi-Macs and other exciting acrylic materials with theirability to take on a huge variety of forms, colours and appearances.

Of all these acrylic materials Corianis by far the leading brand in the world. Presented onto the marketby the massive DuPont corpration in 1967, its popularity and appealhas increased ever since, and it wasn't until 1999 that the wellknown Korean LG company created serious opposition by introducingtheir own Hi-Macs acrylic range into Europe, and followed a littlelater by Samsung with their Staron offering.

Corian has, and is, used for a hugerange of applications, but undoubtedly one of the most popular usesis as a kitchen worktop. This is not only because of its ability tobe formed into virtually any shape but because of its many otherqualities such as stain residence, strength, endurance, smoothness,ruggedness, impact resistance, erase of maintenance, beauty andappearance the list goes on and on! But even the all conqueringCorian has its limits and issues in the context of kitchen worktopsand it is these that I want to deal with in the rest of this article.

Undoubtedly, the ability to join Corianin totally inconspicuous way is one of the most, if not THE mostdesirable feature of Corian. And its this which gives Corian a hugeadvantage over alternative materials, which, more often than not, areoffered in three metre maximum lengths. A Corian work surface, onthe other hand, can be as long as you need it to be as, onceinstalled, the Corian flows seamlessly over all the units, into thesink even continuing over the side and down to the floor as anend panel if you want but, more usually, up the walls into asplash back. You can also achieve this with a unique 'coved'transition between surface angles. This not only gives a highlydesirable appearance, but also heightens the argument that Corian isthe most hygienic of surfaces, as there is no where for dirt andbacteria to hide. The joining technique also extends to creatingdifferent thicknesses. The standard Corian Material is only 13mmthick, but can be built up to any thickness, again adding to the listof advantages over alternative products.

DuPont are constantly introducing newranges of colours to keep there selection current and up to date, aswell as keeping it in the forefront of taste, design and innovation.They have recently introduced their 'Rock Collection' which includesfour colours which have a 'natural' looking vein for those whowant the look of a natural stone but who still want all the benefitsof Corian.

They have also introduced a translucentrange recently, which offers designers the ability of intriguinglighting effects and illuminating surfaces in different ways. This,together with the availability of a vast selection of matching andcontrasting sinks and basins, along with made to order sinks, showertrays and baby baths will undoubtedly keep Corian out in front asthe material of choice for the customer who not only want the best,but wants it 'their way'. You can even have items individuallycustomised with Image Transfer by Sublimation!

But as I said before, even the bestisn't perfect for all circumstances and Corian is no exception. Corian has only a handful of weaknesses, but you need to understandthese before you decide to use it on your own kitchen project.

Over the past, especially in the Northof England, the most popular colour for a worktops has been black -or colours close to black but quite often including a littlevariation in the form of a sparkle here and there or a sometimes acontrasting colour fleck. Now perhaps the most significant problemwith Corian, from a consumer or manufacturers perspective, is thatthe majority of the black/dark colours in the Corian range are whatsknown as disclaimer colours. This basically means that they arenot recommended by DuPont for use in an area which will be likely tohave a heavy level of use.

The reason for this is that the Corian,being an acrylic material, is prone to scratching, and in darker morepigmented colours, these marks from daily use are more apparent andmake the worktops look tired quicker. Although the scratchesand other marks which will be visible in the worktop can be polishedout relatively easily, and the surface be brought back up itsoriginal appearance the cost of this work is not included in thewarranty, and is chargeable. Many fabricators will request that adisclaimer is signed by the end consumer before they commencemanufacture if any of these specific colours is intended for use as aworktop.

Another issue occurs with the newerRocky range of colours which look fantastic, but only if therequired pieces can be made without jointing. This is due to itsveined pattern in this range as, if joins are required; it is oftenpossible to detect the location. Although subtle, the change indirection and pattern of the vein at a joint can highlight the jointlocation and reduce one of Corian's major advantages.

Also, while there is no doubt that theTranslucent range of colours offers fantastic design opportunities inmany circumstances, in use as a kitchen worktop people sometimes aresometimes surprised that they can make out the shadows of thesupporting carcasses underneath. This can be easily be counteractedby using a solid sub frame for the Corian to be bonded onto, but thisundoubtedly reduces the translucent appearance of the surface so useof this range needs careful consideration.

Until recently I found it confusing asto why Corian only offers a very limited selection of sinks which aremade fully of Corian. Let me explain further;

There's an issue with sinks, of whichthere are two principal Corian types on offer. The standard sinks,which are only available in 4 colours, or the Fontana range, which isavailable in every colour, but has a stainless steel base. NowHi-Macs (by LG and Corian's major competitor) offer all their sinksin every colour and all with acrylic bases, not stainless steel. Tome this seemed odd so what could be the problem?

Corian, and other acrylic products, dueto their make up are, in fact, quite vulnerable to thermal shock.When Corian is damaged by heat it turns white, and, in more severecases, it will crack. DuPont choose to offer only a small selectionof colours with the same colour base, as these are the colours whichtend to hide any burn marks better than other colours. The Coriansinks are made by injection moulding making them thicker and moredurable than the Hi-Macs sinks, which are press moulded from sheetmaterial. This makes them thinner and even more vulnerable tocracking from thermal shock and disfiguring burn marks. So allcolours are susceptible to this in the Hi-Macs range. So my advice isto consider this before purchase and to make sure that cold water isrun at the same times as pouring boiling water into any acrylic sinksto prevent any damage.

Is it any accident then that over thepast 12 months that there has been a noticeable change in thepreference of customers in terms of colour choice, which has beenworking even more in Corian's favour? The colour in demand at themoment is unquestionably white! The fashion first started in theSouth (doesn't it always!) and has slowly worked its way up thecountry. Glacier white is the premium white Corian colour and is farand away the most popular. This is a major plus point for Corian asthis colour also happens to be in the cheapest price band whichis a sharp contrast to its competitors in the quartz world, forexample, who position their Pure White alternatives in the highestprice ranges! Sinks are also available in Corians Glacier white whichoffers customers a seamless elegant finish a feature which isjust not available with alternative materials.

So with a White Corain worktop you'vegot all the advantages of a seamless Kitchen surface with Corian'sunique properties which will look good today and for longer, and becheaper, than with any other surface you can buy. And if you'd liketo know more about Corain Worktops or any other kitchen worktopmaterial why not click over to www.worktop4u.uk. We're one of themost respected worktop suppliers in the UK and would be pleased toadvise you further and supply you with a quotation for your specificrequirements.