On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 08:13:04 -0800, adrian wrote:

Willi wrote:
I want to put in a Corian type countertop in my kitchen. However, I
discovered that the ones I found locally (Corain etc ) aren't available
for the DIY.


Any products available for the DIY?

I bought and installed a Swanstone countertop for my bathroom vanity
about 4 years ago. They were willing to sell to anybody, at least at
the time. The material resembles Corian in appearance. I think it has
quartz in it and may be tougher. I didn't have to do any seams or
anything fancy for a bathroom, though I did get the integral sink with
backsplash and I did have to cut it to fit. I cut it with a jigsaw but
a regular jigsaw blade would have no teeth left after cutting about 5
inches. (It would still cut even with rounded over nubs on the blade,
but really slowly.) Note also that the sheet is only 1/4 inch thick
with a thicker edge in front and occasional ribbing. I guess it's
stronger than Corian and doesn't need to be 1/2 inch thick. I'm happy
with the result.

You might also consider installing soapstone which is supposed to be
easily worked with woodworking tools but is less porous than granite.
(No personal experience.)

(I wouldn't put Corian in a kitchen that I was planning to use. It's
too sensitive to heat. My mother-in-law's Corian has a huge crack in
it where a hot pan was set. I heard that the instructions tell you not
to put boiling water in your Corian sink---so how do you drain your
pasta?)

And considering all the hoops that the authorized installers seem to be
saying that you have to jump through just to keep it from falling apart as
it sits there it must be unbelievably fragile.





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