Jump to content

Is Corian worth it


alan0043

Recommended Posts

Corian and other solid surface products come in 30" x 144" sheets. Picking g one up is not easy. it's like picking up a piece of Hardy board siding. Better keep it on edge or it will snap...at least the Hardy does.. You may luck out and find a shop with an offcut. Some colors or patterns have been discontinued. As I said earlier, look under the top, if it doesn't have buildup[ you may be able to read the black print. If you cant read it upside down, use the camera with flash. Bang off a bunch of pics or take a video. That's what I do in tite spaces and can't get my head in or focus on an odd angle.

 

The Corian itself would be color matched from the factory with the matching resin. The resin has a lifespan of about a year if refrigerated. You may be able to get the color or something close to it....maybe...

 

Tops in RV's at least mine are 1/2" thick, no buildup and have a standard drop edge with a fluted top corner. In other words the edge is about 1- 1/4" The tops are silicone to the top of the faceframe of the cabinets.

 

Something is not right here.

 

The problem should be able to be found, a bodyshop knows the type of crash by the damage and I know whether cabinets have been overloaded by the type of damage, or water damage etc, etc.

 

Seeing as the break is not a seam, that rules out dead epoxy or too much squeezed out.

 

What city are you in, I will make a couple of calls. If something works out, the code # or a good pic with a decent representation of the color will be needed.

 

Don't write it off yet, it may be able to be salvaged or fixed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 54
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Roger, From past experience if the Corian has been extensively polished (buffed), the resin polymers it is made of heat and shrink. Several cycles like this- passes with a buffer with little compound- is enough to heat the surface. We experimented with several brands and most reacted the same with heat, cold, flame, vibration, flex and with different cleaning products.

I have seen employees sanding and buffing an edge where the temp- shot with an IR gun- reached 230* and more.

The flip side is, that I have seen the Corian brand material severely abused and be brought back to a beautiful surface.

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can honestly say that has not happened to me. The finishes we do or did on Original Joe's, were not like glass due to the tops being a working surface and would show scratches as Solid Surface products are not that hard. The tops in my trailer can be made plenty shiny enough with fine wet and dry, even more shiny using water. Were they experienced fabricators? Why would someone do this?

I know Corian can take the heat 'cus I used a double sink cut out for xtra counterpace on top of the Dickinson Pacific oil stove on my old 34 Uniflite 40 yrs ago. The Corian sat on the stove safety rails standing off about 2 inches or so. The gf of the day left Corian on the rails when stove was fired up, stove went up to the top of temp scale 400f or more. Corian warped a bit , stunk pretty bad but survived. Kinda like burning elastic when someone tried to dry their underwear in the micro.

I don't know if IR guns were around 40 yrs ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alan, do you still have the pieces that broke off? If so, if you can bring them with you to the ECR. Corian can also be ordered in different thickness. Just because the face edge looks 1" or 1 1/2" thick, don't believe it. It can be stacked, glued, routered, and polished for a seamless look. The breaks I have seen were not at the glue lines, but next to a seam. The glue is an epoxy base that is stronger than the Corian itself.

 

Jim,

 

I will have the trailer with and I will make sure that the broken pieces stay in the trailer. I hope to see you in a couple of days. Thank for you help.

 

Roger,

 

I live in Canton,Ohio. Thank you for your help also.

 

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ECR?? Please explain.

 

Dave O

 

Hi Dave,

 

The ECR stands for the East Coast Rally. The rally starts April 11th to the 18th. in Tenn.. All are welcomed. The ECR is a good place to learn about pulling your trailer with a HDT or heavy duty truck. There are social events also. It is a nice excuse together as a group.

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roger, are you going to be at the ECR?

Back in the day.... about 2 years ago going back 10-15yrs, I installed tons of Corian in yachts from Fountain go-fasts, to the custom off-shore 80ft fishing machines. My employees from Brooks Boatworks were skilled in working with it, refinishing, fixing, etc. But I have seen workers break what should be indestructible materials.

And yea, Corian or any of the solid surface material smells like burnt cat hair mixed with burnt polyester coffee filters when too much fire is applied. The smoke is a little toxic as well.

While bright and shiny looks nice and evidently sells well, a nice matt finish on the counters looks better. It lets the cabinet construction and finishing stand out....... oh wait..... that's what all these new manufacturers are trying to hide!

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have done much more Corian than me.

 

I Googled up Corian repairs in Canton. Called 2, one was a concrete fabricator and the other wanted me to answer a 2 minute survey. There are others in the area so OP could probably dragggg rig to one and have them look at and repair it.

 

My tops will be replaced including an integral drainboard with second color under to as grooves start shallow and increase in depth toward sink. Also looking at backlighting either front edge or adding under top lighting.

 

The last challenge I dealt with was a Starbucks at the Target store in Victoria, 2 yrs ago. The appliance delivery people pushed a heavy coffee machine across the counter leaving deep gouges front to back. Can you visualize that, are you cringing in disgust?? You could hook a fingernail on them.

 

Not able to make the ECR. But I do need to learn about the Volvo systems. Especially the reprogramming of the computer, something is not right with mine. Calgary Volvo botched it and local guys are not familiar with the procedure.

 

Currently on a 10 lot housing complex in Victoria and have to find time to clear out recently sold Calgary house. So am going to order Nuclear headlites and add serious backup lites to truck and trailer as I am not a 9 - 2 driver. Add to that upcoming surgery to re-attach rt. thumb tendon so I will be out of the loop for a few weeks. I know how a chimp feels.

 

Hopefully weather holds and mountain passes stay clear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to hear that about the thumb. I completely understand about the chimp thing and opposing thumbs..... :wacko:

If I didn't have to worry about weight, I would do an integral drain rack on one side. Backlighting is nice and pretty but is a pain in the rump in 12v systems.

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have done much more Corian than me.

 

I Googled up Corian repairs in Canton. Called 2, one was a concrete fabricator and the other wanted me to answer a 2 minute survey. There are others in the area so OP could probably dragggg rig to one and have them look at and repair it.

 

My tops will be replaced including an integral drainboard with second color under to as grooves start shallow and increase in depth toward sink. Also looking at backlighting either front edge or adding under top lighting.

 

The last challenge I dealt with was a Starbucks at the Target store in Victoria, 2 yrs ago. The appliance delivery people pushed a heavy coffee machine across the counter leaving deep gouges front to back. Can you visualize that, are you cringing in disgust?? You could hook a fingernail on them.

 

Not able to make the ECR. But I do need to learn about the Volvo systems. Especially the reprogramming of the computer, something is not right with mine. Calgary Volvo botched it and local guys are not familiar with the procedure.

 

Currently on a 10 lot housing complex in Victoria and have to find time to clear out recently sold Calgary house. So am going to order Nuclear headlites and add serious backup lites to truck and trailer as I am not a 9 - 2 driver. Add to that upcoming surgery to re-attach rt. thumb tendon so I will be out of the loop for a few weeks. I know how a chimp feels.

 

Hopefully weather holds and mountain passes stay clear.

 

Hi Roger,

 

Thank you for making the phone calls. I have talked to Jim about the problem with the counter top. We are going to get together later this week for a look see. I have found another crack starting on an edge. That is now 3 cracks. I will let you now what Jim might think it is later this week.

 

Thank you again for your help,

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm also a corian fabricator (certified, back in the day). I likely don't have the experience level of the other guys commenting here, but I've done my share of corian and other solid surface materials.

 

My take is that you have a substrate issue. Something is stressing that top. Until you solve that, I doubt your experience is going to become more satisfactory. I will note that even in an RV application - which is very unfriendly - that Corian typically does not have any real issues. But the guys will get you straightened out....this should not be that big a deal to solve (he says from afar :) ). And you can repair all the damage pretty well....I'll be real interested in hearing the outcome. It is an "interesting" problem (not really to YOU, but to those of us not experiencing it :( ).

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm inclined to agree with Jack. Particularly if cracks are showing up in areas with no joints. There is something grossly wrong here as I said before. See what Jim thinks. Better still take a bunch of pics and send them to Corian head office or get a fabricator to see if there is a way for Dupont (Corian), to cover replacement or some portion.

 

Pricing a Corian job used to be cost of materials X 3 plus tax(es).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Short update,

3 different breaks, 3 different issues.

1- Corian break is re-broken from an earlier repair from an object falling on the edge of the counter. The edge is a double build down- 2 layers of Coran stacked underneath the counter surface, that has been hit and repaired previously by a different owner. The glue seeped out of the joint before setting, creating a weak spot that later cracked again.

2- Failure of glue, or improper technique of assembling 2 pieces of Corian that was not noticeable until close examination. There is a glue joint that either has no glue or has separated creating a stress crack that rolls up the build-down edge to the counter surface and has started expanding across the counter, 2 inches or so. There is also a good possibility that this area has been impacted in the past by an object that has caused the cracking to become obvious.

3- The build-down front edge of the Corian was assembled or installed with little clearance next to an item that will move or vibrate during travel, and will possibly expand or contract pushing against the Corian edge, possibly causing glue joint to fail. The glue joint did not separate, but the Corian broke to the weakest side of the build down assembly.

 

From my perspective, I do not see a failure of the Corian in any of the breaks. In a 8-9 yr old RV I cannot blame the manufacturer for improper installation, as these RV's are rolling earthquakes to begin with. These are all time and wear issues caused by the act of moving the RV from one location to another and possibly not stowing an object correctly that can fall/move.

Alan and I talked at length at possible fixes for these issues and he seems to be understanding in his options and the repair procedures.

 

I have pictures available for those that want to PM m their e-mail address.

Jack, I will send these to you upon request so I don't clutter your mailbox.

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds borderline repairable. Any splintering in the impact areas? Can you get a read on the name & pattern # underneath. Check it against available colors. I can find a dealer but not in the immediate area. He may be able to source discontinued colors, epoxy will be a crapshoot. May have to get something close. Or go with a contrasting color for the drop lip and use the epoxy for that color. You could do an inlay in the middle 1/2" builddown. A color to pickup other color in the trailer. Pencil tiles could look good on adjacent walls. Pick up a color from that.

I will PM my regular e-mail for pics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I kinda like Rogers repair ideas....make an improvement out of the problem. Cost may be an issue. I obviously don't carry my gun or other specific tools with me, although I do have the sanding system stored someplace. Once you start renovating the counter you may just want to do the entire kitchen.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar power
www.jackdanmayer.com
Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alan is having issue's with his internet here at Deer Run. I'm sure he'll post again shortly.

 

I would like to say "Thank You" to Jim for his help. I have a plan that I will do after I get home. The internet connection at the camp ground has not been my friend. I need to come up with a different way to get to the internet. One problem at a time. I would also like to thank everyone who has been helping me out.

 

Thank You everyone for your help,

Please keep the ideas coming in.

 

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Will wait for pics. Like I said earlier, don't use too much pressure when gluing pcs together so as not to gish out the resin. Packing tape has enough stretch to apply sufficient tension.

I have seen attempts to remove stone, quartz but all with zero success, the product always breaks. Silicone sticks like you know what to what. The repairs will, depending on location, probably have to be done in place which may or may not be possible.

Corian sells 1.5" or 1.25" X 10' or 12' pcs for edging and like I said use the resin to match that middle layer in the middle. Rather like the white layer in an Oreo cookie.

You have to wonder what would be kept in cupboards that could fall such a short distance and smash the top. What few pots I use are down low, plates are down low. I have nothing with enough mass to fall and break the top. I suppose a plate on edge??

Maybe prior owner had anger management issues. Sounds like the rabbit and guinea pig in the old Celebrity out for dinner,Netflix add.

 

Lotsa dust on this repair job.

 

Jack, thanks for chiming in on my comment. I wasn't sure the concept would be understood.

 

R

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best way I've seen to deal with silicone removal is fine piano wire. Slip it into the joint and pull carefully and it will slice through the silicone so you can release it.

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


RVers Online University

campgroundviews.com

RV Destinations

Find out more or sign up for Escapees RV'ers Bootcamp.

Advertise your product or service here.

The Rvers- Now Streaming

RVTravel.com Logo



×
×
  • Create New...