Young House Love

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Our White Corian Counter Review

Merry Countermas to us!

They’re here. And they’re spectacular.

Counters View To Stove

Counters View To Hall

Just as a reminder, the cave room looked like this back when we moved in last December:

NewEmpty Kitchen

NewEmpty Kitchen Eat In

But back to our brand-spanking-new Corian counters. I didn’t expect them to feel as chunky, heavy, and stone-like as they do. They’re like marble without the veins. Seriously. Nothing plastic-y about them. And they’re sleek but sort of matte too if that makes sense, which looks/feels really chic and sort of honed-marble-ish (according to our installer the white matte ones are the only ones that don’t show scratches, which will definitely come in handy). So yeah, it’s safe to say that we’re completely smitten.

Of course things were looking a bit rough when they went in, but we’re used to the room looking like crazytown by now:

Counters In Pieces

One of the coolest things to watch was how they made them completely seamless by filling the cracks where the slabs met with some sort of glue-caulk and getting it suuuuuper hot with these defibrillator-looking pieces:

Counters Defibs Far

Counters Defibs Close Up

Then they were flash cooled and the installer polished them until the seams were completely gone. Seriously, I’ll give anyone who can tell where they were a hundred bucks because it’s impossible. Oh but for this step of the project Burger, Clara, and I went for a nice long walk and John shut himself up in our bedroom because it was a little fumey while the glue-caulk was heated up and cooled and smoothed down (but it thankfully wasn’t a dusty or messy process, which was nice). So I didn’t come back to chaos, just beautiful white amazingness with the fan going and the windows open.

Here’s where one of the seams ran (right up this corner) before he worked his installer magic. No evidence of it at all, right? Three cheers for shape-shifting counters. And yes, that is a baguette. We’re fancy like that.

Counters Corner With Stuff

The guy was awesome about talking us through maintenance stuff. Here are a few of the fun things that I stood there and actually took notes about because I’m ridiculous (in my defense, the guy seemed to be entertained by my furious scribbling):

  • Corian is nonporous, which means stains can’t penetrate it (and most of them can simply be scrubbed off, even if you don’t catch them right away)
  • If stubborn stains (like red wine that somehow sits for a few days) do discolor the top layer of the Corian, a spray bottle full of 10 ounces of water and 1 ounce of bleach should strip the stain right out.
  • The white color runs all the way through the counter, so if some insane spot refuses to come out, it can be lightly sanded in a circular motion with extremely high grit sandpaper (400 grit) and then followed with a very fine buffing pad (which was provided to us by the installer along with the sandpaper). It’s like they knew we were DIYers. So we don’t have to call anyone in to “resurface” things in a decade or two if we feel like polishing them up because they essentially taught us how to do it ourselves.
  • Our counters are warranteed for 10 years, so if anything ever cracks or otherwise has issues they can come fix it for free (holla!) using the same method they used to fill the seams, which makes any prior damage completely undetectable.

So that combined with the fact that John’s sister has had the same exact counters for five years with three kids and a big dog (and zero repairs/stains) makes us deliriously excited. And I’m happy to report that we’re not being nearly as anal as we were with our first kitchen’s granite counters (the light color of them really freaked us out in the beginning). We’ve jumped right into using our kitchen even more – so things like spaghetti sauce have already made an appearance without any disastrous results.

Oh but there is one problem. Our sleek new counters make our old cabinets look like crapola by comparison…

Counters Close Up

… but once we sand, prime, and paint them (along with fiiiinally replacing the eyeball hardware) they should be worthy of such pretty countertop company. Can’t wait to rebuild/cut down some matching doors and get to the whole priming & painting step.

You can read all about why we chose white Corian and how much it costs here, and how the templating process went here. This post is just really about photos. Glorious, glorious photos of the counter that we waited 20 sinkless days for (read more about removing the old counters and sink here).

Counters View From Office

Counters Peninsula Alt

See that hulking 3 foot by 5 foot peninsula? Pictures don’t capture how big it really is (it’s larger than the wood dining table that we used to have in here). That baby is pure joy. So much space to spread out and bake/craft/eat/serve up appetizers, etc. The kitchen is pretty much 100% more functional and there aren’t even stools there yet (or any wood trim pieces on the back and side of the peninsula to hide those ugly brackets)…

Counters Peninsula

Oh yeah and see those counter edges on the peninsula above? They’re gently curved, so there’s no pokey part to stab Clara in the eye or John in the hip or me in the belly (yes, we’re all dramatically different heights around here).

And for those wondering how we’ve been dealing with an in-progress kitchen and asking if we’ve been eating out every night, we’ve actually been really lucky to have a fully functional fridge, stove, and dishwasher this time around (which was not the case during our first kitchen gut job). So we’ve still been eating/cooking at home without counters and a sink (we just used a piece of plywood leaned on top of the cabinets as prep space with a cutting board and other platters and plates to keep us from actually prepping food on the plywood). But the whole washing-pots-and-pans-in-the-tub thing was getting old. So happy to have this guy back in action:

Counters Sink Cutting Board

Our counter fabricators even left us a handy little cutting board that they made out of the sink hole for us, which can also be used as a trivet (super hot things shouldn’t be placed directly on Corian counters, but we never put hot stuff on our old granite counters without a cutting board or trivet, so we should be cool). Oh and for anyone local wondering who we used for installation, we were beyond thrilled with Five Star (our installers) who were hired through Home Depot (where we ordered our Corian). More on that here.

Oh but wait, before the counters went in we hid a little time capsule behind one of the cabinets (which will only be found when our counters are someday removed).

Counters Time Capsule Note

John sweetly wrote it. It reads:

Today our new countertops are being installed. We are a family of three (well, four if you count our chihuahua Hamburger). I’m John Petersik (age 30), my wife Sherry (age 29) and I moved here 11 months ago in December of 2010 with our daughter Clara (age 1.5). We write a blog about our home improvement adventures called Young House Love (www.younghouselove.com). If you’re reading this it means you’re probably getting new counters too. Hope you enjoy them!

Here’s how we hid it behind the corner cabinet by the window (stapled to the back of the cabinet in a ziplock bag).

Counters Time Capsula Taped

Ah memories. We can hardly picture the top of the cabinets anymore. Isn’t it weird how your eyes adjust so fast? So next up we have to cut down and hang a cabinet for the built-in microwave next to the pantry, start trying to retrofit/build matching doors for the secondhand cabinets that we added to the room, prime and paint the cabinets, tackle the backsplash, hang our built-in range hood and floating shelves, redo all the lighting, lay the cork floors, install our new stainless dishwasher, add crown molding, etc. Whew. Might not be done until late January (we originally were aiming for early Jan) but we’re inching slowly towards the finish line. Just taking things one day at a time seems to be the secret to sanity. That and washing things in the sink again. Oh man, it’s good to have that guy back.

UPDATE: We’re officially in love with our new counters. Check out the update post about them here.

Comments

  1. Laura says

    Love the note you left! Wonderful idea
    I am redoing my baths and my family can’t understand why I want to use so much white…I will share your vision and hopefully they will understand.

    Thanks for sharing,
    La

    Reply

  5. joyjoy says

    Pretty! To be honest, I don’t know anyone with Corian counters (or at least, anyone who knows what their counters are made of), so I’m interested in seeing how your pretty white ones hold up. I’m really glad you guys stepped outside the norm of granite and marble and just went with what worked for you. Kudos!

    Reply

  6. Hilary says

    They look great! So crisp.

    Please don’t hate me as you’ve probably answered this before a bajillion times, but where’s your clam(?) fruit holder from? love.

    Reply

  8. Leigh says

    I am in LOVE with your counters! Seriously I said Yay! outloud when I read the title of the post. I’m at work so I guess it’s a good thing I am on lunch with my office door closed or else people might be suspicious of what I’m doing. I just love the counters though. I cannot wait to see it all come together.

    Reply

  9. Marci says

    Oh my gosh! The note is such an amazing idea! I’ve got to say that it got me a little emotional! I love your blog.

    Reply

  11. jbhat says

    Ah mah gah! I love love love the new living room and the glorious non-pore-ious new counters. Such fun!!

    Something funny: my mother-in-law is from India, and English is her second language. She re-did her bathroom several years ago, and when she was talking about what she wanted in there, she said she wanted “a little green Korean.” We were perplexed! Turns out she was mispronouncing Corian, and that she wanted a little green Corian for her counters. It was so funny. We tease her to this day about the small Korean gentleman who may or may not be residing in her loo.

    jbhat

    Reply

  14. Samma says

    Merry Countermas to you indeed! Looks great — I can’t wait to see the rest of the parts coming together. And I continue to smirk at the poor confused eyeballs trying to figure out what’s going on. Is it just me or are their little expressions starting to get a little more desperate and fearful? ;D
    Are you thinking you might walk the HD checkout walk of shame again with some more paneling for the peninsula? I think it’d look great, maybe even painted your same grellow? And help tie the spaces together?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, they’re confused little eyeballs these days! Haha. As for the paneling, we have entertained that idea (along with rough distressed wood, raised panels, beadboard, etc). Not sure where we’ll end up!

      xo,
      s

  15. Diane says

    They look fabulous. I’ve always been dubious of Corian, having never seen it in person, but I love how these look. Chunky yet sleek.

    Reply

  17. Ofelia, México City says

    The corian counter looks amazing, just like the new furniture in the living room! The rug size makes the space looks more cohesive, and the chair is so fancy. Just one question: are you thinking about a new dish washer, and what color are you pickinp up for the cabinets? (they were two questions), anyway, congrats!

    Reply

  18. Joanne F says

    Merry Countermas!

    They look beautiful – and you’ve convinced me that corian with no seams and an undermount sink is the way to go!

    Reply

  19. Theresa says

    I see that you didn’t add the back splash. I prefer that look so much better, it’s going to look amazing with your penny tile.

    Reply

  20. Alexa says

    Beeeautiful! When you get to painting the kitchen cabinets, could you include a few details about how you handle those wood “seams” between the the old custom cabinets and the newly purchased cabinets? Some close up photos would be great, too!

    Reply

  21. Katie says

    Looking good! We had corian counters installed about a year ago, and I’d too, pay someone to find our seam! Cool (but smelly) process! And thank you, thank you, thank you for that tip on how to clean corian. We went with the glacier white sink, and I’m a FREAK about keeping it clean. We weren’t a fan of our installers, so I’m not surprised they didn’t leave us with great tips like that. Thank you! Oh, and loving your living room changes too!

    Reply

  22. Firesparx says

    Here’s hoping YHL is still around down the road when the countertops are replaced (would it be renamed “Middle-Aged House Love” by then? Or will Clara be taking over the blogging duty and writing about decorating her dorm room?)

    Reply

  23. Jenni says

    I have been following your blog for about a month. I really like how detailed you both are. I may have missed it in a previous post but I am curious what color you will paint the cabinets go cordinate with the countertop?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re not sure yet! Wanted the counters to arrive so we could hold up swatches and try to make the best choice. So hard to decide between a soft white color or a light tone (like a very subtle taupey-gray). Will keep you posted!

      xo,
      s

  24. Darcy says

    Hi Again! Sorry for 2 comments today, but I was just looking again at the Before (when you moved in) and Now pictures, and that peninsula looks like it always should have been there!! It just looks soo freakin good!!

    Your new layout is so perfect and will just make for such a great kitchen/entertaining space! And, then to get that little added bonus of a snuggle area by the fireplace is just too cool!
    I’m soo excited for you!

    Reply

  26. Kristen says

    Love the counters! Also enjoyed the Seinfeld reference in the first line. :). Can you talk about how you decided to place your faucet on the side of the sink instead of centered? We’re thinking about new countertops and I wonder about the advantages of putting the hole on the side… You guys seem to consider everything so if you could share about your decision that would be awesome!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s how it was before (when we had the granite tops) since our sink is so deep it would have been crowded if it was centered behind it. We actually realized that we love it on the diagonal because we can swing the arm of the faucet over and place a pot on the counter and fill it there (son convenient if the sink is full and we don’t feel like standing there holding a pot while it fills up).

      xo,
      s

  28. Kristin Johnson says

    I love the new counters and cant wait to see it all come together!

    Question: Why do you still have the old dishwasher in? I cant seem to find if you have already explained why you havent swapped that one for a SS one?

    Reply

  29. Jyl says

    Merry Countermas, to yoooou!

    Looks awesome! So excited to see the cabinets painted!

    As much as I love this rapidly evolving kitchen of yours, please please promise me you’re taking time to relax and enjoy the Holiday season? I’m exhausted just watching you! The results sure are purdy though!

    Reply

  30. Frances Bentley says

    They look great! We are actually getting Corian installed in a couple of days so I was really happy to watch you go through it first. Glad to know what to expect! The kitchen is really looking amazing.

    Reply

  31. Karen says

    Oh… I love them! I wasn’t sure when you first mentioned them… but they make all the white trim and ceiling beams really stand out against the grellow walls. It all looks so fresh and crisp and bright. Nothing like the cave you first moved into.

    Can’t wait to see the white cabinets and open shelves.

    Reply

  32. nina says

    Looks incredible! My parents had white Corian countertops installed almost 11 years ago and they still look gorgeous. Those counters survived two kids, two dogs, three crazy cats, and at least a dozen high school parties my parents still know nothing about. Oh the spills they took. My sister and I once spent a Sunday morning with a can of comet ferociously scrubbing cherry 7-up stains (mixed with *ahem* other things) from the counters before our parents got home. We totally didn’t get caught, thanks Corian!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have heard nothing but great things about that but have repainted cabinets a few times without it and appreciate the money-savings and eco-friendliness of being able to use no-VOC stuff that’s a bit cheaper (but still just as durable) as that kit!

      xo,
      s

  34. Carley @ On One Hand says

    What if you guys got another piece of plywood and routed little notches out for the side that would be against the back and sides of the cabinet to hide the brackets? Then you’d have a flat surface to work with (so you could still add texture/interest on top of the plywood (like those textured metal backsplash tiles [just an example, of course]) and then would wouldn’t have to worry about knees hitting anything when taller people are sitting at the peninsula like you might run into if something stuck out like corbels (and less for Clara to knock her noggin on :D)

    LOVE the white countertops, they are gorgeous!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, we’re planning to do something along those lines! Just not sure if we’ll use beadboard or subtly raised wood panels that create three vertical boxes or something. Will keep you posted for sure!

      xo,
      s

  36. Johanna says

    AMAZING transformation! How did you even “see” (in your mind’s eye) what the color, (relatively) open walls, breakfast bar, etc. when you were staring at the original version? I think I would have just seen the house and walked away rather than coming up with a vision of how to transform it. Wish I could do what you guys do…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It wasn’t something that came to us right away! We definitely mulled it over for a while. We knew we wanted to change the formal living room into the dining room since it could fit our big family (and then the smaller original dining room could become an office) and we knew that we wanted to knock open the wall to the kitchen to get some light in there, but the peninsula didn’t come to us right away at all! We just kept staring at the room and sketching things out and revisiting old ideas and seeing what “stuck with us” – then we slowly got more and more excited and finally pulled the trigger when we said “yup, this is it!”

      xo,
      s

  37. Lorinda says

    So fun watching your kitchen remodel! Getting lots of inspiration and motivation to do our own. Our current cabinets are very similar to yours so I am patiently waiting for that stage of the process. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We got a great deal on an industrial hood on craigslist but have no idea how we’re going to build it in and hang it (might need the help of an electrician to get it powered up, too). Ahh, can’t think about that part yet. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  39. kb says

    Sherry,

    Does it drive you insane that people ask the same questions/have the same comments over and over? Haha I know it’s great that people are so involved with the process, but I always read the comments that you write back to (I never actually comment myself)and if even *I’m* irritated by the same questions I can’t imagine how you feel! Especially when the info is in the poooost! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Wahooo! I’m doing the happy dance over here. We wanted to do something different than the light granite we got before, but if we ever got another house I think it would be hard to do something different again because we’re loving the Corian so much!

      xo,
      s

  41. Katherine Victoria says

    Gorgeous! I will seriously consider these same counters if I ever redo a kitchen. Can’t wait to see when everything ties together (and love the new living room setup – totally worth the splurge!)

    Reply

  45. Susan says

    Wow! my favorite part is all the outlets you have! Is that new or where they always there and now I just noticed them? Our apartment kitchen has an abundance and it’s wonderful!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That guy didn’t make it last night (he had to work late) but we’re still trying to coordinate something. Not sure why you couldn’t craigslist Corian (we’ve seen it on cl before, so it seems like a good way to get rid of it if you want something else). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

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