Merry Countermas to us!
They’re here, and they’re spectacular.
Just as a reminder, the room looked like this when we moved in last December:
Back to our brand-new Corian countertops: I didn’t expect them to feel so dense and stone-like. They have a solid, substantial weight and a soft matte finish that reads like honed marble without the veins. There’s nothing plasticky about them. They look sleek and refined, and our installer mentioned that the white matte finish is less prone to showing scratches—definitely a practical bonus. In short, we’re completely smitten.
Installation looked a bit chaotic at times, but that’s nothing new for this room:
One of the most impressive parts of the process was how they made the seams disappear. They filled the joins with a special adhesive and then heated the area with a tool that looks a little like medical paddles:
They flash-cooled the joins and polished them until the seams vanished. It was so flawless I’ll bet anyone a hundred bucks they couldn’t spot where the slabs met. During that step we took Burger and Clara for a walk while John stayed in the bedroom because the process produced a bit of fumes. It wasn’t dusty or messy, though—when we returned, there was just beautiful white countertop, the fan on, and the windows open.
Here’s where one of the seams ran before the installer worked his magic. There’s no trace of it now. And yes, that is a baguette—we’re fancy like that.
The installer also walked us through maintenance, and I actually took notes. Key points:
- Corian is nonporous, so most stains won’t penetrate and can usually be scrubbed off even if not caught immediately.
- For stubborn stains—say red wine left a few days—a solution of roughly 10 ounces water to 1 ounce bleach in a spray bottle will typically lift the discoloration from the top layer.
- The white color goes all the way through the material. If a spot won’t come out, it can be gently sanded in a circular motion with very fine (around 400 grit) sandpaper and then finished with a fine buffing pad. Our installer provided the sandpaper and pad, so simple touch-ups are something we can handle ourselves.
- Our counters carry a 10-year warranty. If anything cracks or needs repair, the same seam-filling method can be used to make damage undetectable.
Hearing that John’s sister has had identical counters for five years—three kids and a big dog, no stains or repairs—made us even more excited. We’re already using the kitchen freely; spaghetti sauce has made an appearance without any issues, and we’re not being as paranoid as we were with our first kitchen’s granite.
One downside: the new counters make our existing cabinets look pretty tired by comparison.
Luckily we plan to sand, prime, and paint the cabinets and finally replace the old hardware, which should bring them up to the level of the countertops. We’re also planning to rebuild and trim some doors to match.
This post is mainly about photos—after 20 sinkless days we were thrilled to see the counters installed. Here are more shots:
That massive 3′ x 5′ peninsula is even larger in person than it looks in photos—bigger than the wood dining table we used to have. It’s an incredible amount of workspace for baking, crafting, serving, and everyday prep. The kitchen is far more functional now, and we don’t even have stools or the finished trim on the peninsula yet to hide the brackets.
The peninsula edges are gently rounded, which is a relief—no sharp corners to catch Clara’s eye or jab anyone in the hip. That detail makes the space safer for our family’s range of heights.
People have asked whether we’ve been eating out during this remodel. Fortunately this time we kept a functional fridge, stove, and dishwasher, so we’ve been cooking at home—even without counters and a sink—by using a piece of plywood over the cabinets as temporary prep space. Washing pots in the tub was getting old, so it’s wonderful to have the sink back in action.
The fabricators even left a cutting board made from the sink cutout that doubles as a trivet. Corian shouldn’t have super-hot items placed directly on it, so we’ll use trivets or cutting boards for hot pans—same habit we used with our old granite.
Before the counters went in we tucked a small time capsule behind one of the cabinets to be discovered only when the counters are removed in the future.
John wrote a little note to include in the capsule:
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. If you’re reading this it means you’re probably getting new counters too. Hope you enjoy them!
We stapled the note in a ziplock bag to the back of the corner cabinet by the window so it’s safely hidden.
Memories already feel distant—your eyes really do adjust quickly. Next up: hanging a cabinet for the built-in microwave, retrofitting and building matching doors for the secondhand cabinets, priming and painting, installing the backsplash and range hood, adding floating shelves, updating lighting, laying cork floors, installing the new dishwasher, and adding crown molding. We originally hoped to finish earlier, but we’re taking it one step at a time and staying sane. And washing dishes in the sink again feels like a tiny victory—so glad to have that back.
UPDATE: We’re officially in love with our new counters.