Tag Archives: corian countertops

SolidSurface.com Recognized as Top 300 E-Commerce Company

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SolidSurface.com Top 300 B2B E-Commerce Site

SolidSurface.com Top 300 B2B E-Commerce Site

Tucson, AZ—SolidSurface.com–the online source where you can purchase virtually any brand, color or size of solid surface decorative surfacing material–has been named by Internet Retailer and B2BeCommerceWorld.com as one of the top300 B2B (Business to Business) e-commerce companies for 2017 for the second consecutive year. They have impressively been ranked 39th in the Hardware/Home Improvement Industry. Additionally significant, Internet Retailer magazine has also recognized SolidSurface.com as a Top 1000 general e-commerce website, not just B2B, for the past four years.

B2B E-Commerce companies in the Hardware/Home Improvement category are expected to grow by 28%, to more than $13 billion, up from $10 billion last year, mainly due to the continued strength of the housing Continue reading →

DuPont™ Corian® Rolls out New Technologies and Colors at KBIS

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Deep Color™ Technology Highlighted at 2014 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) February 04, 2014

New deep, rich and more durable DuPont™ Corian® solid surface colors featuring Corian® Deep Color™ Technology will be showcased at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. DuPont Building Innovations also will feature new wireless charging technology for smartphones integrated into DuPont™ Corian® solid surface, a product of DuPont’s participation in the Power Matters Alliance.

“Whether we’re introducing new, trendsetting colors or never-before-seen aesthetics, innovation is at the heart of all that we do at DuPont Surfaces.”

HGTV personality and DuPont™ Corian® Color Consultant David Bromstad will talk about the new colors when he visits the DuPont™ Corian® and Zodiaq® booth on Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon.

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Guide to Finding Corian® Glacier White and Other Solid White Solid Surface Material

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Did you know that White is the most sought after color of the many hundreds of colors and patterns of solid surface? White is not only classic and aesthetically bright, it also provides a wonderful visual representation of solid surface’s naturally antiseptic nature.

While DuPont’s Corian® Glacier White is one of the more widely known and highly popular versions of white, there are also many other equally desirable white solid surface options available that may satisfy the needs of your project.  We thought it may be useful to put together this handy guide that presents the various white options available through SolidSurface.com:

DuPont Corian® Glacier White

Although Glacier White is not part of the standard stocked product offering at SolidSurface.com, it does frequently come into the overstock “full” and “partial sheet” inventory.  When items do become available, they frequently sell out fast. We suggest if you are interested in an item you either immediately grab it, or contact us to place a hold on it for you.

View the overstock Corian® Glacier White selection at SolidSurface.com

Select Grade Glacier White

The next best alternative to DuPont Corian® Glacier White is the Select Grade. Select Grade Glacier White is 100% acrylic solid surface made in the USA and matches the color of Corian® Glacier White. Select Grade is material that did not meet the manufacturer’s precise specifications and is made available under our overstock full and partial sheet inventory.  However, the majority of these ‘imperfections’ cannot be detected to an untrained eye, if even then. (Learn more about Select Grade.)

The primary benefits of Select Grade are that it is still a very high quality material offered at a considerably less expensive price.  Even more dramatic discounts are available when you purchase the material in 8-pack quantities or more, when available.  Both ½” & ¼” thick material are frequently listed in the overstock inventory.

View the Select Grade Glacier White selection at SolidSurface.com

Solid White Available From All Brands

Just about every brand of solid surface offers some type of solid white color.  There are many shades of solid white to choose from in a variety of different names, including Glacier White, Arctic White, Antique White, Alpine White, Bone or Ivory White and many more.  If you have a specific shade of white in mind for your project, its a good idea to locate physical samples for the options available.

SolidSurface.com offers an array of solid whites in both stocked full sheets and overstock full and partial sheets from many different brands including LG HI-MACS, Samsung Staron, Formica Solid Surface, Hanex and many more.  The best way to view what is available in both stocked and overstocked inventory is to visit the link below which displays a page that pre-filters the search options by “White” color family, “Solid” pattern, “Full Sheet” size and sorts by “Color Hue”.  All items listed are considered stocked (in-production and consistently available), unless the name contains “overstock” (limited availability).

Visit all of the solid white full sheets available at SolidSurface.com

For additional guidance on how to find material on SolidSurface.com, visit How to Find Solid Surface Material on SolidSurface.com

 

Corian® vs. Granite? The Top 9 Things to Consider

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Corian vs Granite

Return on Investment

Granite is currently a popular countertop material. As such, you will receive a higher price on the sale of your home in the current market if you have high quality granite kitchen countertops. If you’re not planning to sell anytime soon, then a return on investment may not be as important as cost and durability or how it enhances and enlivens your life.

The Winner—Granite, as long as it remains “popular” in the current market.

Cost

Live it up for less! You can purchase extremely attractive, lower cost countertops made with either Corian®* or Granite. Alternatively, you can also spend a small fortune on either to get the latest color and pattern. If you really want that to go all out and cost is not a concern, you can even create an extra special top out of a piece of Granite that contains rare fossils.

When if comes down to general cost comparisons, installed prices (per square foot) for Corian® vary from $30 to $130 and $35 to $225 for Granite.

The Winner—Corian®

Hygiene: Do you prepare food in your kitchen?

In commercial kitchens, any material that comes in contact with food must be NSF/ANSI 51 (National Sanitation Foundation – Food Equipment Materials) certified. Corian® is NSF/ANSI 51 certified since it is non-porous and has non-porous seams (that are invisible.) As a result, Corian® surface does not support the growth of bacteria. On the other hand, Granite does not meet this NSF/ANSI 51 standard, as it is porous and seams within the top can trap bacteria.

The Winner –Corian®

Aesthetically Pleasing

Granite has hundreds of color and pattern options due to its nature-driven pallet. The available selection is so expansive that it’s highly likely there’s an aesthetically pleasing option perfect for you.

Corian® also has over a hundred manmade colors and patterns, some of which mimic nature. Unlike granite however, a range of solid colors are also available. In fact, if you want a solid color to match something precisely, you can send a color sample to DuPont™ and they will custom make sheets for you in that exact color.

The Winner—Both! Go with Granite if colors and patterns designed by nature are your thing. Alternatively, go with Corian® if colors beyond nature excite you. An added Corian® bonus is that it can be custom made to match any color.

Upkeep

Granite needs to be sealed yearly, at a minimum. Corian®, however, never needs sealer or any liquid finish.

When it comes to cleaning, with Granite there is always that nagging concern that if a spill is not cleaned immediately, it will seep through the sealer and into the pores of the material. With Corian®, virtually any stain—including black permanent marker—can be wiped away (even the next day) with Comet® and a wet sponge.

The Winner—Corian®

Restorability and Durability

When it comes to heat resistance, you can’t place a hot pan from the range/stove on Corian®. Conversely, a pan from the range/stove can safely be placed on Granite. Neither Corian® nor Granite can withstand placing a hot pan out of the oven on it. These extreme heat situations can leave a scorched spot on the surface of the Corian® or in the sealer on the granite.

The good news is, if you accidentally scorch your Corian® top, you can always sand away the spot. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Granite, as the scorched sealant can permanently seep into its porous surface. So, be safe and use a trivet!

It’s never advisable to use your Corian® or Granite countertop as a cutting board. Always use a separate cutting board whenever possible. If you do end up scratching the surface of your Corian® countertop, the cuts can be removed by sanding them down. The appearance of cut marks in Granite can be made less visible by adding more sealant, epoxy scratch repair, or using a permanent marking pen.  

The Winner—Corian®

Ease of Fabrication/Installation

If you are experienced at working with wood, you can build your countertop—including sinks, faucets and 1-1/2” thick contoured edges—using Corian® and your woodworking tools. Working with Corian® is basically like working with hardwood.

If you’re adept at stone cutting, you can use diamond-edged tools to create your countertop. Start by purchasing one or more pre-cut, fixed-length blank Granite tops with finished edges. Then, use your diamond-edged tools to cut the holes for the sink and faucets. Another alternative is to fashion the top out of Granite tiles.

The Winner—Both, if you are handy!

Design and Artistic Potential

Granite is extremely flat and rigid material. Therefore, creating tops with flowing curves is not an option. Corian®, on the other hand, can be shaped into virtually any configuration by heating and forming it into the desired shape. This process is called thermoforming.

Another process, called dye sublimation, allows you to embed text and images into the surface of Corian®. This process heats the Corian® to open the pores along with a vacuum that deposits the dye into the surface. When it cools, it is no longer porous and the dye is permanently fixed just below the surface.

The Winner—Corian®  

Natural vs. Manmade vs. Renewable

There is no question about it—Granite is “natural” and it will last a long time. This is especially the case if the sealant successfully prevents the passage of grease, red wine or any other stain-inducing substance through to the Granite surface below. If stains do get deposited into the pores of the Granite, there is little that can be done except to replace the countertop.

Corian® is manmade, and when in need of a facelift, it can be resurfaced in your kitchen to the same “like new” condition as the day it was installed. To accomplish this, use the same sanding steps that were utilized when it was installed. Since the color and pattern are continuous throughout the material, you can give your Corian® countertop a sanding facelift every 10 to 15 years, as needed.

Winner—Both. Choose Granite if “natural” is your preference and Corian® if “renewable” is your preference.

Total “Wins”: Corian® = 4, Granite = 1, Both = 3.

 * DuPont™ Corian® is one of several brands of solid surface, all of which share similar characteristics and are typically used interchangeably. Other major brands include LG™ HI-MACS®, Samsung™ Staron®, Wilsonart™ Solid Surface (formerly Gibraltar®), Formica™ Solid Surface, Hanwha™  Hanex®, Aristech Acrylics™  Avonite®, Meganite™, and Mystera™, to name a few.

Solid Surface Countertops to Deliver Wireless Power?

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A rendering of the new PMA compatible Duracell Powermat wireless charger for the iPhone 5 being charged on a DuPont Corian kitchen countertop. (PRNewsFoto/Power Matters Alliance)

Imagine lying your mobile phone or tablet on the kitchen counter — or any countertop, from office work areas to tables — and have the device automatically start charging … no wires or wall-plugs required.

That seems to be the future for Corian® Solid Surface Countertops, which has recently joined the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) to work on creating wireless charging solutions that are embedded right into the solid surface material.

Corian® Solid Surface Countertops are already certified as environmentally friendly by the Environment GreenGuard and NBGS Green; this kind of innovation is another plus for those of us who work with solid surface — when the manufacturer is creative and innovative, we get to be creative and innovative too.

Embedding wireless power isn’t a totally new idea. Many PMA-compliant products are already being used in retail shops, malls, hair salons, and airports. General Motors plans on including them in upcoming car models. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf just began rolling out wireless charging “stations” in their Los Angeles based stores this summer, and Starbucks is testing them out in Boston.

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