Corian Worktops – Everything you need to know about our favourite worksurface
Corian worktops
Corian worktops are hands-down one of the most popular choices we make for our clients. They’re reliable, great value, and built to last. Corian is ideal if you want a clean, modern surface without the faff. No visible joins, no silicone sealant, and no hiding places for grime. Just smooth, seamless, and seriously easy to live with.
What is a Corian worktop?
A Corian worktop is a type of solid surface countertop made from a blend of natural minerals and acrylic resin. DuPont created Corian to offer a sleek appearance, seamless finish, and impressive durability. Unlike stone, it’s non-porous and repairable, so it won’t soak up spills or stain easily. You can usually buff out any marks that appear. If you’re after a surface that looks sharp and stays that way, Corian’s a strong contender.
What is Corian made of?
Corian is a thermoset epoxy, made by DuPont from one-third acrylic resin (PMMA – polymethyl methacrylate) and two-thirds natural minerals. Corian includes ATH (aluminium trihydrate), a mineral manufacturers extract from bauxite — the raw material used to produce aluminium. Dupont Product Overview
How Corian is made?
Corian is made by heating a mix of resin and minerals, then pouring it into moulds to form solid sheets. Because the colour runs right through, any marks or scratches can often be sanded back — no surface layer to damage. Corian is available in over 100 colours and patterns, so whether you’re after something soft and subtle or bold and graphic, there’ll be a shade to suit your scheme.
Is Corian environmentally friendly?
Corian has a stronger sustainability story than you might expect. While it’s not recyclable in the traditional sense, Corian surfaces include pre-consumer recycled content, off-spec materials, and aluminium by-product thus giving waste from other industries a second life.
Every Corian product is manufactured in ISO 14001-certified facilities, and the adhesives used in installation are also low in VOCs. Corian holds multiple certifications for indoor air quality, including GREENGAURD Gold and Indoor Air Comfort Gold, making it a safe choice for homes and public spaces. Selected colours contain between 6% and 20% recycled material, and the range qualifies for both LEED and NGBS Green credits.
DuPont, the maker of Corian, has committed to a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and has already cut emissions by over 40% since 2019 in its building products division.
What are the advantages of Corian worktops?
Corian worktops come with a long list of benefits, which is exactly why they’re such a popular choice in modern kitchens.
Guaranteed: Every Corian surface comes with a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty for peace of mind.
Value: Corian hits the sweet spot between price and performance, more affordable than stone, but far superior to laminate.
Easy Clean: Corian is non-porous and naturally resistant to stains, bacteria and dirt. Wipe it down, and it’s clean. No scrubbing or sealing is required.
Durable: Built to handle daily wear. Small scratches or scuffs are often superficial and can be easily repaired.
Repairable: You can sand, polish, or refinish Corian to restore its original look, even years later.
Safe: Corian is non-toxic and non-allergenic. Corian is perfect for bathroom and kitchen applications
Hygienic: Corian, when fabricated, is seamless. You can add curved upstands and matching sinks, which help maintain high levels of hygiene even in the most used and spill-prone areas.
Colour Range: With over 100 colours and multiple sheet sizes available, Corian can be tailored to suit almost any scheme, minimalist, bold, or somewhere in between. Standard colours come in 12 x 760 3658mm sheets, selected colours are available in additional sizes.
Machinable: Fitters can machine Corian using standard woodworking tools, which makes it quick to cut and shape and helps keep installation time and labour costs down.
Intelligent: Unique to Corian: it can be backlit or have touch, light, and charging elements integrated, bringing a smart dimension to design.
What are the disadvantages of Corian worktops?
Like any material, Corian worktops come with a few trade-offs. Here’s what to keep in mind before you commit:
Heat Sensitive: Corian can cope with general heat but not direct contact from hot pans. Always use a trivet to prevent surface damage.
Dullness: As a soft material Corian does wear. In time the surface becomes a patina of scuffs and can lead to the work surface looking a bit dull.
Cost: More expensive than laminate but cheaper than stone. It sits in the mid-range bracket.
Scratches: Corian does scuff and scratch — especially in busy areas. Lighter colours hide wear better than dark tones. We don’t recommend dark colours in areas of high use.
Colour Variation: Because of its manufacturing methods Corian is subject to slight differences between batches, this is normal. Colour checking is essential before fabrication.
Chemical Damage: Unable to withstand strong acid attacks from chemicals such as acetone, sulphuric acid and paint remover, Corian is susceptible to harsh chemical damage.
Recyclability: You can’t recycle Corian in the traditional sense, but you can reuse or repurpose it.
Corian vs Silestone
Not sure whether to choose Corian or Silestone? Here’s how they stack up.
Cheaper // Expensive
Solid Surface // Engineered Stone
10 year warranty // 15-25 year warranty
Non porous // Non porous
Repairable // Non repairable
Low maintenance // Low maintenance
Poor resistance to scratching // High resistance to scratching
100+ Colours // 80+ colours
Sensitive to heat // Sensitive to heat
Sensitive to acid // Not sensitive to acid
No Radon // Low or no Radon
Resistant to mould and bacteria // Resistant to mould and bacteria
Corian Care
Corian – How to clean a Corian worktop.
Just like most surfaces, a quick wipe down with warm soapy water then a quick dry with a soft cloth will do a fine job of Corian’s daily care. You can tackle more stubborn dirt with a rub down using an ammonia-based cleaner. Unless you’ve a high gloss or dark Corian surface if staining does happen, use a cream cleaner followed by a secondary wipe-down with warm soapy water to remove the grittiness of the cream cleaner.
For nail varnish spills, you’ll need a non-acetone nail polish remover for this, and please do rinse the surface carefully afterwards. Do not use acetone. If the stain is still visible aftercare, please contact us.
How to clean a Corian sink.
To clean your Corian sink, remove any food and debris, fill your sink 1/3 parts bleach/water, then open a window for ventilation and leave it for 30 minutes while you have a brew. After a rinse your sink should now look great. To avoid having to do this too often, we recommend using a good slug of hot water to rinse away any leftovers. Eventually, tea and coffee will start to stain Corian if you leave them lurking.
Corian – Can it be repaired? I’ve damaged it.
Knives and other sharp tools can damage Corian, since it’s a relatively soft material. However, one of the great things about Corian is that you can repair it, so damaging your gorgeous new Corian surface isn’t the end of the world (even if it feels like it). Just get in touch and we’ll sort it out.
Are Corian countertops heat resistant?
Corian doesn’t take kindly to having hot pans or similar items placed on its surface. Blistering can happen if you do this, and although repairable, we don’t recommend that you think of repairs as part of your general cleaning regime. We would always recommend the use of a pan stand or trivet.
Corian care instructions
