Corian Counters

[s1000pre]

About to replace my Formica tops with Corian. Can anyone tell me if there is a plywood backer under the Corian counter. Or is the Corian sitting directly onto the cabinets? You should be able to see it from under the sink.

Does anyone know why Airstream typically does not use Corian on for the table top? Is Corian not rigid enough on its own without a backer?

[lsbrodsky]

Not in my Airstream, but I have had it for kitchen counters. Solid, can be cut with a router, etc. No plywood underneath. Brittle and can crack/fail if not properly supported. I would guess not a lot of support for a slab of Corian on a pedestal style table and it is heavy. Just guessing.
Larry

[sheriff1]

Just had a different brand of solid surface fabricated for our Eddie Bauer. Backed by plywood, necessary for strength and to have something to attach to. DEFINITELY to heavy for a dinette top.

[wulfraat]

Our corian countertop has plywood backing.

The classic dinette table top is corian as standard. The reason that corian is not used across the entire lineup is cost and weight.

[s1000pre]

Thanks guys, I was wondering if weight would be an issue. I will make the table top out of plywood and white formica.

[s1000pre]

Do any of you know what brand of plywood Airstream uses. Im not a fan of the quality of Plywood from the big box stores, and Baltic Birch seems a little heavy.

[Lily&Me]

Just a forewarning...

I have Corian countertops in my home kitchen, and love them, but Corian is very heavy, and it scratches.

Maggie

[s1000pre]

My International had Corian...I really like the look, it does scratch surprisingly easy , though easily buffed out with very fine sand paper.

[skyguyscott]

Originally Posted by s1000pre

Thanks guys, I was wondering if weight would be an issue. I will make the table top out of plywood and white formica.

Of course in an RV, weight is always an issue; the heavier your load, the less your gas mileage, the more wear and tear on your suspension, tires, brakes, etc. For this reason, I always try to select materials that are light weight, in addition to considering their durability and attractiveness. Formica has many advantages in this regard and thus was the material of choice for many years in AS. I went with stainless steel countertops in my remodel, a bit heavier than formica and can scratch, but looks great and scratches can be buffed a bit and is way more durable than formica, very anti-bacterial, plus, I had a very small countertop area to do, so the added weight was negligible.

[db4570]

I have wondered if weight is an issue in the Airstreams that have Corian counters.

I seem to remember Corian used to be available in 1/4" thick sheets. It seems that material, glued to a plywood backer, with thick edges built-up, would look the same as the thick stuff at a fraction of the cost.

David

[dznf0g]

AS uses the 1/4 " corian

[s1000pre]

Didn’t know that...I went with 1/2”

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by s1000pre

Didn’t know that...I went with 1/2”

I'm going from memory from when I had my stove out. I don't think it's as thick as 1/2", but I'm not positive. Does have a plywood backer though.

[sheriff1]

I’ve never heard of 1/2”, mine is about 1/4” and a heavy plywood backer

[featherbedder]

A word of caution corian will melt if hot pan is set on also I have seen a electric fry pan left on corian island counter top plugged in overnite in multi million b&b, in morning pan was in bottom of cabinet [melted thru] luckily did not start fire. I have worked w/corian a lot & sold many pieces, I don't recommend it for c tops or tables or any of corian type materials, also deep scratches sanding will make dip in top.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by sheriff1

I’ve never heard of 1/2”, mine is about 1/4” and a heavy plywood backer

FWIW Corian comes in three thicknesses, 6mm/1/4", 12mm/1/2" & 19mm/3/4". Not all colors come in all thicknesses.

Shari

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by skyguyscott

Of course in an RV, weight is...

Are the cut-outs & dimples in the cabinet faces to reduce weight? Creative...I'd like to see a zoomed out shot for the overall effect if you have one.

Shari

[Ginophiles]

Originally Posted by skyguyscott

Of course in an RV, weight is always an issue; the heavier your load, the less your gas mileage, the more wear and tear on your suspension, tires, brakes, etc. For this reason, I always try to select materials that are light weight, in addition to considering their durability and attractiveness. Formica has many advantages in this regard and thus was the material of choice for many years in AS. I went with stainless steel countertops in my remodel, a bit heavier than formica and can scratch, but looks great and scratches can be buffed a bit and is way more durable than formica, very anti-bacterial, plus, I had a very small countertop area to do, so the added weight was negligible.

Agreeing with Insideout's post. That is a sweet looking reno you pulled off there! Is there a thread for it on the forum? Don't want to go off topic on this thread so I'll just request that maybe you consider a thread sharing this rig. Love the Jetsons MidCenMo vibe you created in a little kitchen.

[SYC2Vette]

We had Corian in our most recent custom built home and we chose it over any other product for several reasons including the fact that you can seamlessly mold in the sinks, and no sharp corners. I did need to resurface the (white) sink a couple of times over 20 years due to scratches from heavy pots and pans. but only because I was finicky.

As has been said it is fairly heavy so go with thinner over plywood for a RV application. The edges are then doubled or tripled Corian to form the nose radius.

Each to his own. We don't like granite but we are probably the exception to that judging from every tract home seemingly having that as standard these days. Engineered Quartz will be worth a look too.

[Mollysdad]

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