corian integrated sink/countertops -- pros/cons
housebuilder14
9 years ago
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Diana Drobnica
7 years agorsmalley2
7 years agoRelated Discussions
vanity top corian, granite, marble-pros-cons
Comments (2)Granite and marble wonderful, but you would be doing a drop-in sink. Not as easy to clean as the integral sinks. Marble can be damaged or stained by many common products, including some toothpastes. But both are an elegant and timeless look in a traditional-styled bathroom. Corian - Swanstone is my preferred alternative (I have a bathroom integral sink vanity and Swanstone counters in our kitchen) - is matte finish and as stated above, you can do integral sinks with coved backsplashes. Very easy to clean and maintain. Avonite, Silestone, etc., all fall into this category. One advantage Swanstone has over most of its competitors is that it will do integral sinks in ANY color it offers, instead of just the 3 or 4 standard colors. Cultured granite is a cheaper alternative available from cultured marble vendors, aimed at competing with the solid surface mfgs. Local vendors will offer different color mixes from one another. Cultured marble is usually considered very downscale in most markets. Cultured granite is slightly glossier than Corian/Swanstone - we used it in our master bath. We wanted a solid showerpan, 42" neoangle, which we could only get from a local CM vendor. The slab shower surround walls and double-sink vanity all match the showerpan, in a tan cultured granite. Most people think it's Corian. Being non-porous, it's just as easy to keep clean and impervious to almost all household chemicals. Just keep abrasives away from it - they're not needed, anyway. I will say that Swanstone is the most heat-resistant. My mother left a burning cigarette on the Swanstone top. What would have irreparably damaged the cultured marble (the clear gel topcoat is more fragile than the resin mixes used by Swanstone and DuPont Corp et.al.) was scrubbed off the Swanstone with a green scrubbie, with no damage to the vanitytop itself. With the beige granite pattern, the very faint yellowish mark is virtually invisible. If I didn't know exactly where it happened, I wouldn't be able to locate it. Only you can decide how much wear-and-tear you put on your bathroom counter, and what your budget is. There are so many ways to cut costs - sale close-outs, etc. - that the cost for anything in a standard size is not going to vary much from one product to another....See MoreSink materials, pros and cons
Comments (24)Stainless steel: All except cheap ones are pretty quiet now b/c of sound dampening coatings and/or pads They come in all depths. My 16-gauge SS double-bowl has a 9" deep side & a 7" deep side (then, add the thickness of our granite countertop and our undermount sink is actually 10" & 8" deep). They come in all configurations...single-bowl, double-bowl, I think even triple-bowl. Double-bowl with equal-sized bowls, small/very large, or medium/large bowls. Yes, they do scratch, but they develop a patina over time that "hides" the scratches. Using a sink grid will delay the patina. They probably can dent since they're metal, but I've never seen one dented...even after dropping a cast iron pan in one. Our vitreous china sink in our Powder Room already has a nick in it...after less than 2 years. It won't be easy to repair seamlessly, so I haven't done anything about it yet (I'm afraid the repair will look worse!) It will never develop a patina of nicks & scratches that will look OK! I do kind of wished I had looked into the Silgranit sinks, but I don't remember any mention of them back in 2007 (or I was too clueless to realize!), so I didn't consider them. Growing up, we had a white cast iron sink first and it stained & scratched pretty easily. When my parents replaced it 10 years or so later...it looked awful. They replaced it with a stainless steel sink. Another 10 or 15 years later they did a minor remodel and replaced that sink with another SS b/c the other one had held up so well. I think it's the one they have today...at least 20 years old, I think. It was not a brushed stainless but over time it developed a patina of scratches. It looks fine. No, not brand new, but it still looks good. I have brushed stainless sinks (almost 2 years now) and they look almost as good as new. The grid feet have not left marks on the bottoms of the bowls and there's no brown or other look to it. I'm curious, what is an "operatory"? What do they do in the operatories and labs at your work?...See MoreCorian sink vs karran sink integrated to corian platinum
Comments (4)I've had the biggest singleCorian integrated sink now for about 12 yrs.. I put hot pans, straight from the stove in it. I dump all the frozen together ice from the ice maker in it (not at the same time as the hot pans!). I have never had ANY problems with this sink! My daughter had the same sink installed in her kitchen 8 years ag. She works and her husband is a SAHD and a total slob. Did I mention the two now teenaged sons? Believe me, that sink has seen it all and it looks as good as the day it was installed....See Moreundermount sink options white or stainless, pro's & cons HELP!
Comments (4)I’m just giving my opinion here. I’ve had both. There’s generally no right or wrong answer - it’s a personal preference. In my last home, I replaced my Stainless Steel sink with white porcelain because I couldn’t stand SS one more minute 😁. I love it. Went from 2 bowls to 1, as well, and I’ve had no issues. One thing I will say is that I’ve had cheaper SS sinks and more expensive ones - definitely worth the $$$ to get something sturdier. The lower the SS gauge number, the better. A heavier gauge sink is not as noisy. As well, it’s less likely to dent and I have found they feel smoother and easier to clean. But, again, personal choice as far as looks. I love the look of my Koehler Riverby white sink. The only thing is I’m not a huge fan of the corner drain as it seems to use more water to get rid of bits....See MoreLoretta Seeker
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