antss - they are not installed yet. House won't be completed til April, but we bought appliances prior to the new year before the price increase. Part of the reason I bought KA is that I needed two dishwashers and I wasn't sure I would like the Miele without the drying element. I was told that the Miele and all european dishwashers are non-standard sizes so if I bought a Miele and hated it I would have to replace it with another European brand. We have panels on our dishwashers and have fully integrated the KA's so this would be a PITA. At any rate, the KA is surely better than my current bottom of the barrel Whirlpool, which requires a through cleaning of all items before placing them in the dishwasher (even with Finish Quantum - helped some but not much).

It's 2020 now, I am looking at putting a dark brown color custom sized Corian shower floor in with my remodel. Are you all still loving yours? Do they get discolored with soap scum or shampoo residue? Did your fabricator slope them to the drain in your shower? Any other installation advice before I make the purchase? Thanks

Here is a link;http://www.affordablehollowmetal.com/page05.html They are located in Pomona CA. Another resource would be commercial building suppliers, other than the big box. Google; Hollow Metal Doors. Rated doors, of this class, should have a Warnock Hersey label affixed. If this opening will be inspected then it is a probability that you will be required to add a retrofit fire gasket. Reasonably cheap and easy.

Watboy, that is almost two thousand a foot, way too high unless it is Habersam. Find a local customer cabinetmaker in the phone book, preferably one that also does countertops of all kinds. That way there is no finger pointing on issues. Kitchen dealers are ordering factory cabinets and marking them up, they have to to cover their services. For some people, a designer is the way to go, we refer people to designers from time to time rather than doing their work. Big box stores are using guys like me and again marking up their work, or getting it at a low margin. Regardless, a custom shop will build you better cabinets and get them done quicker. Find one that also installs, again, no finger pointing. Expect prices to start around $300 per foot installed for some pretty basic cabinets. If you want Kraft maid quality, expect $400 to $500 per foot (those are some really nice cabinets in that price range). If you want Habersham type work, expect closer to $1,000 per foot, with about one third going into the finishing process. Solid surface, Corian is only one brand, runs from the high twenties to the mid seventies per square foot, installed. Any edge that can be polished with a machine should be no extra charge. If hand work is needed for ogee edges or the like, expect five or six bucks a linear foot. Sink and cooktop cutouts should be free, expect sinks to run from $275 to $500 depending on brand. There are some brands of solid surface to avoid. Bad material, bad warranty response on problems, or a history of bankruptcies by the parent company. Ask the fabricators which brands they sell, and which brands are kept hidden inside a cabinet somewhere. Samsung is an excellent brand, as is the LivingStone that others mentioned. Solid surface sinks don't stain, if they do that is a warranty issue. Most likely the fabricator switched a cheap china sink for the manufacturers good sink. An unscruplous fabricator can pocket a few hundred bucks on a job doing that. Yes, there are different finishes or polishes on solid surface. Matt finish is the best for durability, 60 micron sandpaper then a scotchbrite buffing. Satin is 60 micron, 30 micron, then scotchbrite buffing. Satin brings out the darker colors in a sheet. Gloss finish usually is not recomended for kitchens unless you are willing to put up with tiny scuffs when viewed in the right light. There is an exception, 100% polyester solid surfaces that can be sold high gloss. Still, a perfectionist won't be satisfied, but neither will they be happy with granite with its natural flaws. Light colors show abuse less, dark colors are a big no no cause like a black car, they show every little ding and scratch. Scratching, well we have a couple of tops that were pulled out under warranty after 9 1/2 years in a home, one bad sink. They look like new, but it was a neutral color. In about eight years of fabrication of solid surface tops, we have had seven calls to fix a scratch, and we don't charge for the service. It is a really rare occasion, a coffe mug with an abrasive bottom or a plumbers metal tool box are the usual culprits. We tell people to take a sheet of 220 grit sand paper, tape it down, and wiggle their ceramic ware back and forth several times. Problem solved. So, like other materials, solid surface isn't a perfect material for a countertop, but there are fewer complaints from customers than the other materials. In my opinion, it is the best material available as long as you don't pick a black, dark green or dark blue. It is 100% non porous, uses FDA approved materials, has a NSF51 rating for countertop use, sinks can be intergrated with no seams or cauling needed, shouldn't be a charge for cutouts or common bullnose edges, the horizontal seams should be nearly invisible, you can make backsplashes that match or even window sills, it is available in half sheets (15 square feet) which means less waste and thus less cost, it is pretty consistent so no need to visit a slab yard or worry that someone will cut out the pretty part, it can be bleached for sanitation with no harm, common cleaning products won't hurt it, and no matter what is done to it, it can be repaired almost invisibly. No sealing needed, ever. And long warranties that truly mean what they say because the fabricators must be certified to purchase the material. The best thing is that solid surface shops aren't used to the material having flaws that can be blamed "Oh, it is a natural product you know, it is all like that". We tend to be perfectionists and the material is light enough to handle that it can be taken out and scribed if needed. Rodding isn't needed so rod splits don't happen, it doesn't stain or etch but if it did, just sand it out and repolish. Bacteria can't survive on it for long, no crevices, cracks, fissues, pores, pits or caulk seams for them to hide in. The acrylic brands and some of the polyester products are UV stable so no fading like quartz or some granites. It is produced in factories, no child labor involved, no mountains ripped apart, no bonded labor used. No suprises in the chemical content like granite, no radiation, no radon, no cobalt 60, no Polenium, no arsneic or lead or other heavy metals. Uranium can't leach out because there is none to start with. You know who makes it and who will stand behind it, the brand not the fabricator. Everyone who knows me knows I can go on and on on the benefits of solid surface. It isn't as pretty nor as hard as quartz or granite, but it is a safe investment and workers don't develop silicosis working with it and I've never heard of a fabricator getting killed from a sheet of it falling on them. Then after years of service, you buff it up and it looks like brand new. No other material can offer that. No one uses coasters on solid surface, but if that coffee mug will scratch or stain solid surface, it will likely do the same to granite or quartz. Go over to findstone.com and read thousands of granite customers customer complaints, read the dozens of problems here on Garden Web on granite issues, there is no other material that has as many complaints. Less than 30% of the market, with 90% of the complaints. I'll sell it to you and make a good profit. I'll test it first to make darned sure it is a low radiation level stone first. You will like the quality of my seams, installation, and polishing, but when it cracks, stains, or etches, I'll say I told you so. It is just a stone, it came out of the earths crust. Understand that and you will love the stuff. Just my opinion