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Corian vs Marble vs Granite


Betts

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I am redoing my kitchen and will have a 32x80" island - all work surface, no cooktop, sink etc. The choice is Corian type surface (good NSF rating, limitless colors), marble ( best for pastry and I love the silky honed look) and granite (husband loves, great color choices and very trendy).

Is there a compelling reason to choose one?

This is a HEAVILY used kitchen and I have pretty well decided to do Corian on the other counters because of it's imperviousness and durability. The island will not take the brunt of the wear but will be a work area/ eating surface etc.

Beth

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When you say Corian type surface, what exactly do you mean? At this point, I would not recommend Corian. I might recommend Silestone or one of the newer fake-stone products, because they're better.

Still, overall, granite is the clear winner in the real world. Pretty much everybody I know who has chosen granite is very happy with it. Pretty much everybody I know who has chosen anything other than granite has eventually come around and wished for granite after a few years. None of the factors you've cited ("husband loves, great color choices and very trendy") are good reasons to choose granite because they have short time horizons whereas you may live with this kitchen for the rest of your life. Rather, granite should be chosen because of its long-term utility: it is durable, can handle hot items, is highly resistant to all sorts of damage, and is timeless rather than trendy. A dark color with a speckled pattern works best for the long term, because it won't show wear as much as a solid color.

Marble is a poor choice for its lack of durability and ease of staining.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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What he said.

Except that I would like to reiterate his thoughts on marble as I was a victim of an evil decorating plan that won out over practicality. Marble is, in fact, great if you do lots of candy type cookery. The problem is that I have all of these little spots all over my 3 X 4 island that are the result of laying out pralines and not cleaning up the oil immediatly after they were removed. I left it overnight (I was tired after making about a zillion batches) and the next day I could not get up the oil.

I like granite and I also am a huge fan of some of the newer non natural surfaces (silestone, etc.). I liked the old corian as well, although it was pretty easy to burn with hot pots (trust me, I found out the hard way) and in fact wish that it was still covering my island in place of all of that stained marble.

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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We put in Silestone counters and an island for the kitchen this year. I absolutely

love it and would recommend it to anyone. Very easy to clean, doesn't pick up

stains, can handle both hot and cold temps w/o any problem. I've found that

it works nearly as well as marble for rolling out dough and pastry. It is expensive, especially if you get one of the specialty colors like we did but well worth it in

my opinion.

Melissa

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I agree: granite or Silestone is the way to go. Zodiaq is another brand of engineered stone.

I have a beautiful 30 x 15 slab of Carrara marble. It was meant to be a countertop for a client but my colleague ordered the wrong size. It's 1 1/4" thick and very heavy, so I put it atop a chrome metro shelving cart with casters that I roll into the pantry when its not needed. I put the canisters of flour, sugar, and other baking items on the shelf below, and have myself a mobile baking center.

Sometimes When You Are Right, You Can Still Be Wrong. ~De La Vega

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We chose granite, and have been very happy with it (although I still can't convince myself that it's okay to put hot things directly on the counter...)

Given that they are usually about the same price, what would be the reasons for choosing an engineered stone (Silestone, etc) over granite?

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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Given that they are usually about the same price, what would be the reasons for choosing an engineered stone (Silestone, etc) over granite?

The main reasons I've heard for choosing engineered stone over granite are the color choices and the regularity of the pattern or figuring. I remember one wacky client who wanted granite, but was freaked out by the irregularity of the patterning in the stone. She couldn't understand why we couldn't get granite that looked totally uniform. :blink: Zodiaq was a perfect choice for her. I like the look of granite better myself.

Sometimes When You Are Right, You Can Still Be Wrong. ~De La Vega

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The other advantage of fake products is that they can be cast in a variety of shapes, such as with an integrated sink or whatever, plus they can be made into tiles or other things for color-matching. Silestone is also a bit less porous than granite, I believe, so theoretically it may be even more durable. It should be, given how damn much it costs!

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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I have granite - dark with lighter specks - and love it. During the holidays , it took a lot of abuse and kept on shining. I do have a marble slab for when I need it. It is dark green, so it does not show the stains as easily.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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Great input - thank you and more opinions are welcome.

Actually the dealer was recommending a "Corian type product - he has several lines, over Silestone because of the scratching. The Corian can be buffed/ repaired but the engineered stone products scratched easily and cannot be easily repaired.

I will give the oil absorption info serious thought - like MayhawMan, sometimes I am guilty of incomplete clean up. I keep asking the dealer " Will it pass the spilled curry powder test" Curry and oil are the most stain inducing products I know.

I am planning on doing an integrated sink and thus the Corian type surface. An undermount stainless was an option but the junction of materials is a catch-all for crud.

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I am planning on doing an integrated sink and thus the Corian type surface. An undermount stainless was an option but the junction of materials is a catch-all for crud.

You might want to read at least the first page of this thread, where we discuss undermount sinks.

Dave Scantland
Executive director
dscantland@eGstaff.org
eG Ethics signatory

Eat more chicken skin.

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Don't be taken in by the buffing/repairing sales pitch. They love to tell you how easy it is to repair the stuff, but it's actually a complete nightmare. The one guy I know who had his Corian surfaces refinished spent a fortune and it made an awful mess -- and that was after several Corian fabricators refused to do the job in the first place.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Don't use Corian. Anything remotely hot will mark it. Cigarette or cigar buts especially, but also frying pans.

Do use marble - it etches and stains. Leave a lemon cut side down for an hour, and its there forever. Beetroot ditto

Granite every time, and its cheaper. Use 1/2 inch round edged, mounted on marine ply. Don't use the 1 inch. Hell on knives though, and if you droop china or glass on it from any height the china or glass will break. The surface will be fine - its indestructable, and good for pastry.

End-grain wood is another alternative, but not cheap.

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Great input - thank you and more opinions are welcome. 

Actually the dealer was recommending a "Corian type product - he has several lines, over Silestone because of the scratching.  The Corian can be buffed/ repaired but the engineered stone products scratched easily and cannot be easily repaired. 

I will give the oil absorption info serious thought - like MayhawMan, sometimes I am guilty of incomplete clean up.  I keep asking the dealer " Will it pass the spilled curry powder test"  Curry and oil are the most stain inducing products I know.

I am planning on doing an integrated sink and thus the Corian type surface.  An undermount stainless was an option but the junction of materials is a catch-all for crud.

Actually, Silestone doesn't scratch at all, at least in my experience and

we've had the counters for over six months. I even cut food on it

all the times which dulls my knives but doesn't harm the surface

at all. We chose Silestone because we wanted maintance free

surfaces that would hold up to serious abuse- yes, we have kids!

Even though the new counters cost more than my first three cars

put together, I am still happy with them.

Melissa

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Dave - I read every word of that link. Thank so much. PEDAL VALVES!! Contractor will freak!! I am now seriously thinking of a single large deep sink, integrated, Chicago faucet w/ wrist blade handles and separate spray.

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Great input - thank you and more opinions are welcome. 

Actually the dealer was recommending a "Corian type product - he has several lines, over Silestone because of the scratching.  The Corian can be buffed/ repaired but the engineered stone products scratched easily and cannot be easily repaired. 

I will give the oil absorption info serious thought - like MayhawMan, sometimes I am guilty of incomplete clean up.  I keep asking the dealer " Will it pass the spilled curry powder test"  Curry and oil are the most stain inducing products I know.

I am planning on doing an integrated sink and thus the Corian type surface.  An undermount stainless was an option but the junction of materials is a catch-all for crud.

Everyone is different. My house is mid-century modern. Everything in the kitchen is white except for the floor. So granite won't work from a design point of view. I used Corian with a full bullnose (my third Corian kitchen job). Love the look (but that is of course a personal thing). I installed it about 7 years ago. Don't know if Silestone was widely available then (don't think so) - but if I did a new kitchen today - I'd compare the two.

I don't have kids and I am pretty neat. I don't put hot pots directly on the counter or cut on it. The one time I made a mess on a Corian counter (dropped a pile of dishes) - I found a great repair guy who fixed the hole I made. I can get any stains out of the white Corian the morning after (curry powder - red wine - whatever) with a little light scrubbing using a bleach cleanser like Comet.

Whatever you use - make sure you have a decent matching backsplash.

Don't under any circumstances use marble. It is extremely porous and a total pain in my opinion. I have never used it in a kitchen - but had the misfortune to use it in bathrooms. Never again - anywhere in any house where I live. In this house - I used a flecked gray Corian in the bathrooms. Exactly the look I was trying to get - very low maintenance.

I have used integrated Corian sinks in my bathrooms. But - in the kitchen - all I ever want is a big old stainless steel sink which can take lots of abuse. If you have a good kitchen installer who makes a good tight seam - a wipe once a day will keep the crud away. Robyn

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We chose granite, and have been very happy with it (although I still can't convince myself that it's okay to put hot things directly on the counter...)

I have black granite counters, and I love them. They look as good today as they did 4 1/2 years ago when they were brand new. But I, too, am still afraid to put anything hot directly on the counter.

I did look at Corian and I just didn't love it the way I loved the granite (with an undermounted stainless steel sink). I just liked the shiny look and smooth feel of the granite. Maybe because I have a fairly small Manhattan galley kitchen, but the granite was not that much more expensive than the Corian. I can't even remember the price difference, but it was definitely worth it for me to spend the extra money. I get pleasure every time I'm in my kitchen (and I do cook a lot).

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Great input - thank you and more opinions are welcome.

Actually the dealer was recommending a "Corian type product - he has several lines, over Silestone because of the scratching. The Corian can be buffed/ repaired but the engineered stone products scratched easily and cannot be easily repaired.

I will give the oil absorption info serious thought - like MayhawMan, sometimes I am guilty of incomplete clean up. I keep asking the dealer " Will it pass the spilled curry powder test" Curry and oil are the most stain inducing products I know.

I am planning on doing an integrated sink and thus the Corian type surface. An undermount stainless was an option but the junction of materials is a catch-all for crud.

P.S. The big single bowl sink I use is an Elkay. It's a special order - but it's not all that expensive. Everyone has things they like and don't like. Note that a stainless steel sink will develop a patina of countless little tiny lines after it's been in use for a while. This is normal. Doesn't bother me. But it might bother other people (perhaps you). Robyn

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Actually the dealer was recommending a "Corian type product - he has several lines, over Silestone because of the scratching.  The Corian can be buffed/ repaired but the engineered stone products scratched easily and cannot be easily repaired. 

I will give the oil absorption info serious thought - like MayhawMan, sometimes I am guilty of incomplete clean up.  I keep asking the dealer " Will it pass the spilled curry powder test"  Curry and oil are the most stain inducing products I know.

I am planning on doing an integrated sink and thus the Corian type surface.  An undermount stainless was an option but the junction of materials is a catch-all for crud.

Huh, wha??? That's bullshit, as Penn & Teller might say. Corian is nice if you like the integrated sink look and will be careful with hot pots and scratches (its Corian that can be scratched not Silestone). In fact, Silestone is harder and more scratch/chip resistant than actual granite.

I have Silestone countertops. Yes, they are expensive, but not much more than granite. The only bad thing I've heard about granite is that they can fracture along the natural fault lines of the stone if there is a large temperature differential between the stone and something you put on it (i.e. a very hot pot put down in the wrong place on a cold day). Silestone has no natural faults and is very regular in pattern, so there's no place for a fissure to be exagerated. I actually prefer the irregular patterns of natural stone, so that is the only regret I have in choosing Silestone over granite.

In addition, granite and other natural stones need to be sealed about once a year. That's a piece of maintanence I didn't want to deal with and don't need to with Silestone. I'll bet even white Silestone would pass your oil & curry powder test -- ask your dealer for a sample piece to bring home and test (or better yet, bring a little bottle of curry oil to test at the store :wink: )

With regard to sink, if you go with stone over Corian, and therefore do not do the integrated sink, consider doing a country farm sink, where the front edge and backsplash are integrated with the sink. That way the sides are straight cuts, no extra stone cutting charges as with an mounted sink (under or top). Check out our kitchen renovation thread, here.

kitchen1.jpg

Here's a pic showing the countertops and our contemporary country farm-like sink, more pics on the linked thread.

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Actually the dealer was recommending a "Corian type product - he has several lines, over Silestone because of the scratching.  The Corian can be buffed/ repaired but the engineered stone products scratched easily and cannot be easily repaired. 

I hate to be cynical and point this out, but your dealer's economics could influence which material he's trying to sell you. You might want to ask the dealer who fabricates his countertops. If they produce the Corian tops themselves, then his markup will make him quite a bit more money than if he has to purchase it from a fabricator and add his markup onto that. Even if he doesn't produce it himself, there are also many more fabricators of Corian than Silestone, thus more competition, so his profit potential is probably much higher with the Corian.

FWIW even in the NY metro area it took us *months* to schedule service to repair a client's Corian countertop because there was only one authorized technician available.

Sometimes When You Are Right, You Can Still Be Wrong. ~De La Vega

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The other advantage of fake products is that they can be cast in a variety of shapes, such as with an integrated sink or whatever, plus they can be made into tiles or other things for color-matching. Silestone is also a bit less porous than granite, I believe, so theoretically it may be even more durable. It should be, given how damn much it costs!

Silestone is TOTALLY non pourous.

The other advantage of Silestone is you can put a hot pan on it without the surface melting (Corian) or the possibility of a fracture (Granite)

Silestone has all the advantages of Granite and Corian with none of the disadvantages. The only thing that you could call a disadvantage is that the stone does look uniform in pattern, and not natural, if you look at it closely. But its a very hard, high tech surface, made of pure quartz.

Its in our kitchen, we love it.

EDIT: I see Rachel has talked about this already.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

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We have Corian, with an integrated Corian sink. Initially we loved it. It certainly looks great. However, over time we've come to dislike it - no way will we have Corian in our new house. You can't cut on it, you can't put hot pans on it, and the white sink stains terribly. It costs a fortune too.

Heather Johnson

In Good Thyme

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