Corian, Granite and Quartz Worktops – You Decide

When we first had to make a decision as to which bespoke worktops we would offer back in 2002 there were a number of factors to consider.
Having worked a lifetime in the industry most associated with them, I’d already formed an opinion through experience and feedback.

Quartz Worktops were the relative newcomers to the market towards the end of my contracting and installation career but still they impressed me far more than Granite, providing greater resilience, i.e. they were harder and less prone to damage.
They were easier to clean and maintain the appearance of.

Quartz Worktops - Compac

They were non-porous and, probably the most important factor of all in making the decision, they arrived with a warranty – a commitment of faith by the manufacturer in their product and a belief that their surfaces would not be subject to defects. A commitment, in fact, to insure the consumer in the event that manufacturing faults may occur.

Fans of Granite worktops reading this will, no doubt, disagree and I respect the difference, after all there’s almost a nostalgic argument levelled against man-made composites by those with a passion for natural products, Granite being just one example but we are, here, talking about products that are priced similarly and someway above laminated chipboards, that are utilised in the main for high traffic work in the kitchen so resilience and cost efficiency are paramount.

Granite surfaces will always have a place in the market but back in 2002, for us there were too many diss’s to warrant our offering them until we discovered Sensa Granite worktops, which arrived with a similar manufacurers guarantee to that of Quartz worktops.

Granite quality can vary hence the differences you see now that render one half the price of another and I sympathise with fabricators importing the quality granites who have to battle against prices offered by those who import granite slabs that just don’t cut it in the kitchen.

One granite worktops manufacturer who took the bull by the horns and offered a 10 year warranty on his granite has my respect but the biggest battle is making buyers aware of a difference tbat could hit them hard in the pocket if, after installation, defects appear on a cheap unwarranted stone.

Non - Porous Sensa Granite

So, in this comparison, quartz wins my vote but for Granite fans there are now some alternatives that can provide similar warranty to Quartz worktops – Sensa Granite being one and the granite worktops offered by fabricators providing warranties of a similar 10 years to that of most Quartz Worktops, being amother.

For the record, Silestone is a member of the quartz surfaces family and despite the brand being most recognisable to consumers, it is not an altogether different type of surface. Silestone is a BretonStone, so called because like all quartz surfaces, Silestone is manufactured on a Breton Machine, all of which incidentally, exist outside of the UK. How Silestone differs from other quartz surfaces is that it incorporates Silver Technology to combat bacteria but given that Silestone and all quartz surfaces are non-porous, in my opinion this matters little when making your final  choice.

The best known quartz worktop examples and the choices offered here at KitchensFitted include Caeasarstone – the original quartz providers, Zodiaq – the quartz offered by DuPont, manufacturers of Corian, Compac – a classy collection of quartz from Portugal and Luxore, a collection familiar to UK buyers as a quartz surface also offered by John Lewis.

And so to Corian, which, for the purpose of this blog, I shall attempt to draw some comparisons with granite and quartz worktops although it is an entirely different surface type.
First introduced into the UK in 1979, Corian won it’s huge army of admirers with the ability to dress a kitchen with Worktops and sinks that appear seamless, an advantage that cannot be matched by granite or quartz and still a big factor in the mind of many buyers when determining the best worktop choice for their project.

Unlike granite and quartz, Corian colours have a matte finish that can be repaired and restored as new should any damage occur but in making fair comparison it is less resistant to heat and a softer material than it’s two more resilient rivals.

Neither of the above factors should become an issue however, if buyers of any of the three surfaces disregard the misinformation offered by some eager sellers informing consumers they can place hot pans and slice food directly on the surface. You shouldn’t and you should always use a protective board for food preparation and trivets or panstands when placing hot pans onto any of the surfaces.

The range of Corian colours are extensive yet in contrast to Quartz and Granite, the full recommended use of the range is limited for the heavy duty work that a kitchen is subjected to.

Corian White with seamlessly integrated sinks

In reality what this means is that certain colours, particularly black finishes, are not recommended for use in the kitchen as the underlying pigmentation of black Corian colours is white and should scratches occur they will become visible. This isn’t to say that black surfaces cannot be restored to their original colour,  they can but occurrences may be too frequent to include the disclaimer colours in the residential warranty available on the majority of Corian colours.

Non warranty Corian colours can still be utilised in high traffic areas such as a kitchen but they are defined as disclaimer colours because anyone wishing to use them for high traffic areas such as a kitchen would be requested to sign a disclaimer form foregoing the warranty offered on the residential colour range. Again this all relates back to proper use and there’s little reason for concern if protective boards are used.

One common misconception and possibly borne out of the fact that Corian is almost a generic term, sees some buyers and, more alarmingly sellers, describing all seamless tops as “Corian” – they aren’t and it’s a misconception that could affect it’s excellent reputation should issues occur with a lesser quality seamless surface, and they do.
So it pays to check first whether the surface you are being quoted for is actually Corian and not some alternative in disguise.

To conclude this blog I have to say that there is no such thing as the ideal worktop,. No 100% damage proof, ultra-affordable, environmentally friendly surface that ticks all of the boxes but it’s my belief and it’s a belief borne out of statistics and a lack of issues over the years of our offering them, that the quartz, corian and granite worktops we offer remain the best you can buy and the most cost efficient.

To request a quote for any of our surfaces, Silestone, Corian, Sensa Granite, Compac Luxore, Caesarstone or Zodiaq, click here and take advantage of our free Corian sink offer that ends on 29th February 2012.