I know someone with white corian that has to put tablecloths over it when she entertains - apparently acidic foods like salsa stain it.

... But she might just be paranoid, I'm not sure.

Personally, I would go with the white from Silestone or Caesarstone (take your pick of quartz manufacturers). I do believe they have a fleck in them, but its as easy to maintain and practical as Corian (if not more so).

We have Corian counter tops in the color Savannah in our Kitchen and all of our Bathrooms (with pure white integrated corian sink basins) and it is incredible.

Sure, things stain (wine or salsa will stain anything) but we have never had a problem taking any stain out with a simple magic eraser and some elbow grease.

It is incredibly difficult to scratch also. The small ones you get through regular use will usually buff out pretty easily also, giving you a nice fresh look every time.

We have the Corian at home, they are beautiful, but was disapointed in the staining and they scratch easier than expected.

Every time I see white countertops, my turmeric using self weeps for my loss.

My parents put white Corian counter tops in their kitchen over 10 years ago. Still look great. They're very durable.

I'd also consider Silestone/Caeserstone/Zodiac. All have bright whites.

I lived with solid white corian for six years. (They used to make a really nice, bright white.) It was fabulous. It didn't stain, or at least, I was never unable to get stains off with a little abrasive countertop cleaner.

I moved into a new place that already had the standard, boring, speckled granite you see everywhere else, and I miss the old countertops.

Ditto on the Silestone/Caesarstone comments. I actually just got Cambria (also a quartz product) countertops - not in bright white - but while picking out my color, I noticed that they do have a pretty pure white. The quartz does have a tiny bit of speckled effect, but I suspect that's actually helpful at camouflaging things.

I just moved into a new house with "absolute blanc" quartz. It's pure white. I love it!

i love how everyone hates natural stone so much, but loves all these manufactured slabs so much. Rocks like granite are used so much, yes because they were in at the time, but also becuase they are durable materials formed under ridiculously high pressure and temperature someone inside the earth. These products are made by a big machine in a factory , which doesn't really do it for me.

But this is cool:
Corian was originally developed as a material to replace human bones, and it is still produced in the first color: "Bone".

sorry, typos..

My understanding is that Corian is made of plastic, which is kinda gross on many levels. Weird to prepare food on, landfills etc. I also wanted a pure white countertop, and could only find white glass - very pretty, but pricey.

ghunt--

How do you weigh in on the fact that granite and natural stone is NOT a renewable resource... and requires amazing resources to quarry and transport...?

Not trying to start anything, just trying to get some perspective on that issue.

I'm with mommydaddy....
we also did corian countertops... and sinks about 6-7 years ago....probably in the same bright white....
they have held up really well....and any stains, scratches or whatever, are "sanded out"....via abrasive cleanser and scrubber used for non stick cookware.
Ours is a mat finish...but it still looks brand new all these years later.
Would I do corian again....yes.

FYI...I do not put hot pots directly on it...and always use cutting boards...so can't help in that department.

I've heard recently that pouring boiling water into a corian sink can crack it.

Also, add me to the anti-granite/stone camp; the darker granites emit radioactivity, which isn't exactly good for children, etc (it's higher than typical background radiation - kind of like radon). And of course, it uses lots of energy to extract, transport, form and install (not to mention not being renewable).

I'll stick with my vintage formica with the wet look (though I wish I had my parents old 'trees' design laminate).

I love my Ceasarstone countertops in Blizzard. I was apprehensive about having the flecks in it - but you only notice them up close and I forgot about them about 5 minutes after they were installed. LOOOOOOOVE them - and they really brighten up the kitchen. They do stain a bit - but i can get out the stains with a magic eraser, the scrubby side of a sponge or some baking soda.

And yes - do not cut directly on it or put hot pots on it - no matter what the literature says.

My kitchen has all white corian that the previous owner installed in 1990. I've only lived here 2 years, but never had a stain I couldn't remove and we drink red wine every night.

My parents did their bathroom (including the bath/shower) in white Corian - in the mid-80s. I don't think it's a new product at all. In fact, back then, I think Corian only came in white.

what a beautiful kitchen. and out of all the door handles out there in the world, why on earth did they choose these ones? I'ts really an eye sore for me. I would expect something with an easier transition... not so utilitarian.

My parents have blue corian on their kitchen island installed 15 years ago. The stuff is fabulous and I don't think it stains though it is harder to tell with the blue. It does scratch though. My dad sanded and buffed the whole thing a few years ago and it was like brand new. Not a scratch remained and it still looks great.

They badly need to replace the white laminate countertops in the rest of the kitchen now and they plan to go with granite for the resale value. I wish the would stick with a stone-like product such as corian or silestone.

Do the people that say granite is un-renewable not think that a product that is made of plastic is also un-renewable? Its made out of plastic people, or oil. You know that fuel that we use that everyone is always talking about being a "un-renewable resource". And yes I guess that you could make it out of recycled plastic, but some websites that I have looked at about eco-friedly products say that Corian is not that eco-friedly, since it is made from resin which is harsh on the environment. So who knows if it really is all that much better than granite environmentally speaking. I personally have Silestone and it is great, it does not scratch and it does not have to be sealed.

we have cambria's whitest countertop. personally, it looks solid white unless you are within 2 inches of it and only then do you see tiny flecks. just an fyi - some places don't always have their whitest white out since many people aren't interested. zodiac and cambria seemed to have the least flecks when i was looking a year ago. i also wanted solid white and am very happy with it. i don't have to worry about hot dishes or scratches or stains. while you may be able to get those things out with corian, why bother unless it's a price issue. in terms of the eco-friendly issue, i would consider it "light" green, as are most of what the industry calls "green" choices. it's obvious most of the people commenting haven't done their research. good luck.

how expensive is corian relative to some of the other options people have suggested here?

Corian is slightly less expensive than granite, but not by a huge margin.

Personally, I have never like the soft, warm, plasticky feel of Corian, and supposedly, natural stone is better for resale.

We have a white highly-polished concrete with bits of coloured (recycled) glass as well as soap stone; there are many, many options apart from granite.

I'd also like to point out that the counter in the above picture illustrating the story on white Corian is not actually Corian; it appears to me to be either a white polished concrete -- Corian will never give you that sort of reflection.

http://www.dcsurfaces.com/Quickstart/ImageLib/2009.JustGreen.Showroom.CC.13.jpg

If you're concerned about using a non-renewable resource take a look at some of the recycled glass products. It's extremely durable and in the same price range as stone and Corian. Vetrazzo http://www.vetrazzo.com/ from Berkeley and Ice Stone http://www.icestone.biz/ from Brooklyn are two examples. And Richlite http://www.richlite.com/countertop/ is an extremely durable paper-based product that was created for scientific labs. If you are able to budget for stone why not use the green alternative?

BTW:

This is the concrete countertop we got from Formworks Concrete (which has turned into a concrete institute?):

http://www.customconcreteds.com/Confetti_terrazzo_sm.JPG

Anyways, other manufacturers still make it...

Hi Janel, We enjoyed meeting you at our KBIS booth. Designer White sounds perfect for your kitchen. Corian(r) is very durable and easy to care for. We've posted some basic tips on our website to help owners keep their countertops looking like new for years: http://bit.ly/c7iZnj
Let us know if we can answer any other questions for you.
Kate, DuPont Building Innovations

Corian has had a color called Glacier White for well over 20 years that gives that bright white look. If a color called Designer White turns you on, go for it. Some folks criticize Corian because its resin is a petrochemical made of oil. Well, I would rather use a barrel of oil to make some countertops that can easily last 30 years than burn up that oil driving around in a gas guzzler. That carbon is in a stable form in my kitchen not fouling the atmosphere. But to each his or her own. And some folks call granite "natural" but my guess is that they've never seen photos of the thousands of open pit quarries all over the world where the stone is ripped from the earth. And they've never read about the safety hazards and child labor and other forms of exploitation in many of the Third World quarries. And they don't know anything about the resin impregnation and color enhancers and other forms of "doctoring" that are used to bring cheap "granite" to the U.S. market. I put "granite" in quotes because many of these stones are no more closely related to real geological granite than a mouse is related to an elephant. Get-rich-quick artists selling cheap "granite" are peddling stones that absorb and discolor when exposed to olive oil and etch and deteriorate when exposed to lemon juice. Corian is a great countertop product. High quality granite is a great countertop product. Quartz is great. Butcher block is great. Plastic laminate is great for those on a budget. Every single material has shortcomings, and must be cared for properly. Do your homework, and choose what YOU really like. Ask me questions at TopRepair.com.