Solid Surface Countertops

A few years ago I was doing some remodeling.  One of the things that needed replacing was the countertops.  The existing kitchen cabinets were taken out, and the base cabinet configuration was changing--even if it hadn't changed, the existing laminate counters were not in optimal shape.

The house I was living in at the time had plain white laminate counters in the kitchen, which actually worked pretty well.  In almost 20 years of use, they had very few scratches or other signs of wear.  However, I decided to go with a solid surface for the new ones.

Various places compare the myriad countertop options (marble, granite, engineered quartz, laminate, solid surface, concrete, tile, etc).  It looked like the solid surface ones would work well.  They're vulnerable to scratching--see below--but can also be repaired through sanding/buffing if there's an obvious scratch or other problem.  And they are a lot less heavy than granite or any other similar material.  They also aren't all that costly, although they can be depending on the design and where/when they are bought. Corian, Lotte (Staron), and LG (Hi-Macs) are three types.  Big-box stores like Lowes and Home Depot carry one or more of them, and they have periodic sales.

Scratches.  Solid surface countertops do scratch.  They're more susceptible to scratching than granite/quartz or laminate.  Mine, after a few months of use, do have scratches that are visible--but you have to look for them.

One thing I saw repeated frequently was the admonition to go with a lighter color, because scratches wouldn't show up as readily as with darker surfaces.  Some warned that darker colors would show lighter scratches and look bad in short order.  Some offer glossy finishes instead of matte.  These would also be more susceptible to revealing any scratching.  So, I ordered a bunch of 2"x2" samples and scratched them with a box cutter blade.  Scratches were easier to see in darker shades, so I went with a relatively light color (with some disappointment; some of the darker ones were very nice).

Below is a black countertop in an office building restroom--it was installed more than 10 years ago.  Scratches are evident, but it doesn't look too bad despite heavy daily traffic.

I think this is the Corian color Deep Anthracite; the Corian Web page notes, " May require additional maintenance."

Below is a closeup of my counter: LG Moon Haze.  The scratches--what ones there are--can't really be captured on camera at this point.

I have cool fluorescent-like LED lights in the kitchen; the surface looks less yellow than it does on the LG site--it's more off-white with crystals.  I like it (which is fortunate, because I'm stuck with it now).

Several months in, there are no evident problems with the installation. The picture above shows that the backsplash was not integral with the horizontal surface itself: it's just a separate piece that was caulked to the wall.  That was substantially less costly than doing a single casting.  Also, the edge is the basic one; additional options are available but they all cost more.  What I have looks fine to me.