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Granite or Corian: Why I Chose Granite Countertop for Kitchen

Countertop for the kitchen is one the most essential feature in the kitchen. Personally, according to me, countertop can change the look of your kitchen completely. Apart from the aesthetics & design, there are several other factors to consider before choosing your countertop. In this article, I will tell you why I chose granite countertop for kitchen over Corian countertop.
There are many different kinds of countertop material available. These materials offer a wide range of style with texture and color to choose from. We can choose them according to personal preference such as patterns, maintenance needs, and cost. For my apartment kitchen, I narrowed my search to Corian or granite. Cost of Corian and granite countertop is almost the same. On the other hand, Granite countertops are heat and scratch resistant. It also doesn’t get stained and is very easy to clean. Granite is chemical resistant. I don’t have to worry about my countertop when I put the hot tray on it anymore.

What is Corian and Granite material?

Granite slab is 100% natural stone. This means no other material is added and there chemical properties are not changed. Granite is directly quarried in large blocks directly from the earth. After they are cut into different slabs and polished to use for countertops or other purposes.

Since granite is 100% natural, it means every slab of a granite slab is unique in pattern. No two granite slabs are alike, which can make your kitchen literally unique.

Corian is the soiled surface countertop material developed by famous DuPont. They first developed this material in 1967. Nowadays it is manufactured by many brands such as Mystera, Staron, and Avonite. Corian is a synthetic man-made material composed of 33% binding Resin and 66% minerals. One of thing about Corian is they are very light in comparison to the granite countertop.

Appearance -How do they look like?

Kitchen countertop greatly affects the overall appearance of your kitchen. It should match with the overall style of your house. For example, if your house has countryside rustic look you don’t want anything which is too shiny or modern. While choosing countertop material, consider the design of your kitchen and how well it goes with cabinet and walls.

Corian countertop is synthetic and cannot give natural look. It doesn’t look like shiny plastic as laminate countertop but still artificial enough. Corian comes in different shades of colors & it’s easy to find a specific color. Corian also offers a wide range of texture and end finish look. You can find them with almost marble and granite look.

Granite countertops are available in wide range of textures and colors. They have a very elegant look and as they are 100% unique. With a beautiful natural look and deep textures sometimes it can lack in uniform soft look. Some people don’t prefer them because of the bold colors it comes in. They don’t like because they want soft look which granite slabs lack in. It is also hard to hide seams in granite countertops as compare to Corian countertops. But this can be avoided if you buy a complete slab according to the size of your project. One of the most important factors, why I chose granite countertop for the kitchen, is because of individuality in appearance.

Maintenance & durability differences

Apart from appearance, another important factor to consider is it maintenance of the countertop. No one likes to have a kitchen counter which requires regular maintenance. Some of you must be using your kitchen with extreme care or rarely. But for me, I am not that careful. I put my hot pans directly on the countertop. I use it to cut veggies or other stuff. And more than often drop/spill my coffee or other liquid over it (By mistake of course).

Well, let’s understand with the following question which one is more suitable for you

  • Do you put hot pans directly on countertops?
  • Do you cut on it or put the heavy object on it?
  • Do you often spill oil, coffee, or other liquidly stuff?

Heat resistance

Granite is highly heat resistant as compare to Corian countertops. So you don’t have to worry when putting hot trays directly from oven when using granite countertop for the kitchen. On the other hand with Corian countertop, you have to be more careful. You need to use heat resistant pads or some sort of protection under your hot pans.

Check out this extra large silicon heat resistant mats we found in Amazon.

Scratch or chip resistant

Granite does not get scratched or chipped easily. Granite is a natural slab which is very hard. By the way in natural stones only diamonds, sapphires and rubies are harder than graphite. So you can understand how indestructible it is. You can put a heavy object on it without worrying about any chipping. Also, it is highly scratch resistant so don’t worry when using countertop as a cutting board. Your knives will not able to scratch on granite countertop of the kitchen.

Corian countertop lacks in this part. They are not as hard as granite. They can be little forgiving if you cut anything on them. With minor scratched, there is still way out by buffing them with an abrasive pad.

Spills and stains

Both granite and Corian are non-porous (almost) and very easy to clean. The easy fix is to just wipe them if you spill something on them. Because of their little porosity and easy to clean features, they are considered very hygienic material for kitchen countertops. Granite counter top for kitchen still requires sealing at the time of installation and every 2 years after that. But corian doesn’t require any sealing at all. Granite and Corian both can stain but chances are very low if you take care of them.

Corian may get discolored with contact of any acidic materials such as lemon juice or vinegar. For this granite is a safe choice as they have no risk with those materials.

Cleaning

Cleaning of Corian or granite countertops is very easy. There are many cleaning solutions available for this in the market. Easy and cheap way to clean is just mixing dish soap with warm water. Just remember if you to clean Corian material do not use anything which has acidic material in it such as dish soap with lime.

Check out Dish soap which I use personally from Amazon.

Cost and return on investment

Using granite countertop gives you a better return at the time of reselling. Remember its natural material and its cost will be going to increase with time. And certainly, granite slab will be better in this as compared to granite tiles.

Corian is also good at the time of selling a house as it gives the highest return in all synthetic solid surface countertops. The thing here is Corian lifetime is not as long as granite and they have to be removed after some years.

Certainly, it all comes to your potential buyer choice also. Certainly potential buyer color and material choice is something you cannot control.

Cost of granite slab and corian are almost the same. Depending on your location it can vary from $45 to $70 after installation. But if you are looking for a cheaper version of granite then use granite tiles. They are much cheaper and you can install them yourself. But, we don’t recommend granite tiles in the kitchen though because of the grout line.

Ease of installation as the kitchen countertop

Both granite slabs and corian should be installed by professionals. Corian is easy to work because of its lightweight. Granite is much heavier in comparison to corian. You can also buy corian from reseller & it is easy to find a specific color in comparison. You can easily make sink cutout with router & even cut it with the circular saw.

As for granite slabs, they are heavy and hard to work with. You will defiantly need specific tools or professionals for installing them. It is also hard to find specific color or texture in the granite slab. If you are planning to have granite countertop for kitchen then best is to buy a complete slab after having dimensions from kitchen design.

Conclusions for Corian & Granite countertop

Both of them are a good option to consider for the kitchen countertop. The final decision should be made on your personal needs and preference. Below are the pros and cons of both materials.

Pros of granite countertop for kitchen

  • Granite gives elegant & classic appeal with a wide range of colors and textures.
  • They are extremely hard and scratch resistant.
  • They have very little porosity and withstand spills and stains easily.
  • They are heat resistant so don’t worry when putting hot pans, pots or other appliance over it.
  • High return value when reselling.

Cons of granite countertop for kitchen

  • Granite requires sealing at the time of installation and regularly after that.
  • As every granite design is unique is may be hard to find according to specific texture.
  • Need to buy the complete
  • May not go well if you are looking for the modern appearance in the kitchen.

Pros of corian countertop for kitchen

  • Offers the wide range of color and texture as it is manufactured synthetically.
  • You can even find someone with granite or marble finish.
  • It is lightweight and easy to work with
  • You can find in large size to avoid any seams.
  • Easy to clean and stain
  • Non-porous

Cons of granite countertop for kitchen

  • Not resistant to heat
  • Not resistant to scratch and not hard enough.
  • Doesn’t give a high return in comparison to granite slabs.
  • Acidic material such as lemon juice or vinegar and direct sunlight can result in discoloration.

Which one will you choose for your countertop in the kitchen?  Write down in the comment section below.

Check out these simple hacks to clean and disinfect granite countertops.