Cobalt Blue Corian Countertops

I did a lot of research on countertop material. I wanted something that was going to be durable and low maintenance. Years ago, someone gave me a Corian cutting board and I loved the material.

When I visited the Schumacher Homes Design Studio and saw that Cobalt Corian was one of their options it was a real factor in choosing them as our builder.

Choosing Countertop Materials >

The island that is standard in the Cross Creek house plans is all counter height.

I wanted part of it to be bar height. That blocks some of the kitchen from the living room and front door.

The model has something similar. This wasn’t a problem. It didn’t even cost a whole lot more.

The plans were not very specific and the carpenters framed it wrong a couple of times. The third time I started to explain how it was wrong, the bar was supposed to be closer to the sink. It was supposed to be smaller. Only two stools should fit under it. Then I looked at what they had done and decided this will work. It’s bigger. A lot bigger. I could open a saloon.   We don’t have a kitchen island. More of a kitchen small continent. We will call it Australia.

The contractor had a little difficulty finding Corian installers. I don’t know why. It can’t be that rare. They sell it at Lowes. They offered me lots of other options. They offered a discount. But this was very important to me. I had already considered everything else they were offering and Corian, for me, is just a very much better choice.

Finally, they found an installer out of Columbia, South Carolina. They came out to measure and created a plan and a pattern.

The island is very complex, so they glued these small pieces of wood together to create a pattern.

The material was on back order, so we had quite a wait. But, once they had the Corian, they had everything put together and were here ahead of schedule.

I got to the house Friday and they were working.

First they cut little pieces of wood and placed them on top of the cabinets. That is so the bullnose that comes down doesn’t block the cabinet doors.

He used a pipe cutter to quickly cut the little pieces to length.

They cut a piece of plywood for over the space the dishwasher will go for the dishwasher to screw into.

They put blobs of silicone.

Then he squeezed on some hot glue. The hot glue makes it hold immediately. The silicone bonds for a long time.

Then they brought the model in.

The island is wider than a single piece of Corian, so they had to join it. The joint is reinforced, so they cut out for the thickness of the seam reinforcement.

The seam is right over the dishwasher, so they had to take the board back out. Hope that does not create a problem later…

They carried the island counter in. It was heavy, but they said it is nothing compared to granite.

See the reinforced seam where the two pieces of Corian are joined?

They lifted it into place. It fit perfectly.

Then they tilted the counter up to squeeze some silicone on to secure it.

I love it!

The sink is finished so smoothly, it feels like part of the counter.

We decided on a single deep sink, Corian Simplicity 881P. It is 9 1/4″ deep. I only hand-wash things too big for the dishwasher. This sink is super deep. I can fit in even my biggest pot.

Here is the research, if you are figuring it out yourself.

Corian Double Sinks

Corian Single Sinks

I had wanted the sink to be the same color as the counter, but that is special order in large quantities only. I am content.

Next, they put in the counter on the other side of the kitchen. They were already cut and finished completely. It has bullnose on the outsides, but is square and smooth on the sides that will touch the stove.

The backsplash came in pieces. They trimmed them and siliconed them in place.

Now for the bar. The bar is supported by a piece of wood. That way they don’t have to have any brackets or corbels to knock your knees against like the one in the model has.

They measured and nudged until the wood was approximately in the right place.

Then they put the bar on. They measured and nudged and measured and nudged until it was perfectly centered every which way.

They marked the wood where it met the wall that holds the bar up, just in case it shifted when they lifted the Corian back off.

They took the Corian back off. Then they drove a lot of screws in to fasten the wood to the wall.

They squeezed on more silicone.

And they lifted the bar in place. They measured again. Perfect! I love it!

Last, they drilled the hole for the kitchen faucet. I want to add a sprayer later. They say the material is relatively easy to drill through with normal tools.

This is who did the work:

Solid Surfaces, Inc. Countertops & Designs
8019 Sumter Hwy, Columbia, SC
800-326-0684

I cannot recommend them highly enough. They did an absolutely perfect job!
And they made a cutting board for me out of the piece they cut out for the sink!

So, here is the kitchen done. The bar is nice and deep. And I love the color!

This is from the dining room. I wanted it to be counter height on this side. It makes it easier to clear the table.

This is where the dishwasher will go. Convenient from the table.

Here it is all finished!