Counter Tops

Hi all,

We want to replace the Formica countertops with Corian. Home Depot won't touch an order less than 25 sq. ft. Hard to come up with that in a 36 ft. Class A. They suggested we contact a mom and pop shop who'd be willing to do that.

On so doing, so far the estimate is over $2,600! That's before they've added in the molded sinks we want. This is just for the kitchen counter, stove top, and bathroom counter. Does this sound right to anyone who's done this before or are they trying to charge me the minimum Home Depot requires to do a job even though our square footage is much smaller? Thanks for your help.

-Roni

Roni,
Corian is nice but way too heavy. There are a lot of new colors and textures in Formica and similar products. Dress up the laminate top with wood trim around the edges and it will look great. I'm an old sailor going RV'ing and whats true for a sailboat is also true for a motorhome: "Weight is your enemy". I'd rather carry that weight in extra water or something more practical. On my list is an aluminum floor jack in case I have to change a tire with no help available and the cost of the Corian job will cover the fuel for a cross country trip or more. 
Niels

that sounds terribly expensive to me but I have been out of the trade for a while, have you checked with any online companies? Whereabouts are you located ? I have a friend here in Joliet, IL. that has a cabinet shop out of his garage who is plenty experienced with all solid surface countertops including Corian which is one of a few solid surface materials used in the countertop industry . BTW, that much extra weight you wouldn't even notice.

I thought that was terribly expensive as well. We're currently in MN, so a little bit of a drive to use your friend, but maybe I could find someone like him in the area.

-Roni

As Deano noted there are other solid surface materials besides Corian; you do pay more for the DuPont name.  Our coach came with Corian throughout including the dining area table and molded sinks.  The only thing I don't like about it is how easily the sinks show stains from food preparation and dish washing.  Our sinks are match our counters and are very light in color.

Fortunately, you can buy an inexpensive set of specialty polishing pads that easily remove the stains and can be used, if necessary, to remove surface scratches and even burns.  I bought the polishing pad set from a company recommended by Dupont:  http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=70  These pads are far superior to using Scotchbrite pads which some people recommend and actually can restore a gloss finish to Corian and similar products.

if you like, send me the dimensions with drawings/sketches and I could get a price from him for you. Wouldn't be that big of a deal for me. I think the problem with high prices is they think motorhome people have money trees. haha

To remove stains from your solid surface sinks. Good old Clorox bleach. 
Fill the sink pass the stain mark add a cup of Clorox and let it sit for an hour.  No rubbing no scrubbing. 
Rust,  I use Wink and I love watching stains disappear before my eyes.  Just rinse the sink out good before food preparation

Most cabinet & countertop shops aren't much interested in a small job at a low margin. Onsite installation labor isn't much different whether the job is small or large, and the amount of "customer service" potentially needed is also similar. Their time is valuable and the price reflects that. If you can find a small shop or an installer who will get the countertop made somewhere and install it at his lower labor rates, you might make a deal. I've had Corian (or equivalent) solid surface pieces made and installed myself - built my computer desk that way. Even then it took three tries to get the piece - the first one got broken in shipping (insurance covered it) and the second one was dropped by the shop helper who was packing it.

You also have to be willing to make some compromises on the color/pattern to get a good price on a small piece. If they have to buy a full sheet to get the color you want, there will be no savings on the small size. But if you can find a remnant from a previous job that works for you, the savings are substantial. A full sheet is 30" x 144".  Most larger shops have 1/3-1/2 sized pieces left from other jobs, so ask if they will let you look at their remnants.

There is a lot to be said for a mica countertop instead of corian. Modern Formica (or other brand) has a lot of color depth and elegant patterns and amateurs sometimes can't tell the difference. Plus mica resists scratching much better than solid surface and doesn't need polishing regularly to stay looking bright.

+1 to what Gary just said about looking for remnants!

That is exactly what I did when remodeling our class B.  (OK. Yes.  For a B, the pieces were really small, but it may work for you.)
I got two pieces of a Corian-like solid surface material - cut and sinks mounted, etc.  For about $300.
My pieces were small enough that I wasn't worried about weight.

The place I went had some fairly large remnants that I was able to choose from.  Good Luck!

if you like, send me the dimensions with drawings/sketches and I could get a price from him for you. Wouldn't be that big of a deal for me. I think the problem with high prices is they think motorhome people have money trees. haha

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We appreciate that Deano, thanks, but we have a guy coming this weekend to take a look at everything for us.

Thanks to the rest of you for your input as well. Very much appreciate it. We'll post photos when it's done.

-Trevor & Roni

I'm confused.

One reply said too much weight, another one said weight doesn't matter.

If you are anywhere near Junction City, Oregon, Davis Cabinets does quite a bit of remodeling of cabinets and counter tops; almost exclusively motor homes.

When we had the couch and booth dinette replaced in our motor home with a computer desk, credenzas and pull out table, he matched our existing corian counter top. 

I'll bet there are places near Elkart <spelling?>, Indiana that might do the same type of work.

BTW, we have a heat crack in our counter top near the stove and I've found a company that can repair it.

Marsha~

I said that much of extra weight from going to soli,d surface material wouldn't be noticed in the overall picture. There are laminates that are solid color all through and look very nice.

DearMissMermaid said:

I'm confused.

One reply said too much weight, another one said weight doesn't matter.

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I don't think that the extra weight really matters at all in the overall scheme of things. People here report that towing 1 5000 pound car would reduce their gas mileage by around 5 miles per gallon.

Of course if you are towing up the side of a steep mountain at 60 mph you would  of course notice the effects of the extra weight. But personally I would not care. There is a lot more to RVing than saving on gas. The best way to save on gas is  to not Two at all.
Edit: Fixed quote.

When we replaced the Formica counter tops in our old coach with  Corian counter tops, I couldn't feel the weight difference that is being talked about here. The Formica is applied over 3/4' MDF, and the Corian is only 1/2' thick with the edges built up to appear thicker. Now the sink counter had more weight due to the stainless sink being lighter than the cast in sinks that were in the Corian, but not by that much. I would guess that all the Corian that replaced the Formica and the stainless sink does not add more than 25 pounds. The two 6' counters and back splash material and adhesives [sinks cast into one counter] cost less than $1,200.00.


Lee

..... People here report that towing 1 5000 pound car would reduce their gas mileage by around 5 miles per gallon.

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In that case, my mileage would be about 2mpg.

When I raised the weight issue, I was not trying to suggest that the Corian counter top would prevent your getting over the pass. What I was suggesting was whether sailing, flying or RVing, you adopt a think light mindset. I'm working on a sub 2000# toad project right now. Running light will save fuel, run cooler and avoid added strain on your rig.
Niels 

People here report that towing 1 5000 pound car would reduce their gas mileage by around 5 miles per gallon.

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Not even close!  I've kept track of mileage through two motorhomes and three tow cars (Tracker, Jeep GC, MDX) and less than 1/2-mile per gallon is more accurate.  Even with the tow car and all Corian counters throughout the current motorhome - plus all the stuff like full tanks, tools and canned goods - we still average over 7 mpg in our 40' DP.

As to the original question about Corian - I love ours!  In fact I like it so much we downgraded in the house from granite (which neither of us likes) to Corian.  I've attended numerous Corian seminars and it's really easy to care for.  Filling the tub with Clorox takes care of stains (mustard, red wine, blueberries, etc.).  Waxes and other such products are NOT recommended because Corian is not porous so they sit on the counter and get into any food you might put directly on it.  The only thing you really have to be careful of with Corian (and many other surfaces) is excessive heat on a seam or gouging it by cutting it with a knife.  I sure like it better than tile which we had previously with its yucky grout.

ArdraF

Not even close

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Maybe a typo Ardra, and he meant 0.5 mpg  ???  That would jive with Tom's first statement.

I have read on this forum that having a toad could cost you 1/2 mile per gallon. I think the poster above may have meant .5 MPG.