Corian Countertops

Corian countertops how do they differ from Silestone countertops or granite countertops? Well Corian countertops are made from a acrylic polymer, this means acrylic resin and alumina trihydrate, and of course the filling which gives it it's hardness and colouring. Corian is sometimes called thermo plastic, as it can be thermoformed at 150ºC, so it is able to make rounded configurations, it is also possible to weld together two seperate pieces of Corian. So Corian as a solid surface can be used in several applications where you join, bend, shape and finish, being a very versitile material.
Corian Countertops are a  Dupont brand (one of the biggest chemical companies in the world), Dupont also owns Zodiaq which is a silestone like material (made with polyester resin).
The main difference between Silestone type materials and Corian, is due to the chemical properties of one and another, so I will list them:

• Corian can be welded together, the most common quartz based agglomerate stone can't, normally it's glued together with adhesive, the joint will always exist and is very difficult to hide from the professional eye
• Corian can be bent, true, although I've seen quartz based products also slightly bent on a very open angle. However Corian is more flexible in this matter.
• Corian is more expensive. Every kitchen is a project when dealing with Corian material, it's all measured and made to fit; When dealing with quartz agglomerate any manufacturer can give you an estimate by phone if you give them the dimensions of the countertops and the cut-outs needed.
• Corian installation is more complex. While quartz agglomerate countertops can be installed by almost anyone, Corian will have their own technicians to install
• Corian is a less compact stone and less resistant to scratches. Quartz agglomerate products have are more compact and scratch resistant than Corian materials.
• Corian used more resin (acrylic) per cm3 than quartz agglomerate.
• Corian although has similar applications to other solid surfaces, it requires special technical services to install, while quartz agglomerate is manufactured and installed as any common granite