Refinishing a Corian Countertop

[@blakepeterson9650]

Thanks for the video. It was by far the most helpful video I could find. Also, thanks for the warning about the mess. Because of that warning, I was able to do few things that helped minimize the mess.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Excellent. Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate your input and I am glad this helped you.

[@flava4u523]

Best video so far

[@richards5696]

Nice simple and informative.

[@mikecochran3756]

Thank you so much!

[@Snowmannorth]

We also had Corian countertops…as said by author above, we also found them too easy to scratch. We would not install them again. There are better options like stone, quartz or laminate.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Yea, we are switching to quartz as we speak.

[@rosemariechmiel894]

AGAIN I AM WATCHING AND YOU ARE COVERING THE PRODUCTS YOU USE, THIS INFORMATION WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

The polish is McGuire from Harbor Freight. I have also seen both the course and fine polish at Walmart.

[@jenniferlarson4491]

Thank you for posting this! I am trying to decide what kind of counter top to replace my tile counters with, and I have always liked Corian. I wanted to know what the process is for keeping it looking like new. This helps my in my decision making process. Thanks again!

[@janemcroberts5172]

Jennifer Larson if you like shiny countertops don’t go with Corian. We have had ours for about 18 years & it’s dull looking & I can’t find how to bring the luster back like I want. It does scratch easily too. Don’t get me wrong it’s beautiful but after all the years it needs work. Good luck

[@J.Cameron.Stuart.Adams.]

Choose quartz. I had quartz installed in my homes. My coach came with Corian. As does nearly every RV. I'm trying to decide if I want them to polish the Corian or replace the counter tops in the bathrooms and kitchen with quartz. In my primary home I had the green marble replaced with quartz in 2002. The quartz still looks like new. There is zero maintenance. Quartz isn't affected by heat, doesn't stain, is uv resistant, and the rare scratch can be polished out or filled in and disappears with resin. I was told chips can also be repaired. So far no chips that I know of. If someone did damage a counter top, they had it fixed. Like with solid surface one can have a quartz surface polished if necessary. My smart and environmentally responsible niece posted that she was looking to replace her counter tops. In less than two month she was given matching marble from two different homes and quartz from those remodeling. One was simply changing polished marble to honed marble. She simply had the pieces cut to fit her bathrooms and kitchen. A new slab, in a contrasting color, was ordered for the island. If one is flexible and plans ahead, they can save a lot of money by taking delivery of perfectly good counter tops and other fixtures. Particularly in areas of high-end homes. I know so many who change their kitchens and bathrooms every couple years. As soon as their designer sends a sketch of their kitchen with the newest trend(s), They're off to one of their other homes while the primary undergoes a kitchen remodel. Its always just the kitchen.....until the designer introduces new door hardware, then a rug, then we must have black iron windows, and then a single new bathroom faucets requires all eight bathrooms be torn out for bespoke everything. Of course this trendy "everything" falls out of fashion quicker than last seasons Prada loafers. Before the four month kitchen, now three year top to bottom, reno reaches the half way point, all those must have fixtures are being sold as used before they were even opened. After six years, as the project nears completion, a brand new home catches the eye of the misses. Its everything she wishes her home was.......except for a few minor but costly changes. So their primary is quietly sold. Before the ink dries on the closing doc for the new home, the designer has submitted plans with all new must have fittings, furniture - including the latest tea cup mutant dog, and finishes for the still unmolested new home. You can't bring furniture from one home to the next. Right! Obviously not.......whatever. Don't bother telling her she'll be the one to pay for it. She'll agree to the terms.....but you still end up with the bill. If the card has her name on it, she thinks she is paying for it "all by myself". Or as in my case, my ex-husband. He actually began selling his old clothes, shoes, and other items he no longer cared for. And to my, not so amusing surprise, a few of my possessions. Paco: "Well you never used it! It just sits in the cabinet. Besides it was old. Like my grandma old.". Me: "One does not 'use' an 'old' 15th century vase!". Despite his sizable earnings from selling off mostly my "unused old stuff", he still had all of the purchases he "needed" for the new house on my accounts. Paco got that house in the divorce. Afterall it was designed to suit him. I certainly didn't want everything that was "grandma old" discarded in another home. What Paco didn't win was enough in support for him to continue living as if someone else were still magically playing the bills. I purchased the house back after the city foreclosed due to unpaid taxes and fines for failing to maintain the property as required by the city. I'm told Paco reacted as I had hoped. It was gutted. Then sold. I'm told Paco reacted, as I had hoped, once more. I change things to suit me. Not to soothe the ego and bank account of the decorator. Nor is it a means to begin the ritual of bribing, pleading and negotiating in order to be the "chosen" one on the cover of a magazine to fluff my own ego and sift through the vastly inflated purchase offers. Smart and timeless designs that speak to you is all that should be considered. A home should comfort, soothe, and better you. When you do remodel, be sure to salvage and everything. Not only is it a tax write-off, but its great for the environment. This will enable the poor to buy much better quality fixtures and fittings. Unlike a kitchen from The IKEA or the like, quality fixtures and fittings will last a lifetime. The poor cannot afford to replace cheap quality materials every couple years. Help the poor, help the environment, and save few bucks on your taxes by donating old fixtures and fittings. Cheers!

[@stevendoll6729]

Cameron Hollis wow

[@KyleTaylorLucas]

About ready to refinish my Corian countertops and island after 12 years use. Yours was the most helpful video yet. However, you spoke about the visible fine lines afterward. Were you lamenting having not better sanding those? If so, what would you recommend. Thank you.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Actually the scratches were not addressed in this video. Just polished. For scratches, the process involves a vacuum sander and progressively finer grit paper. Since that technique is new to me, the video avoided showing my learning curve which is still needs work.

[@KyleTaylorLucas]

Oh, I see. Thank you.

[@wendyanthony1282]

Too slow, too much waffle!

[@JohnDoe-mp1zk]

This is just polishing. Don’t address speed either

[@Missauthentic716]

Thank you so much! I appreciate all your tips!

[@kimberlykestner5776]

Great video!!

[@josephpettus3718]

The foam pad is supposed to bein a bonnet one bonnet for the cutting compound and another for polish my friend!

[@mikebeemman3681]

Thanks for the vid, dude. But you only did 1/3 of the job - why not sand first, then finish?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Good idea. I am new to this and was sharing what I learned. Thank you.

[@rich2376]

I have white corian countertops and I have a yellowish stain on one section. I've tried to remove with Softscrub but it won't come out. Does the Meguiars rubbing compound work better than Softscrub?

[@michaelmagone9672]

David - thanks for the video, nicely done. My solid surface needs sanding and repolishing, but the local countertop shop advises against a high polish because they say it show even more fingerprints, water spots, etc. than the matte surface that I wipe frequently today. Now, after two years later, what is your input - would you re-polish this counter top again, or it high maintenance to keep looking good? Thanks.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Unfortunately, wax and polish really does not help protect against scratches. These tops are just too soft and should we decide to replace them we are going to stone. IMO those types of counter tops do not stand up to real every day family use.

[@CAMDEC1217]

I have lexton counter tops, just like Corian, a solid surface. The finish is very matte. Can I get a high gloss using the rubbing and polishing compound?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Your idea sounds good. However, this is not my area of expertise. I would call a specialty shop and ask to be sure. Thank you for asking.

[@daherazar]

thanks for the post .

[@scrappergirl0670]

Thanks for doing the video. You mentioned something about sanding out the scratches first. What do you recommend and how would you do that?

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

There are a couple of videos out there on sanding the counters. I have not made one yet. You can always buy a cheap tool at Harbor Freight to sand down the top. The sanding process can be intimidating as you actually scratch the surface finer and finer until you really cannot see the scratches any more. Getting over the fact that you are scratching the surface to remove the scratches is rather tough to get past. IMO>

[@joancregier3329]

does this include the sinks also

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Actually, I did do the sinks and it looked great. I did not sand them so the scratches are still there but, the stainless steel sinks cleaned up really well.

[@robertyue7017]

Polishing a countertop without refinishing first is a big no no. Have the scratches removed by a professional. Semi gloss and gloss finishes can be done without compounds or buffing pads. No mess. I use expensive tooling costing hundreds of dollars, no $29.00 tools . Use a professional refinisher and stay away from high gloss FINISHES that will show every scratch and will require constant maintenance.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Thank you for taking the time to leave a very good comment.

[@rickrudd]

Dude, I don't think you understand the concept of DIY projects. If we wanted to hire a professional and shell put hundreds or thousands of dollars, we wouldn't be watching KZbin tutorials. Do you go onto tutorials on "how to change a tire on the side of the road" and say, "NO! Call a wrecker and have a pro who has a lift and impact wrenches do the job!"