Sunday, February 01, 2009

Cracked

Well, fooey.

About two months ago, we found a crack in our Corian countertop, right next to the stove. We couldn't figure out -- still can't -- where it came from, as we've never noticed heat from the stove affecting the Corian. That is where the waffle iron sits when it's in use, but we're talking five - six minutes, two or three times a week, max, which hardly seems like it'd be a problem. I sanded it, and it got better, but didn't go away -- looked like a faint pencil line.

Today, we ran the slow cooker for a long while, and the surface of the Corian got actively hot -- which we wouldn't have noticed, except that the crack was suddenly much longer, and actually wider -- you could see into it, just a bit. Argh. Now that it's cooled the crack has narrowed, but still. We'll likely sand it again, but I think we're looking at either repairing it -- possibly shifting the counter over a bit, and putting something in to take up the slack -- or replacing it. I've heard nice things about heat-resistant tiles, so possibly that, or maybe something like a cuttable-surface like butcher block. Whatever it is has to look decent with the existing cabinets, though.

Argh. Man, what a pain!

2 comments:

Wendster said...

dang corian. Where's the warranty?

Cerulean Bill said...

The installation is about ten years old, so we think it's expired. We're contemplating replacing that section - its not small, but its the smallest of the three - with a tiled counter. The only bummer would be that that's where I sometimes roll out dough, which isn't possible on a bumpy surface. Fortunately, I do have a nice bread board that my mother got from her grandmother's estate. And we do have the Corian on the other side, too, if I need it. Its just a pain, is all.

What made the crack expand was obvious -- the surface was actively hot to the touch after we moved the slow cooker -- but we still cannot figure out what made the original one.