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Zsolt Paul
07-08-2010, 5:49 PM
I have a few corian related questions. I understand the color filling process is fill + sand off excess. Is the sanded corian finished with anything or is it sanded up to a very fine grit? if so, what grit?

If instead of color fill, I'd flush fill with black epoxy for example and then sanded it, it wouldn't look black anymore. It would look more grayish. What would be the solution to get it deep black looking again? (Spray coating the whole thing comes to mind)

What about sanding black corian? Does that still look black after sanding it?

Thanks!

Ross Moshinsky
07-08-2010, 8:26 PM
When you sand, you sand down with various papers until you get to a high grit paper. If you want a real shine, you can use automotive polish with high grit paper. Frankly, everyone you talk to will suggest a different grit to sand to. Some people like matte finish, others semi-gloss, other high gloss. High gloss you could go really crazy using very high grit paper.

As long as the paint/enamel/epoxy is 100% dry, it will keep its shine because you aren't sanding the paint/enamel/epoxy. You're just sanding down the surface and the excess paint. If the fill is tacky at all, it will dull because it will get a slight amount of dust on the letters.

It's solid surface 100% the way through. Sanding is more like polishing. Think of it like stainless steel or aluminum. From top to bottom, it's all the same.

Read this: http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/assets/pdf/Care_and_Maintenance.pdf
http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces_Commercial/en_US/assets/downloads/pdfs/Corian_C&M_Final.pdf

Chuck Stone
07-08-2010, 8:55 PM
I think the reason that the epoxy would look grayish is that it is too soft.
As you sand, you're putting scratches in the material, and the epoxy would
capture sanding dust in these scratches. A harder material wouldn't have
this problem.

Materials like Corian look lighter when you sand them because the scratch
pattern is too coarse. As you sand to progressively higher grits (like the
installers did) then the color will darken again because it scatters less
light.

Zsolt Paul
07-08-2010, 9:19 PM
As long as the paint/enamel/epoxy is 100% dry, it will keep its shine because you aren't sanding the paint/enamel/epoxy. You're just sanding down the surface and the excess paint. If the fill is tacky at all, it will dull because it will get a slight amount of dust on the letters.

I was talking about FLUSH filling the epoxy, in which case I would be sanding both the corian and the epoxy.


I think the reason that the epoxy would look grayish is that it is too soft.

That could very well be. Good point, although epoxy is pretty hard...maybe need to let it cure longer? Although it will probably never be as hard as corian.

James Jaragosky
07-08-2010, 9:38 PM
I was talking about FLUSH filling the epoxy, in which case I would be sanding both the corian and the epoxy.



That could very well be. Good point, although epoxy is pretty hard...maybe need to let it cure longer? Although it will probably never be as hard as corian.
Why not just use black Corian adhesive as your fill? Corian makes hundreds of colors that can be used as fill.

Zsolt Paul
07-08-2010, 10:56 PM
Why not just use black Corian adhesive as your fill? Corian makes hundreds of colors that can be used as fill.

Sure, that's a good option. For me, epoxy offers more flixibilty in color choices, as I can tint it myself...any color, any amount, any time.

Keith Outten
07-09-2010, 1:24 AM
Black epoxy when fully cured and Corian adhesive will both provide a nice gloss shine if you polish the surface after sanding. I normally use buffing wheels and compound on Corian when I want a gloss surface. You can also use 3M Trizac disks on your ROS wet sanding to get a semi-polished look.

I use colored epoxy to flush fill pen blanks that I machine on my pen wizard, it shines nicely when I use micro mesh.

This is a plaque I made for someone awhile back, made from Nocturn Corian (solid black) polished with a buffing wheel. The insert was 1/4" thick Cameo White Corian that was laser engraved, paint filled and sanded to 120 grit.
.

Belinda Barfield
07-09-2010, 7:24 AM
What about sanding black corian? Does that still look black after sanding it?

IMHO, black Corian can be very frustrating to work with if you want that rich, glossy black. With a high gloss finish every little scratch shows, and it scratches very easily. If you don't bring the gloss up it doesn't really look black.



It's solid surface 100% the way through. Sanding is more like polishing. Think of it like stainless steel or aluminum. From top to bottom, it's all the same.

Ross, I would like to respectfully disagree with you. Solid colors in solid surface are the same top to bottom. Solid surface colors with particulates vary from top to bottom with the larger particulates on the top getting progressively smaller toward the bottom. There are some newer Corian colors that have have "veining" to appear more like marble. These products vary tremendously in color throughout the material.

Scott Shepherd
07-09-2010, 8:19 AM
Ross, I would like to respectfully disagree with you. Solid colors in solid surface are the same top to bottom. Solid surface colors with particulates vary from top to bottom with the larger particulates on the top getting progressively smaller toward the bottom. There are some newer Corian colors that have have "veining" to appear more like marble. These products vary tremendously in color throughout the material.

+1 on that. If you take various colors and turn them over, you'll see the backside isn't the same as the front. There is actually a top and a bottom to most Corian.

Ross Moshinsky
07-09-2010, 9:47 AM
You're right. I over exaggerated a bit. When you're sanding/polishing, you're most likely sanding off less than 1/64". Within those limits, the material is essentially the same. On a lot of other materials, you sand down that much and the material is dramatically different. My point was it is solid all the way through.

Zsolt Paul
07-09-2010, 4:38 PM
The reason for the larger fill material is at the bottom is b/c of its weight. When the "liquid" resin or polymer is mixed with the filler materials, the larger chunks settle to the bottom before the resin hardens and the lighter weight filler material stays at the top. This bottom will become the top ultimately.

Zsolt Paul
07-09-2010, 4:41 PM
By the way, is solidsurface.com the best source for corian? Every counter top place around me seems to be granite only and I can't find corian sink cut-outs around me.

Belinda Barfield
07-09-2010, 4:49 PM
By the way, is solidsurface.com the best source for corian? Every counter top place around me seems to be granite only and I can't find corian sink cut-outs around me.

I buy from my local Corian distributor. Go to the Dupont Corian website and search for a distributor for your area. If I recall correctly buying through a distirbutor is much cheaper than buying from solidsurface.com. Don't limit yourself to counterop places. Check with cabinet builders also as many of them fabricate their own solid surface tops.

Zsolt Paul
07-09-2010, 5:22 PM
I buy from my local Corian distributor. Go to the Dupont Corian website and search for a distributor for your area. If I recall correctly buying through a distirbutor is much cheaper than buying from solidsurface.com. Don't limit yourself to counterop places. Check with cabinet builders also as many of them fabricate their own solid surface tops.

Thanks Belinda!