Can Corian hold screws?

[Brian Elfert]

Does Corian have any strength to hold screws?

My contractor put a piece of oak behind the towel bar in my bathroom. The reason for this is so the oak could be screwed to the studs and then the towel bar is screwed to the oak. He used the wrong finish on the oak and it is all full of water spots. My thinking is to replace the oak with Corian or similar if I can screw the towel bar to the Corian.

[Gene Davis]

Drill it and tap it for coarse-threaded (NC) screws. Do not presume that you can use self-tappers.

Treat it as you would aluminum or brass, when selecting the drill size.

[Brian Elfert]

Thank you. I had no idea that one could drill and tap Corian.

[Wade Lippman]

Thank you. I had no idea that one could drill and tap Corian.

You can, but corian is too brittle and coarse to hold screws decently. Can you bolt the towel rack on first and then put the corian panel up?

[Brian Elfert]

The towel bar is 24" wide and studs are spaced at 16" so I can't mount the towel bar directly to a stud. The whole point is to mount the towel bar to something solid instead of anchoring to drywall. If Corian won't be strong enough to attach a towel bar to I will just stick with oak. The Corian or oak is screwed to the studs and then the towel bar is screwed to that.

There is an oak board behind the towel bar now that the towel bar is attached to. The issue is I need to replace the oak because the contractor didn't used a water resistant finish and it is all spotted.

[Matt Day]

Can't you use some kind of adhesive? Liquid nails or the like?

I've drilled and tapped corian but it's very susceptible to blowout and is very brittle. I've only done so for the elevation adjustment screws on a ZCI.

[Jerome Stanek]

Can you use blind nuts in the corian

[Brian Tymchak]

The towel bar is 24" wide and studs are spaced at 16" so I can't mount the towel bar directly to a stud. The whole point is to mount the towel bar to something solid instead of anchoring to drywall.


I have 2 24" towel bars in my master bath and 3 others in other bathrooms mounted to drywall with the plastic screw-in anchors, 3 per rod end. Maybe I'm missing something but I can't imagine how to put enough hanging weight on a towel rod to necessitate it be anchored into the studs. Unless maybe they are doubling as safety grab bars?

[Wade Lippman]

The towel bar is 24" wide and studs are spaced at 16" so I can't mount the towel bar directly to a stud.

Ah, can you bolt the bar to the corian? Obviously you can't bolt it to studs.

[Brian Elfert]

Isn't that uncommon for towel bars anchored to just drywall to get loose or torn from the wall. In my previous house I somehow fell against a towel bar and ripped it out of the drywall. The contractor who did my bathroom put oak behind the towel bar to stop it from coming loose. The issue is he didn't use the right finish on the oak and it has water spots all over it.

[Bonnie Campbell]

If it were me.... lazy as I am.... I would remove the bar and oak piece. Then strip and refinish the oak with a better water resistant sealer. That is if you're happy with the oak piece itself.

[Keith Outten]

Drill it and tap it for coarse-threaded (NC) screws. Do not presume that you can use self-tappers.

Treat it as you would aluminum or brass, when selecting the drill size.

I agree with Gene.

I have drilled and tapped Corian many times for various sign projects but I use an adhesive like Shoe Goo on the threads when I install the screws. Use a very sharp tap.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Could you drill through the Corian, counter bore the back side so that nuts would be below the back surface, then use bolt and nuts to attach the towel bar to it?

[George Bokros]

I have 2 24" towel bars in my master bath and 3 others in other bathrooms mounted to drywall with the plastic screw-in anchors, 3 per rod end. Maybe I'm missing something but I can't imagine how to put enough hanging weight on a towel rod to necessitate it be anchored into the studs. Unless maybe they are doubling as safety grab bars?

I do this also and have never had a problem with a towel bar pulling out of the wall. The only way I could see a problem is if someone grabbed both sides of the towel and really jerked the towel. If mine did that he find me warming his backside severely.

[David Linnabary]

You might through drill the corian and install a tee nut from behind, possibly epoxy the tee nut in place.

David

[Curt Harms]

You might through drill the corian and install a tee nut from behind, possibly epoxy the tee nut in place.

David

This is IMO the best idea yet. DuPont makes available an installation guide for their solid surface products (http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/fabmanual/table_of_contents.html). I don't have time right now to look through it but recall threaded inserts and epoxy. I'd guess just drill and tap would be adequate for towel bars.
(http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/fabmanual/table_of_contents.html)

[Brian Elfert]

If it were me.... lazy as I am.... I would remove the bar and oak piece. Then strip and refinish the oak with a better water resistant sealer. That is if you're happy with the oak piece itself.

The contractor was cheap and he actually nailed together three pieces of oak to make up an oak board. I don't know why he couldn't have spent $6 on a new piece of wood.

My original plan was to just stain and finish a new piece of oak with a better finish. I was searching for the best finish here on the Creek and someone recommended Corian for a shelf in a bathroom instead of wood. I read that and decided that maybe Corian would work for what I am doing.

[Peter Kelly]

Press-fit insert nut for Corian. http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/Fasteners/Threaded-Inserts-Rivet-Nuts-Weld-Nuts/Threaded-Inserts-New-Threads/Press-Fit-Threaded-Inserts?navid=12108838

Can add epoxy if need be but it probably isn't totally necessary.