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Bathroom Counter/sink - What material would you pick?


cjzimmer1
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The kids broke the drawer on our bathroom vanity.  Since it's over 20 years old and has seen better days, we decided to replace it.  Of course once you start that process, it leads to wanting to change other things.  There is so many new materials and choices since we last did this.  Back then we got to pick from about 6 choices of cultured marble and now the choices are well almost limitless.

We are considering using Corian (solid-surface) with the sink molded into the counter top (just like our cultured marble is now) because I like the idea of one piece and less groves to try to keep clean.  But I'm not sure how well the material will hold up to daily use and abuse of 7 people. I'm not worried about heat because we don't own any hair dryers or curling irons. But the single most important criteria is low maintenance.  I've got enough work in my life already, I don't want something that is going to be more work than washing with water.

Is there another product we should be considering? 

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The ceramic one piece countertops are so much easier to clean than cultured marble/corian.  Think of the difference between cleaning a glass and a plastic cup.  The downside is the bigger sizes are probably not available, and probably worse if you chip them (like if the door knob could get slammed into the sink).

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We have to do a custom order on our counter top because the bowl is off  center.  It's only 48 inch so not a super big piece. The cabinet is already on order.  Is the ceramic something that can be ordered separately?  I haven't encountered it at the places I've looked but then I might not have asked the right questions and so the salespeople may not have shown me either.  Is there a specific brand I can google to get more information?

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The beauty of solid surface (Corian or other) is that it is pretty much indestructible.  If it gets stained, you can scrub or bleach the stain without hurting the surface.  If it gets scratched, you can use sanding pads and polishing powders to bring erase the scratch and bring it back to it's original condition.  The same is true for hard water deposits.  They can be sanded off, then the surface polished to make the problem invisible.  There are a gazillion choices in colors and patterns.  

I prefer solid surface to under-mount sinks because they are truly seamless.  Under-mount sinks still get gunk stuck in the crack. Marble and granite scratch and stain, and there is no way to get fix them.  You have to be so careful with them.  

The other thing I love about my Corian top is that I got the extra large sink.  I don't have to worry about water splashing all over the counter when I wash my face.  

I've had Corian in my kitchen and bathrooms for 14 years, and haven't been all that careful, and they still look like new.  We just had to replace the kitchen faucet, and there were rings of hard water deposited around the old one.  I was able to scrub it off, then buff the countertop before installing the new faucet.  Looks like new!

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8 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

We have to do a custom order on our counter top because the bowl is off  center.  It's only 48 inch so not a super big piece. The cabinet is already on order.  Is the ceramic something that can be ordered separately?  I haven't encountered it at the places I've looked but then I might not have asked the right questions and so the salespeople may not have shown me either.  Is there a specific brand I can google to get more information?

Our vanity and the top and sink were all made by Kohler. We ordered them from Wayfair.

We got this vanity:

https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/k-99519-lg-1wa-kohler-damask-plains-36-vanity-base-only-with-furniture-legs-2-doors-and-1-drawer-koh21494.html

and this top:

https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/kohler-ceramic-impressions-impressions-rectangular-drop-in-bathroom-sink-with-overflow-koh20695.html

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