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Removing Corian??

bons
11 years ago

Is it possible to remove a Corian kitchen counter without destroying it? I'm getting ready to remodel and I'd love to give it away since it's still in good shape. Someone might be able to cut it/use it for something...

Bonnie

Comments (13)

  • ci_lantro
    11 years ago

    I'm sure that it can be removed successfully because I've seen used Corian in the past.

    Crawl into some of your cabs & investigate how it's attached.

    What region of the country are you in, Bonnie? Asking because I'm interested in getting some Corian for another project...

  • mrspete
    11 years ago

    If nothing else, you should be able to cut it up into cutting boards -- not that you'd ever need that many cutting boards.

    I say this because I remember years ago that people used to sell Corian cutting boards at home shows, and I realized that they were actually sink cut-outs. Essentially they were selling their garbage.

  • Tmnca
    11 years ago

    Most countertops are mounted on plywood which is simply screwed in from underneath. You should be able to unscrew and then lift off - but be careful not to crack during removal. Getting the slab vertical ASAP will help (ie lift up from front to vertical, then move).

  • bons
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'm in the San Francisco east bay area. My demo will probably start the end of the first week or beginning of the second week of March - pretty soon.

    I'd love to make it available for someone to cut up and reuse. I'll have to crawl inside my cabinets and have a look. I'm not interested in keeping it or cutting it up.

    Thanks!

    Bonnie

  • repac
    11 years ago

    We just had our entire kitchen countertops of Corian removed, without any breakage/cracking of the Corian. We reinstalled one 12 foot run of cabinets and countertop in the basement, and it is in perfect shape. The rest of the Corian we gave away to a church that was rehabing an inner city home. This was done by a kitchen company, and they didn't seem to have any problem with it. Because Corian is nearly indestructible, it's a great idea to reuse it. Hope it works as well for you.

  • Tmnca
    11 years ago

    I'm in the SF bay area too - what size are your countertops? I just poured concrete for ours, too bad they are an odd size and shape (55 sq ft of U- shaped) because I am guessing yours would not fit. Otherwise I'd be happy to come over and help uninstall them and take them away!

    If you post on craigslist, you can probably get a licensed contractor who will remove them for free to install elsewhere...

  • bons
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Actually - It's about 65 - 70 sf - U-shaped. I've attached a pic.

    It's a light brown tiny speckle - you can't really see the speckle in the picture. I'm replacing my cabinets/counters/appliances.

    Bonnie

  • repac
    11 years ago

    Habitat for Humanity will also take the Corian. We were going to donate it to them, until someone we know asked for the Corian for the rehab project. We were just happy that it was going to a good home. Habitat for Humanity took the rest of our working appliances and sinks. They made it easy--they came out and loaded up their truck from our garage, so we didn't have to transport anything. So nice to reuse!

  • bons
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    repac - were you able to remove the Corian countertop pretty easily? Any tips?

    Bonnie

  • repac
    11 years ago

    bons: we had a professional kitchen company do it (and everything else, as we are not talented enough for DIY). I wasn't around when they removed the Corian so I don't know how they did it. It did seem to go easily because everything was removed in one day, and I saw the Corian afterward and it was all in large pieces. The only areas that they cut were around the large sink and cooktop, to make it easier to remove.

    The worker who did the removal will be back within the next couple of weeks, so I can ask him then how he did it, and I'll report back to you. Will that be in time for your project?

  • bons
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, repac. It may be cutting it close. I'm off to buy Ikea cabinets on March 1, and then depending on the delivery date I have the demo/Ikea cabinet contractors coming to get going.

    That's OK though. I'll have the demo guys take a look and see if they can somehow figure it out if you don't post in time. Thanks!

    Bonnie

  • Tmnca
    11 years ago

    Did you check underneath to see if the countertop is just screwed on? Most are accessible from below.