Corian undermount sink question

[flanajb]

I have purchased piece of corian off the bay that I intended to use for a bathroom cabinet project with an under mount sink. The problem I see is that that corian is bonded onto a piece of MDF so when I route the top I am going to expose the mdf.

I suspect you need solid corian for this, or can you edge it?

Thanks

 

[Lons]

It's normally edged as it's only 12mm thick which is why it's been bonded to the mdf. To make an invisible joint you need the correct colour matched 2 part Corian adhesive but not always easy to get and it ain't cheap! You need to know the colour of the Corian first and there are lots including several variations of white, have a look on the web site.

 

[flanajb]

Ok thanks. And there I was thinking it was a simple case of cut out and router.

 

[Lons]

Ok thanks. And there I was thinking it was a simple case of cut out and router.

It's not difficult to work though creates a mess, you could buy the adhesive from some suppliers on ebay at one time so worth a look and gluing is easy as well as long as you can clamp it quickly as it' s short working time. DuPont keep the product exclusive and won't supply fitters unless they have attended a course though I'm out of the loop now so might have changed.

If you don't mind seeing a glue line or can make a feature by maybe running a router detail along it you can use one of the Araldite epoxies, I've done it once a few years ago but can't remember which version I bought, plenty of info on the manufacturer website. Might even be possible to colour the adhesive as a contrast perhaps?

There are some guys on here with much more Corian experience than me so they might offer better ideas.

There are other solid surface materials available in better thickness ( even Corian if you can find it ), e.g. Mistral is 25mm thick in standard form and most are very similar in properties. Bad time to search but local kitchen suppliers can often be a good source for decent size offcuts at reasonable price.

 

[Lons]

Just read your original post again. The basin shouldn't be an issue as you can route the mdf away underneath where the basin fits and form the corian edge as normal, it will be only 12mm but I would think be fine as long as you can mount the basin securely as the Corian will still be supported across it's width by the remaining mdf.
The issue you would have to overcome is the front edge of the unit.

 

[D_W]

The issue you would have to overcome is the front edge of the unit.

built edge as you described , routed and cleaned up, or some kind of provision to mount a thin top directly on something else flush.

It's maybe a pain to get matching material and the adhesive, but if you can get a hold of it, it's easy work (cutting it will ruin circular saw blades and probably dull router bits quickly, but that's rouging work - it sands well).

The adhesive smells like death and heats up and bonds quickly, but it's wonderful to work with.

There are some internet retailers here in the states starting to sell corian sheets - when I did my kitchen, I'd never worked with any of it and went with a coarser looking material from a company called living stone but the dealer sold corian and told me I could get it. I don't know how they're working around that. They're in colorado, so won't be an option in the UK!!

I was very pleased with how easy the material is to work with - on an outside cut and trimming, it can actually be hand sawn and hand planed before sanding. I doubt many will ever do that, but I liked it for odd cuts - lower risk than router work, and then the small details (like roundover and finish sanding) can be done after that with a trim router and sander.