Corian Outdoor Kitchen Countertop

by Claudine Descheemaecker
(Mill Valley, CA)

QUESTION:

Can I use Corian outside without it turning boiling hot? I would love dark granite but since it will be in the sun most of the time probably not a good idea. Also what about blue stone and soapstone, do they get hot as well?

ANSWER:

Corian is essentially a plastic countertop, so it may not retain or reflect heat or get as hot as other surfaces, but I wouldn't recommend using it for an outdoor kitchen.

The color will fade and get splotchy outdoors. Corian is not heat resistant... no hot pots or hot anything on the surface and it scratches fairly easy.

The statement you read about "frying an egg on granite in the sun" is essentially true about any surface. It wasn't meant to single out granite.

Every type of surface (bluestone, soapstone, concrete, granite, marble, porcelain, ceramic) will get very hot if exposed to the sun all day

Granite is by far the best all-around surface you could install for an outdoor kitchen, so granite was simply used as an example to recommend that some form of shade be provided because there is no getting around the fact that a flat, dense surface in the sun will get hot.

I'd go with the granite... maybe a lighter color and find a way to get some shade on it. A Corian countertop would be cheaper, but for an outdoor kitchen it would be more hassle and less durable in the long run.