[Barbara]

I agree with all Donna has already said. I was provided with a video of how to look after the Corian and it mentioned polishing to get rid of scratches. I've never bothered. My stains are removed with a squirt of bleach and the bench looks perfect again. I'm fairly mimalist in my decor and the Corian suits me for that reason. It always looks clean. I never put hot pots on my bench top anyway so that wasn't an issue for me. Even if I had granite or stainless steel I wouldn't put a hot pot down without a trivet or cloth under it.
_________________
Barbara

[laurie_m]

I admit I am terrible, I cut lemons and put hot pans straight down on the counter- but I only do it because I know it doesn't damage the Zodiaq. I think it is down to how you use (or abuse) your countertops, and also the look you are going for. With a textured wall you may want a more solid counter, which Corian suits, but be aware solid counters show every crumb. A quartz or granite in a fine grain pattern hides a lot of sins. I do like the honed finish though , it is warmer. Corian in general feels warmer than stone. (The exception being honed soapstone which is lovely as you know) If you are not abusive and don't have small children the Corian should be fine. We got our faucet and sink on line from www.Faucet.com and got a good deal. Just measure everything. Cabinet pulls are very important and can be very expensive! I shopped online and looked at what felt like thousands, ended up at a kitchen design place and got basic restaurant style handels at a good price. Good luck, and do everything the way YOU want it, don't worry about resale, it's YOUR kitchen enjoy it!!!

[georgia]

Rainey, I just thought of something you might consider in your kitchen plans (like you don't have enough to think about already...). Anyway, I made certain that I had one below-counter cupboard that had a sturdy drawer with enough clearance for my KitchenAid mixer and my food processor. I know that there is some hardware/mechanism that raises a shelf or drawer to counter height to minimize effort in lifting, etc., but that's not what I mean. I considered that mechanism and decided against it, partly for $ reasons and also because I'm leary (leery?) of doodads that I expect to malfunction at some point.

I use my mixer and processor a lot and don't have the counter space to have them out all the time. But I wanted a dedicated space to accommodate them. This works great and didn't necessitate any major extra expense. I still have to lift them but not far, and it's not a problem.

Just a thought...

[Donna]

I had the Appliance Garage on the counter top - where a door rolled down (like a roll top desk) to hide the KA, the Cuisenart, the coffemaker (we only use it for company, since I am the only coffee drinker). We didn't have a bread machine yet, so it did not need to accommodate that. I did enjoy a) not having to physically haul them up from a lower cabinet and b) not seeing them everyday when I wasn't using them. I still had counter space to work on in front of and beside the "garage" and there were four plugs at the back. I priced that gizmo also, where you stow the appliance below the counter and then pull it up to counter height - it was amazingly expensive!

I miss having an appliance garage VERY MUCH! I am of the clean countertop club and I hate having things out all the time.
_________________
L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais