Corian is manufactured by DuPont, a company based in the United States. However, Corian is freely available in India too. You can find authorized dealers for the product in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai and Tamil Nadu.

Pick Your Favourite

Corian is available in more than a hundred different colours and in matt, semi-gloss and gloss finishes. So you are bound to find something you fancy.

Personalize the Design

In terms of design, Corian is extremely flexible unlike most other materials. "As a designer I love using Corian. It allows me to use my imagination in crafting different items for my clients," says Rakesh Raghavan, interior designer, CNA Architects. "You can mould it anyway you choose and achieve design detail absolutely joint free."

"You can use to create an interesting design element, focus wall or a funky partition," Rakesh explains. You can also use it for kitchen counters, customised basins and more.

Kitchen Complaints

DuPont claims that Corian is the perfect material all around the house- including the kitchen and the bathroom. However, if you are looking for easy-maintenance options, Corian is not your best bet. Interior Designer, Dean Almeida tells you why:

• It gets damaged if it comes in contact with strong chemicals such as paint removers, oven cleaners, etc.
  
• You cannot cut directly on these countertops.
  
• It gets scratched easily. However, it can be sandpapered smooth again.
  
• It is not heat resistant. So your hot tavas or even your gas stove might affect the counters.
  

However, Corian is non porous so stains do not seep through. Hence, if your counters get stained, the stains can be sandpapered off.

(The Corian Web site verifies the above mentioned for features and maintenance of Corian.)

Willing to Splurge?

Corian costs approximately Rs.600 to Rs.800 per sq. ft., which is pretty steep compared to something like marble or granite that costs about Rs.100 to Rs.250 per sq. ft. "Most of my clients do not have a budget that allows me to use Corian," says Nisha Savla, a freelance interior designer.

But it just might be worth it anyway as DuPont offers a ten-year warranty against manufacturing defects and will replace the product free of cost.

So there you have it. Now go ahead and make your decision.