Solid-Surface DIY

Q: Why isn’t Corian available to do-it-yourselfers? Several retailers I’ve seen offer small pieces as blanks for turning on a lathe, but I’ve never been able to purchase larger sheets for major projects. Do you have any information that could enlighten me as a woodworker interested in using this material?

A: I’ve looked into products like Corian, Avonite, Surrell, Gibraltar, Pionite and other so-called solid-surface materials often used for countertops, and I can give two answers to your question. The first is the one you'd get from manufacturers. They'd tell you that it's important for them to restrict supply to only those tradespeople who have passed the necessary training courses. They don't want any old riff-raff making a mess of their materials and damaging their good corporate names in the process. I while I think this is a true and legitimate concern, it's also true that by restricting supply it becomes possible to maintain very high prices for products made with solid surface goods. And I don’t suppose the people making corporate decisions on solid surface availability have overlooked this fact. This is why I don’t expect us little guys will ever be able to buy solid surface materials in large quantities from building supply outlets. The best you can hope for is to make friends with the owner of a certified solid-surface shop and see what comes of that.