[Shane Barker]

Our problem is finding out about the changes to the requirements. We are always the last to know. Besides that, once the shop has a clear understanding of what they need to do and do it a while it’s not so bad. Out in the field we rely on our installers to follow through with the requirements and a lot of times we send a fabricator on the installs to speed it up, and to also help them understand what they can do in the shop to help the installers.

Shane

[George Blanz]

This will probably sound like a dumb question, so please excuse…

If you apply blocking (made of Corian) underneath a seam, what do you do to the underlayment? Do you “notch” it? (If you used 1/2″ underlayment, to allow the underlayment to be hidden by a 1 1/2″ bullnose, you’d be notching right down to the bare cabinet top.)

As some have pointed out here, Corian likes a full perimeter underlayment, and some fabricators add a strip “across” the middle (i.e. perpendicular to the 24″ depth of the cabinet.) Depending on where the seam falls, you could cutting your whole underlayment apart at that point if you put in a full-depth seam block.

Could you maybe place seam support in several blocks, putting it everywhere that underlayment support did NOT fall? Or maybe install a full-length block at the shop, and rout it to fit over the underlayment on the job site?

And what about blocking around sink openings? With a big kitchen sink, the amount of Corian going around it will become pretty thin at the corners. Putting in blocking at the corners would pretty much leave 0 room for underlayment…

gb

[Shane Barker]

GB,

I mean no disrespect but the wheel has already been invented if you know what I mean. We have this all figured out and things work out really well. I don’t know if you are wanting to start fabricating or ?, but you may want to get a fabrication manual or take a class and all these things would be explained.

Shane

[George Blanz]

You’re right; I probably should have done some more research. Sorry.

Since Corian keeps their manuals under lock and key (for some reason), would the Staron manual cover the same topics? Or is there another manufacturer’s manual you would recommend, so I can avoid dumb questions in the future?

gb

[Shane Barker]

Any of the main brand manuals would give you a better understanding of how things are done, however they are not all the same. If you need detailed information on a specific brand you should check their manual.

Shane

[George Blanz]

I would agree with that. So how can I GET my hands on a Corian manual ? (besides the obvious “become a Corian fabricator”…)

Open request: I will be happy to compensate anyone (for their time, effort, printing, postage, whatever) for an electronic (preferable) or good-quality printed version of the current Corian manual. If you are interested in providing same, please contact Andy the admin of this board (olivemill@gmail.com) to obtain my email address, or post your website or email here.

Thanks,

gb

[Shane Barker]

George,

Tell me the truth; are you that nightmare customer that drives us nuts telling us how to do our job?

I only ask because when I have a customer that wants to know the technical side of how we are doing their job I will educate them with as much information as they want to know. I have never loaned out my fab manuals but I don’t think I would have a problem doing so if the customer wanted to read it, because I really have nothing to hide. It just makes me wonder what is going on in your world. It sounds as though you are having or just had a job done and are maybe not so happy with the work, or perhaps just not happy with the fabricator.

Have you tried to find this information out from the company doing the work or are you trying to find something they did wrong so you can get a discount? Do you not trust them so you would not believe them if you did ask them these questions? I have read some of your other posts and I don’t think you will be offended by me asking these questions, if you are I apologize. I am just curious about why you coming to us for this information and not the company doing the work.

Shane

[Andy Graves]

Call 1-800-4-CORIAN

They should be able to help you out with whatever you need.

[Tom M]

Call 1-800-4-CORIAN

They should be able to help you out with whatever you need.

Good answer, Andy.

[Ann Pirrone]

Good answer Andy, Thats the only answer that will do.

[George Blanz]

Thanks for asking, Shane. You’re right, I’m not offended at all. I wish someone had asked earlier (and been truly open to hear my answer, as you are.)

It is late, and I am having some computer problems tonight. I will try to do a better explanation in the next couple days, but the short answer is: I just want the job to be done right. I have encountered some fabricators that had some strange ideas about how to do things, and no, I didn’t trust them.

It should be no secret to you or anyone else on the Forum that there are guys out there that do a lousy job! You all talk about it all the time, and THIS thread:

http://www.thefabricatornetwork.com/Forum/tabid/54/forumid/8/threadid/2762/threadpage/3/scope/posts/Default.aspx

… is an attempt (in part) to try to police these people. Until that program is working well, one of the best ways I have to try to figure out whether a fabricator is “one of the good ones” is to ask about how he intends to do my job. The company that is currently bidding to do the work has already told me ways that they do a couple things, which are contrary to the information in the printed copy of the few Corian manual pages that I have. And yet, they were recommended by the local Corian distributor!! Should I just trust them, and hope for the best?

It is clear from MANY threads in this Forum that manufacturer’s directives are widely ignored (or at least, disagreed with) by many fabricators, and even among good fabricators there is room for disagreement on what constitutes good work practice.

As I said in the post above:

“Consumers need to know why we shouldn’t just take the bid from the fabricator whose bid is $1000 lower than yours (because they cut corners and don’t do what the factory requires or recommends.) Un-savvy consumers aren’t any benefit to good fabricators, because they will just take the cheapest bid.”

So I ask questions, and sometimes I get $#!^ from people for doing so. I’ve learned some great things in this Forum, but I look in other places too.

I really think it’s in the best interests of fabricators to answer questions for consumers, because it’s about the only thing that will drive consumers away from the fly-by-nights and toward the guys who know how to do it right. Some guys on this Forum seem to be more invested in posting answers that put me down in one way or another, or are openly hostile. I can’t understand why they would choose to waste their time in that way, rather than just choosing to not take their time to answer my questions.

BTW: I tried calling 1-800-4-CORIAN once, and was answered by a person for whom English was not their first language (probably Indian), and knew next to nothing about the product. Certainly, he couldn’t give me any advice that I could get in writing, or count on in a warranty situation. I have also tried their email (Webmail) system, and got one answer that was OK, but never got a reply from repeated emailed additional questions. So I think the advice to call 1-800-4-CORIAN was really pretty disingenuous, and another way for some people to try to tell me to get lost.

I’m really a GREAT customer for SOMEone! We don’t take the very lowest deal, and we are very understanding about additional charges for unexpected work problem. I don’t try to scam discounts, nor seek to sue people friviously. In fact, if we generally like the contractor, we don’t usually question the price of te bids we are given, other than doing a reality check to at least one or two other estimates. The only thing is, the contractor had better be able to answer my questions to my satisfaction. Some people have enough in-depth knowledge to do this easily, and some don’t.

Wow, this went on longer than I thought! Thanks again for asking, Shane.

gb

[Shane Barker]

George,

I hope you don’t feel that I am deviously suggesting that you stop posting; on the contrary, I feel we can learn from each other. I do appreciate your honesty in your last post and I commend you on your diligence in researching this information. I do the same thing and I know exactly where you are coming from. I just spent hours this weekend researching spinal decompression treatments used by chiropractors. I did this because I felt my Dad was getting ripped off, and I was right. I was on a forum for hours reading and posting with chiropractors to learn how to find a legitimate doctor in my area. You can bet I will be letting the chiropractor know that I will not be ripped off. I know how the process works from the national average on pricing to the proper protocol on the actual treatment.

There are bad people in every profession from countertop fabricators to chiropractors and this forces people like us to take control and educate ourselves to the extent that we will not be taken advantage of. I wanted to know what your motivation was in finding out this information and now that I know I will happy to help you any way I can.

Shane

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