Installation Guide

CORIAN
®
SOLID SURFACE
FABRICATION/INSTALLATION FUNDAMENTALS
NA/ENGLISH
Corian® Solid Surface Fabrication/Installation Fundamentals 5/6
11. Gluing Seams Using Corian
®
Joint Adhesive
Once the countertop is scribed and the wall cladding is installed behind
the countertop, check that all seams are parallel, with no gaps showing
when brought together. is is a brief overview, see Corian® Solid Surface
Fabrication/ Installation Fundamentals – Seaming (K-25292) for complete
details on seaming.
Decide upon the method to be used to bring the seam together. ere are
several ways to do this; for example:
• OEM vacuum clamping systems
• Wood blocks applied to either side of the seam using hot-melt glue
and clamps to bring them together
Steps to completion:
1. To fabricate a reinforced seam, move the countertop apart, exposing
the full width of the Corian® reinforcement strip.
2. Clean the seam and the reinforcement strip with a clean, white
cloth and denatured alcohol.
3. Apply and completely spread Corian® Joint Adhesive along the full
length of the reinforcement strip.
4. Push the two parts of the countertops together, leaving a
1
/8" (3 mm) gap.
5. Dam the front edge of the countertop with plastic release tape.
6. Use Corian® Joint Adhesive to fill the seam area, making sure that
sufficient adhesive is used so that when the sheets are brought together,
a continuous bead of joint adhesive flows out of the seamed area.
7. Apply pressure to the seam with the clamping method you’ve
chosen, checking for alignment and surface flatness.
8. Allow the joint adhesive to cure for about 45 minutes. To check if
the adhesive has cured, press against the seam with a fingernail. If
any indentation is apparent, then it should be left for an additional
period of time.
HELPFUL HINTS:
For higher productivity, turn pieces face down on a at surface covered with
a release agent to make seam. With the top upside-down, the deck seam, front
edges, the sink or lavatory, any reinforcement blocks and the seam
reinforcement can be glued on at the same time.
12. Finishing Seams
Steps to completion:
1. Remove clamping device, or any other materials used to tighten the seam.
2. Spray blocks with denatured alcohol to loosen hot-melt glue. If
blocks were used, remove the hot-melt glue deposits with a wide,
sharp chisel and clean off the surface.
3. e fastest method to remove the excess joint adhesive is with a
router on skis. Do NOT use a belt sander. To minimize dust on the
job use a sharp, low-angle block plane. Remove the excess joint
adhesive as close to the back wall as the block plane will allow. e
remainder of the excess should be removed with a wide, sharp
chisel, making sure not to damage the surface of the Corian® sheet.
4. Clean off debris.
5. Use a random orbital sander equipped with vacuum dust collection
with a 100-micron (P150) sanding disk to take down the excess
joint adhesive flush to the surface and remove fabrication scratches.
Minimize dust generation.
6. Clean the surface with a damp, clean cloth to remove any sanding
residue. Change to 60-micron (P240) sanding disk and sand the
seam area once again.
7. Clean off any sanding debris with a damp, clean cloth. Avoid using
compressed air as it scatters dust. Complete the finishing with 3M™
Scotch-Brite™ Clean Sanding Disc 7447 (maroon) to give a matte
finish. Other gloss levels can be reached by following steps listed in
the Corian® Solid Surface Fabrication/Installation Fundamentals –
Finishing and Polishing (K-25298).
8. If seam is out of alignment, it will take more time to sand it flat and level.
HELPFUL HINT:
Use a sanding system that features a vacuum dust collector to control dust.
To minimize nishing time, use the nest abrasive possible to start nishing.
Skip the rougher abrasives if they are not needed.
13. Fixing Corian
®
Horizontal Tops to Base/Cabinet Units
ere are several ways to secure countertop to cabinets. e two most
popular ways are silicone adhesive or screws to the wood support only.
Do not screw directly into Corian® products. If the Corian® top is set
directly onto perimeter support, use small dabs of 100% silicone sealant/
adhesive, no closer than 12" (305 mm). If wood support is attached to
underside of countertop with silicone, screws can be used as follows:
Steps to completion:
1. Drill holes in the back and front cabinet rail, using a high speed
drill about
1
/8" (3 mm) larger than the screw to be used to fix the
top down to the base/cabinet units.
2. Select screws that will not pass through the supports, and screw into
the support rails, taking care not to over tighten the screw.
Screws should never be inserted directly into Corian® Solid Surface.
14. Backsplash Installation
If a square or full-height backsplash will be installed above the deck (i.e.
the deck goes within
1
/16" [1.5 mm] of the wall), now is the time to fit it.
For a full-height backsplash, follow the previous instructions in this
bulletin. (Section 10. Full-height backsplashes)
For square backsplashes:
Steps to completion:
1. Check and scribe for proper fit, allow for expansion.
2. Clean both the backsplash and countertop with denatured alcohol
and a clean cloth.
3. Place a continuous bead of color-coordinated sealant the full length
of the bottom edge of the backsplash.