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I am installing some corian in a boat - part of it will be a door over an icebox and needs a piece of hardware attached to it to lift it up. How can I attach the stainless steel pulltab to the corian? Can I drill and attach screws? - should the holes be tapped first or could this damage the corian? (was very pricey). Thanks
Wood or sheet metal screws in Corian will crack the Corian. The Corian is too rigid and will not expand and contract around the screw threads. Drilling and taping will probably not work because of thread depth and fact that Corian has no fiber or grain to it. A machine screw will probably hold for a while but stress will probably cause the threads of the screw to "eat out" corresponding the threads of the Corian. Recommend drilling, inserting a small plastic anchor and then insert a sheet metal screw. The plastic anchor will also have a little "give" to it, to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the Corian as temperature changes.
How about drilling all the way through and using a standard cabinet pull of some sort. you could still use a sleeve of plastic if you wanted to so that the threads dont rub on the corian and you could drill a slighty larger hole to give it a little room for temp changes. I dont deal much with corian but it seems like it might work to me. Just an idea GOOD LUCK, AC
The best way to put screws in Corian is to drill and tap for a helicoil ( available at auto parts dealers). They are not just for renewing stripped threads. The insert will ballance out the pressure on the threads and keep them from strpping.
I would predrill a small hole about 3/4 the needed diameter and then use a self tapping screw. If all esle fails your could rill all the way throughthe Corian and use two small stainless steel or brass bolts.
In my experience a self tapping machine screw is no better than a tapped hole and a regular machine screw. They both will strip quite easily. Of course a wood screw is conical will not work in Corian. Brass or plastic anchors are worthless in Corian, though brass epoxied in place works for light duty.
A sheet metal screw or a "drywall" screw, being cylindrical, works surprisingly well. The pilot hole must be drilled with a drill 1 index hole smaller than the screw will fall into. That means that just the leading edge of the screw flukes are biting the Corian. This method will not crack or chip the Corian.
The strongest method, however, is the hili-coil insert. With it you will be able to twist the head off the screw with out striping the threads. In tapped threads and machine screws without a heli-coil 90%0f the holding pressure is on the first thread. when that one gives the next one be comes the first and so on, stripping the hole. With heli-coil insert the thread pressure is balanced. So, if you have 10 threads there is 10% on each and much less chance of stripping.
Apparently heaphy did not read the first part of my instructions "predrill a small hole about 3/4 the needed diameter ". Corian is dense but can be drilled and tapped like a hardwood. You can cut threads in it but like many manmade materials it has plastic charaterists and may not hold the thread. Thats why I finished my post with drilling all the way through the door and using brass bolts.
Apparently ballengerb1 did not read my answer. Having built 2,000+ medicine cabinets of Corian, I likely have put more screws in Corian than anyone. My methods are tested and proven. 3/4 of the necessary diameter will still unduely stress the Corian to crack or chip with a self tapping screw.
Because of its high mineral content, ~70%, Corian will still powder and fail with a machine screw, self tapping or not, without a heli-coil to balance the load.
ballengerb1 knows a lot about many things, but knows very little about the risks of driving screws into Corian. I specialize in repairing countertops and have completed thousands of Corian repairs in the past 15 years. I have seen many cracks caused by improper use of screws and other mechanical fasteners. Check my credentials by visiting my website. With regards to Corian, trust the advice of people like Ken Dolph and myself who make their living working with Corian and similar products.
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