IMO, you are crazy if you do go with corian. If you want to spend a lot of money on these, just get granite countertops. You can generally do that for less bucks than Corian.

Formica is fine for modest people who don't have a need to show off. It can serve you for as long as many cabinets will.

Friends of mine recently built a new home and when I went to visit I had to do a double take on the countertops. What I originally thought was solid surface ended up being a clever formica design. Rather than have a 90 degree angle on the edge, they had the counter contractor router a 45 on the edge and used a thin piece of edge band. They picked a mottled greyish color that resembled stone or marble. It looked fantastic. I'm all for formica in terms of affordability. With all the different patterns available, you can't go wrong.