Kitchen counter tops are one of many highlights of any kitchen, able to reworking an area with their fashion and performance. As owners plan a kitchen renovation journey, they encounter a various vary of supplies, together with pure stone, engineered quartz, stable floor, and wooden. To make an knowledgeable resolution, it’s important to discover completely different countertop choices and the components to think about for any dream kitchen.
Elevate your kitchen with the right countertop: Granite, quartz, and extra
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After selecting kitchen cupboard supplies, kitchen counter tops play a pivotal position in setting the tone and elegance of your kitchen. With a dizzying array of choices—from timeless stone to trendy quartz, smooth stable surfacing to heat wooden—selecting the right countertop can really feel overwhelming.
- The place will it go? Will or not it’s engaging if it’s seen from adjoining residing areas in addition to the cooking house?
- How will you utilize it and the way typically? Can it stand as much as widespread spills and day by day influence with cooking instruments?
- What different options will it hook up with? Will it look good and stand as much as adjoining components, like a sink or a stovetop?
- How typically do you clear? In addition to the after-meal swipe with a sponge, are you up for taking the time for normal upkeep?
Fortunately, no matter your solutions are to the questions above, there’s a countertop for you. Immediately’s eclectic kitchen types additionally welcome a mixture of supplies, so don’t fear about the whole lot matching. You may have one materials for the island and one other for the countertop, or deal with your self to a small slab of marble for bar house, as an illustration. For greatest outcomes, all the time rent knowledgeable licensed to manufacture and set up the actual materials you select.
Beneath are widespread kitchen counter tops that Sweeten owners have put in, together with the professionals and cons of every materials.
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Marble kitchen counter tops
(Above) Carrara marble kitchen counter tops in Lia and Chris’ kitchen rework
Looked for its traditional magnificence and selection, marble nonetheless attracts its followers amongst owners who wish to have stone within the kitchen. Nonetheless, it’s extra porous than granite, and this issue—mixed with a excessive price ticket—limits its software to some areas of the kitchen, like entertaining or baking areas. Keep in mind that this explicit materials loved pride-of-place in grand houses within the final two centuries, so if you’re up for traditional magnificence that yields a timeworn patina, this might be the stone for you.
Price of marble kitchen counter tops
- Begins at greater than $100 per sq. foot (which doesn’t embrace fabrication)
Professionals of marble kitchen counter tops
- Withstands excessive warmth
- Provides a high-quality, luxurious look appropriate for conventional or up to date kitchens
- Stays cool, so good for rolling out dough
- Pairs fantastically with many different surfaces, particularly wooden and steel
Cons of marble kitchen counter tops
- The costliest of stones
- Restricted in shade decisions—whites, grays, blacks
- Stains, scratches, cracks, and chips extra simply than different stones
- Requires month-to-month sealing and should discolor
Soapstone counter tops
(Above) Soapstone counter tops in Janet and Jerry’s kitchen rework
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Soapstone’s resistance to warmth and water, together with a muted shade palette marked by refined veining, makes it an interesting different to granite and marble. It additionally comes with a barely cheaper price tag, which is engaging to budget-conscious owners. Nonetheless, soapstone counter tops do require care, like all stones.
Price of soapstone counter tops
- Begins at round $70-$100 per sq. foot
Professionals of soapstone counter tops
- Resists warmth and water
- Coloration tends to be uniform all through the slab
- Appropriate for sinks, too, if you’d like a blended look
- Is available in on the cheaper price spectrum of pure stone
Cons of soapstone counter tops
- Scratches simply and can present stains, which may be sanded out
- Might crack or chip in case you aren’t cautious when engaged on it
- Requires common sealing and can present stains if not wiped up instantly
- Develops a patina over time, which you’ll or might not like
Engineered stone counter tops
(Above) Engineered quartz counter tops by Caesarstone in Bellamy and Zak’s kitchen rework
Of all of the varieties of kitchen counter tops, engineered stone might be the hardest floor available on the market. This materials is often 90 p.c quartz combined with pigments and polyester resin, then manufactured below stress into extremely dense slabs. Producers equivalent to Caesarstone supply an enormous array of appears to be like, together with many fake granites in addition to the whitest whites, blackest blacks, and a few sensible colours like pink and blue. Claims that it gained’t stain or fade or succumb to excessive warmth make them widespread kitchen counter tops, edging out granite, even supposing the fee is roughly the identical or larger than pure stone.
Price of engineered stone counter tops
- Begins at round $100 per sq. foot
Professionals of engineered stone counter tops
- Most impervious of all surfaces; resists warmth, stains, scratches, micro organism, fading
- Enormous choice of patterns and colours, together with fake stones and customized colours
- Will be manufactured into practically any form you need
- Requires no sealing or particular upkeep
Cons of engineered stone counter tops
- Fake stone doesn’t seem to seem like actual stone
- Might crack on sudden influence with a heavy object
- Prices as a lot as actual stone
- Stable-colored slabs will present seams
Granite counter tops
(Above) Granite counter tops in Ann’s kitchen rework
Granite landed on the kitchen scene just a little over twenty years in the past and stays widespread. It’s a detailed second behind the primary alternative, engineered stone, based on a survey from the Nationwide Kitchen and Tub Affiliation. Why do granite counter tops endure? Merely put, they mix distinctive magnificence with sturdiness and low upkeep. The pure grain means no two slabs shall be similar. Whereas very laborious and impervious to warmth, granite is porous, so it must be sealed at the very least yearly—straightforward sufficient with hand software by sponge.
Price of granite counter tops
- Begins round $60-$100 per foot
Professionals of granite counter tops
- Resists excessive warmth
- Is available in a variety of colours and grains
- Every slab has a novel look
- Maintains its worth if properly cared for, together with sealing yearly
Cons of granite counter tops
- Costly, however widespread colours are available decrease costs
- Exhibits put on from knives and spills like vinegar, citrus juice, and oils, so use a reducing board on prime
- Requires common upkeep, which a DIY challenge with a sealant and a sponge can accomplish
- Will crack if improperly put in or a heavy object makes an influence
Stable floor counter tops
Twenty years in the past, stable surfacing was the darling on the planet of kitchen counter tops. It nonetheless deserves consideration, as many qualities have been improved over time by manufacturers like Corian. It’s heat- and stain-resistant and is available in a variety of appears to be like, together with fake stone, and many style colours. As a result of it has just a little give, resulting from it being product of acrylic or polyester or a mix of the 2, objects dropped on stable floor counters are much less more likely to break. It additionally may be molded into many shapes, together with intricate inlays, edge and backsplash therapies, in addition to furnishings.
Price of stable floor counter tops
- $80 to $100 per sq. foot, relying on the sample and shade
Professionals of stable floor counter tops
- Warmth- moisture-, and fade-resistant
- Huge alternative of colours and patterns, together with customized
- Seams fuse collectively so joints don’t present
- Molds into nearly any form together with built-in backsplash or sink
- Doesn’t require sealing; clear with gentle detergent
Cons of stable floor counter tops
- Can’t take excessive warmth; will lose form
- Weak to scratches, cuts, and extended publicity to stains like wine or catsup; requires a reducing board
- Fake stone appears to be like don’t precisely resemble stone
- Not recyclable
Wooden counter tops
In all probability America’s earliest kind of kitchen countertop, wooden remains to be desired for its pure magnificence and heat. Wooden counter tops can take reasonable warmth, however it’ll present burns, dings, and knife cuts. Followers take into account the patina a part of the attraction. Most injury may be sanded out; remember to reapply food-safe mineral oil after any restore. Keep away from set up in areas just like the sink with extended publicity to moisture, which can trigger it to swell. Clear with a humid sponge and a gentle detergent. Hardwoods equivalent to maple and oak are mostly used as kitchen counter tops, in a butcher-block sample, which offers further energy. One other professional of wooden counter tops: they’re a thriftier alternative than most of the different varieties of counter tops described above.
Price of wooden counter tops
- Begins at round $35 per sq. foot; rarer woods may be costlier
Professionals of wooden counter tops
- Straightforward to scrub and restore
- Good for reducing and chopping; knives gained’t uninteresting with contact
- Gained’t chip and objects dropped on it are much less more likely to break
- Gives a wealthy search for a value decrease than many different kitchen surfaces
Cons of wooden counter tops
- Weak to moisture, chemical substances, and excessive warmth, which trigger everlasting injury
- Instantly exhibits indicators of use
- Expands or contracts with excessive swings in a moist atmosphere
- Requires food-safe sealant and common care to protect the floor
Laminate counter tops
(Above) Laminate counter tops in Dan and Mike’s kitchen rework
Whereas not so rugged as most varieties of counter tops at this time, laminate counter tops nonetheless have loads of upsides. To start out, laminate counter tops are available a great deal of patterns and colours and have a thrifty price ticket. Manufactured from resin-covered paper backed by plywood or particleboard, laminate does include its share of synthetics. To make sure your indoor air high quality, search for laminate counter tops licensed by Greenguard, like Wilsonart. This means they’re comprised of low-emitting supplies that use formaldehyde-free paper and low- or non-toxic glues. This fashion-friendly floor can mimic the look of stone, wooden, or cloth, or any graphic the producer can consider. It would final for a couple of many years with correct care, which incorporates no direct reducing on the floor or publicity to acid or chemical substances.
Price of laminate counter tops
- Begins at $10 to $20 per sq. foot
Professionals of laminate counter tops
- Requires minimal care and no sealing
- Accessible in an enormous choice of patterns and colours
- Straightforward to chop and set up in tight areas
- Properly-priced, significantly for a product with so many fashion choices
Cons of laminate counter tops
- Scratches and burns simply; generally unimaginable to restore
- Seams present, significantly on stable colours
- Permits solely drop-in sinks, resulting from their development
- Something apart from the best edge remedy will drive up the value
Stainless-steel counter tops
(Above) Stainless-steel counter tops in Beth and Bob’s kitchen rework
Of all of the varieties of kitchen counter tops, chrome steel counter tops are generally utilized in business kitchens. It is because chrome steel can take a beating: from knives, excessive warmth, most spills, and it’s fully anti-bacterial. You will need to keep away from caustic chemical substances, however because it’s water- and stain-proof, that’s not a problem except you utilize it for one thing apart from meals prep. It is available in plenty of finishes, together with polished and brushed, which assist cover scratches. Dings and dents will present up and are unimaginable to take away with out displacing the countertop. However if you’d like a pro-style countertop, these battle scars may be proven with pleasure.
Price of chrome steel counter tops
- Begins at round $70 per sq. foot
Professionals of chrome steel counter tops
- Tremendous-resilient materials is water-, stain-, fade-proof and resists micro organism
- No want for sealing; cleans with easy detergent and water
- Integrates seamlessly with options like drainboards, sinks, and backsplashes
- Manufactured to actual specs, so probably seamless
Cons of chrome steel counter tops
- Not appropriate for reducing; should use a board to guard from knives
- Exhibits the smallest scratches and dents, that are very laborious to take away
- Noisy when kitchen instruments are available contact
- Fabrication will drive up the value except you purchase a ready-made sink and drainboard unit
Reworking kitchen counter tops with Sweeten
In 2021, owners can have their good decide from the numerous varieties of counter tops obtainable. Want a super-durable kitchen floor? Have a look at granite counter tops. Care extra about attaining an expensive look? Marble is your greatest wager. Or, if you wish to hold it traditional (or up to date,) take a look at wooden or chrome steel counter tops. Interested by reworking your kitchen? Sweeten works with professional common contractors who’ve expertise putting in many varieties of kitchen counter tops.
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