How to Choose the Best Material for Your Kitchen Countertop

Kitchens are often the most central place in a home as that’s where all of the action goes on in a household and it’s the best place for entertaining guests. As a result, you want to make sure that your countertop is able to withstand all of the wear and tear that it ends up dealing with. In addition, it not only needs to go well with both your style and the style of your home, but it should also be able to suit whatever needs you may have. Thankfully, today, there are so many different materials to choose from when it comes to selecting a countertop. Indeed, you’ll find countertops of all sorts of different colors, patterns, and even textures. Therefore, without further ado, let’s dive right into the details of each kind of countertop material.

Granite is one of the more expensive materials, but it is also one of the most common natural stone countertop materials. For one, knives won’t scratch it and it is quite heat resistant, too. In addition, you have a decent selection of colors and patterns to choose from. However, it looks the best in spaces that are traditional and classic. Also, it is a porous material, therefore, it does need to be treated with a sealer in order to ensure that it is stain resistant. It is recommended, though, that it is sealed each year just to make sure that its look remains the same.

Similar to natural stone, engineered stone is chosen by many for the fact that it is actually even harder than granite is and you can choose from an assortment of bright colors, which granite doesn’t offer. In addition, it never has to be sealed. It is also worth mentioning that it is stain-resistant and won’t etch, even if you spill any oils and acids over it. It also is nonporous, therefore, bacteria will never grow inside of it. It also doesn’t scratch. However, in the case that something does happen to it, you can replace the part with a piece that looks similar to it, which is not something that you can do with natural stone. The majority of engineered stone countertops are made out of quartz, however, they can be made out of many other different types of materials such as granite and marble, for example. The only thing is that although it is considered heat-resistant, many suggest that you place a trivet underneath any hot pots and pans, for instance, just to make sure that nothing happens to it.

Tile makes a great countertop material for the fact that it is very affordable. In addition, it is both heat, water, and stain resistant, granted that it is glazed properly. Also, if you end up going with larger tiles, you are able to cover a lot of area with the smallest amount of grout lines. In addition, if you use a good sealant, you won’t ever have to worry about the color getting discolored or stained.

Laminate can look as expensive as some of the other materials such as marble and granite and yet it comes at a much lower price. This material is highly practical for the fact that it is impervious to water and does well against both stains and scratches. In addition, there are so many different colors, textures, and patterns that you can choose from. However, it is heat sensitive, so you want to make sure that you are placing trivets under hot pots, for example. Another advantage is the fact that you can make it fit virtually any sized space as well.

Wood is a wonderful alternative to more cooler materials such as stone. However, it does not do well with wear and tear which is why we recommend using it as an island or a food chopping block. Indeed, it does make a really great material for cutting, chopping, and slicing. Some of the most common wood that is used includes maple, oak, walnut, and cherry trees. Bamboo has also started to become popular as well.

Marble is a very stunning countertop material that is warm in color and has a classy design to it. It is definitely on the costlier side, though, and it is soft and easier to stain, too. As a result, if you do use it in the kitchen, we suggest using it as an island, for example, as it will hopefully see less wear and tear than if it were the main kitchen countertop. However, you can help increase its longevity by putting trivets underneath hot pots, placing coasters under glass, utilizing cutting boards whenever cutting food, as well as wiping away any spills that may occur right away. Be very careful with acids, though, as marble does tend to etch.

Concrete countertops are very trendy in today’s day and age and for good reason. For one, it happens to be one of the strongest and smoothest surfaces available today. In addition, you make your own custom shape, thickness, color, and even texture. It can even be polished, stained, and embedded with anything from seashells to small pieces of glass. As a result, you can build it to fit any space size and design. The beauty of this material is that you can also DIY concrete countertops which is both a rewarding experience as well as one that yields a completely customized countertop! In addition, concrete countertops cost less than that of other materials with the price decreasing even more if you choose to do a DIY concrete countertop project.

As you have learned, there are a variety of different countertop materials to choose from. Therefore, before beginning your research, really figure out the kind of use that your countertop will see, the amount of money that you are willing to spend, as well as the design that you are going for. As soon as you’ve figured those three things out, selecting your countertop material will be quite easy and you’ll have a stunning new kitchen in no time!