2011 December

Getting countertop ideas these days with the many choices in materials is easy but confusing. I am a granite person myself, but there are some very good manufactured solid surfaces out there. Let us just go through some of the types of countertop materials individually for some strengths and weaknesses to find the best ideas for your countertops.

Granite is the most popular countertop material these days for good reason. Granite is strong, scratch resistant, heat resistant, stain resistant, and a washable type of countertop. The only draw backs are price, and the fact that you have to seal it now and again. Granite is usually cheaper than the engineered solid surfaces, but more than tile or laminate.

Granite is my favorite type of countertop surface because of the high variability in pattern. When you see granite you know right away it is a natural substance. That is not to say that some of the engineered solid surface counter tops are not very good, and beautiful.

Engineered Solid Surface countertop materials are made by quite a few different companies with different manufacturing techniques. Basically there are two types of manufactured solid surface countertop materials, one called quartz that mixes rock dust or chunks with a polymer, and one that is mostly acrylic or/and polyester. I can not talk for the many differences in products please do some research.

Quartz manufactured solid surface countertop materials are basically the same as granite with maybe less heat resistance. You don’t have to seal it and is more repairable. The choices in design are vast. Some of the companies that manufacture Quartz are: Caesar stone, Zodiac, Silestone,Hanstone.

The non quartz surfaces are not quite as tough and can scratch, are not as heat resistant, but are very repairable. These manufactured solid surface countertops are usually made of acrylic, polyester, or both. Some of the companies that manufacture these solid surfaces are: Dupont Corian,Avonite, Wilson art.

Concrete countertops can be cast into interesting idea of shapes and colors. Concrete of course is a strong material, but can stain. The few concrete counter tops that I have dealt with were quite thick causing havoc with faucet mounting.

Stainless steel countertops are the counter top of choice as a material in commercial applications because they last, and are very cleanable. I would say that in residential situations stainless steel counter tops would only work in certain modern designs. Stainless is also expensive. Oh ya I forgot they are also stain resistant.

Laminate The lowly laminate, the resale killer. Laminate actually is very cost effective, tough, and cleanable. There is new 3d laminates that look very nice. Laminate really is a fine choice of countertop material for those on a budget. Some laminate companies: Formica , Wilsonart HD

Tile Good old tile countertops are out of style because nobody likes cleaning grout joints. A good budget improver can be to use granite tile with tight grout joints over solid surface, as much as  a quarter of the price. There are a lot of tile options out there, I am certainly not against tile countertops. Tile is pretty tough but can chip, and is stain resistant aside from the grout joints. There are special epoxy, and other additives that  increase grouts stain resistance.

There are certain material types for kitchen remodeling ideas that are less functional as a whole, but look very nice. materials like Wood butcher block, Marble, and solid surface slate work great as accents on say islands, but not as good for the whole kitchen.

The best way to get countertop material ideas for your kitchen design is to visit local dealers and get some samples to compare with your cabinet colors, flooring, back splash, and such.