Dear Marc: I am remodelling my kitchen. I've chosen these beautiful dark-stained cabinets and will be painting my walls a light espresso colour. I currently have stainless-steel appliances which I would like to keep for the new kitchen. What kind of stone countertop options do I have for my kitchen? Emily
Dear Emily: There are a number of different options when designing a kitchen. Whether it's selecting cabinetry, countertops or flooring, each decision will alter your kitchen's look and feel. The best way to create a great end-product is through proper pre-planning. It's through the pre-planning process that you can identify exactly how the different elements work or contrast together.
In a kitchen, it's important that we balance the esthetics with their functionality to truly make an educated decision.
When it comes to selecting hard surfaces such as countertops, we're fortunate to have a wide array of options. The first step is to determine our material options. Countertops today are made with many different materials. Some of the most popular ones include granite, quartz, concrete and laminate.
A popular material we see used in new homes are granite countertops. Granite counters are wonderful for homeowners who like the unique quality they possess. No two counters are the same.
As for maintenance of the counters, they simply need to be sealed every now and then. It's recommended that homeowners seal their countertops at least once per year. Another advantage of the granite countertop is that it is a clean product that holds little bacteria when properly sealed.
Quartz countertops, on the other hand, are man-made. They are produced by combining quartz with a binding epoxy resin which makes a very durable end-product. Quartz countertops come in a variety of colours, which is great since some homeowners love ultra-chic colours such as white.
One of the newest options for homeowners is concrete are concrete countertops. They come in a variety of different colours and share some of the advantages of other stone countertops. Some manufactures will even build the concrete counters on site in order to fully customize them to your space. The maintenance is quite similar to other stone counters -- it's recommended that they be sealed every nine to 12 months.
Stone counters are a wonderful additional to any home as they add to your property value. Many realtors will even list this as a selling feature in their listings.
