Guest Blogger: How to Choose the Ideal Kitchen Countertop Surface
Guest Blogger #941, Entry #2353, April 29, 2013
Choosing the right kitchen worktops for your home is important because it ties the room together and is likely a decision you will live with for years to come. In general, the best choices to make when it comes to worktop materials are quartz, granite, and marble, all of which provide elegance and durability. The information below describes more about these different materials and will help you decide which style of worktop is the best to suit your kitchen.
Image via: Cambria Bellingham
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Quartz Kitchen Worktops
Quartz is an excellent material if you like your kitchen worktops uniform and easy to clean. While quartz kitchen worktops can stain, the material is generally stain resistant and very easy to clean. A finished quartz worktop is uniform in color and pattern, devoid of the variances and imperfections that many other stone worktops have. Quartz is also available in a wider variety of colors than most materials, including some colors that are not usually found in natural stone worktops. Quartz is very heat resistant and does not require sealing. Overall, this material is an excellent choice if you want something that is durable, customizable, and which does not require a lot of extra work on your end.
Granite Worktops
Granite kitchen worktops are an excellent choice if you want durability, natural beauty, and don’t mind doing a little bit of extra work. Granite requires sealing, but is otherwise easy to maintain. Depending on the color of granite you choose, you might have to do some minor cleaning and touchup down the road. This is usually true of white or light grey kitchen worktops. Granite is one of the most durable stones in the world, and no two worktops made of this material are the same thanks to the many different patterns inherent in each slab. Choosing a granite worktop gives you a chance to make your kitchen truly unique and give it a natural beauty, all for a bare minimum of maintenance work.
Image via: Tina Kuhlmann
Marble Worktops
Marble kitchen worktops are very elegant looking and tend to be more cost friendly than either quartz or granite. They are, however, more porous and less durable than the other stones, meaning that you will have to be careful to avoid scratches and stains that quartz or granite would normally shrug off. Marble has a range of beautiful natural colors that give a worktop a clean, bright look. It is also a timeless material, used in homes for generations, and can thus give your kitchen a classic feel. Marble is naturally cool, which can be helpful in some cooking projects. If you want classic, affordable, and elegant worktops and don’t mind some extra work, marble is a good choice for you.
Quartz, granite, and marble kitchen worktops all have their pros and cons, but the bottom line is that they are all potentially excellent choices for your kitchen. You should decide what kind of look and level of durability you want for your worktops, and then choose from among these three terrific options.
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