Your kitchen countertop is one of the focal points of your kitchen and one of the most used areas. Picking the right one isn’t always easy, especially with so many choices.
You have so many factors to think about, such as cost and durability. Plus, you want something that looks amazing too.
Take your time with this decision. The right countertop can easily help you fall in love and stay in love with your kitchen. Plus, it makes your kitchen last even longer.
Consider Your Budget
The first thing you have to consider is your budget. Trying to install high-end granite countertops on a shoestring budget could leave the rest of your kitchen looking terrible. You’d be surprised at just how much of your budget can go into a kitchen countertop. Before you even plan out the cabinets, think about what type of counter would fit within your budget.
You can compromise and actually use a countertop mashup, which uses different materials in different areas. For instance, you might have granite in a heavier used area, but laminate elsewhere to save money.
Compare Materials
The next step is to compare the various kitchen countertop materials. Some of the most common choices include:
- Laminate – Most affordable, but isn’t as resistant to heat and water
- Granite – Ideal for daily and heavy and comes in a variety of styles
- Concrete – Easy to customize, but isn’t quite as heat resistant
- Marble – Great for daily use, but can chip and stain easier than other options
- Quartz – More expensive, but is highly durable and resistant to chips and stains
Of course, there are sub-varieties for all of these materials. Laminate is typically a great budget-friendly option and it comes in a seemingly endless variety of colors. With proper care, laminate can last for years.
Granite, marble and quartz are similar in many ways. However, we’ve created a simple guide to help you better understand the differences to pick the right kitchen countertop for you.
Look At Your Decorating Scheme
Naturally, you want a countertop that looks great in your kitchen. The last thing you want to do is have to constantly cover it up because it doesn’t match your decorating scheme.
Think about your cabinet and wall colors. Consider your backsplash. Also, look at the overall theme for your kitchen. If you’re going for a rustic theme, bright quartz might not fit too well. On the other hand, if you have all white cabinets, adding dark granite or marble countertops helps break up the white and make your kitchen look more sophisticated and open.
Thinking about your kitchen decorating scheme helps you not only choose the material, but also the color. Take full advantage of sample books to see how different styles look in your kitchen.
Consider How You’ll Use It
Finally, think carefully about how you’ll use your kitchen countertop. If you cook often and are constantly placing hot pots, pans and bowls on the surface, you’ll need something more resistant to heat. If you’re a casual cook, laminate may work best as you’re not doing nearly as much on the counter.
This is another reason mashups work so well. You might have something more durable on your kitchen island where you handle a lot of food prep. And then, you could have laminate on the rest that matches the color of your island’s countertop.
You’ll want to pick a kitchen countertop that’ll last. Using a little more of your budget to pay for a countertop that you won’t have to replace in a few years is well worth it. After all, you probably don’t want to go through another kitchen remodel that quickly if you don’t have to.
Get the perfect kitchen cabinets to match your kitchen countertop. Contact us today to start designing your dream kitchen cabinets.
Image: Jessica Lewis
