The kitchen décor is as important as any other room in the house. In fact the kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the house and deserves your full attention. Custom countertops are a great way to complete your décor!
Choose from butcher block, concrete, ceramic tile, granite, quartz, or a host of other countertop types. And almost all of them can be installed by the do it yourselfer although it’s always best to hire professionals if you want the perfect install.
Solid surface materials have been growing in popularity. These countertops are made from acrylic resins or polyester resins, sometimes both. They look like stone but are completely manmade.
Surrell, Avonite, Cambria, Gibraltar, and Corian all produce a full line of solid material tops is a variety of colors and patterns. These counters need to be installed by a professional installer.
These man made tops offer superior durability, ease of care and cleaning, and they can be repaired if you nick or scratch them. You can have the sink that is part of the counter if you like.
These countertops are anywhere from ½ inch to ¾ inch thick and can be as wide as 36 inches. Joints are bond with matching adhesive and each section can be as long as 144 inches.
The draw back is the cost at $50 to $120 a square foot. That’s a bit on the pricey side. You also cannot cut, nor can you put hot pots on this surface as you will damage it. It is also a poor choice for anyone wanting to their own installation.
Granite remains popular for anyone looking for a real stone kitchen. It’s durable and is available in a variety of sizes. It can be a bit on the expensive side but they are very classy and have a long life expectancy.
Today the Quartz gift from Mother Nature is seen more and more often in the home. You should consider taking advantage of this beautiful and abundant element. It makes awesome countertops!
The only elements that are harder than quarts are sapphire, topaz, and diamond so you can see why it is so durable as a countertop.
Countertops made from quartz are almost 100% quartz making them much more durable than granite.
Raw quartz crystals ranging from granules to rock salt size is ground and then color is added and it is combined with bonding agents. It is then heated and compacted so that it forms a surface that is impenetrable. Professional installation is recommended unless you have worked with this type of material before.
Concrete is another excellent option and no concrete doesn’t mean awful gray countertops. The concrete is colored almost any imaginable color and they are beginning to grow in popularity.
Not only can you have any color you want you can also have any texture you want or you can have a mosaic inlay. Until just a few years ago concrete was found only in the homes of the wealthy but that’s changing. Today you find concrete in a variety of homes.
