The countertop is a busy working area in your kitchen.
Food preparation is done here. It must be easy to clean and sanitize. You want it to be peaceful and colorful. You need to select your counter carefully and deliberately. You want to do it right the first time as it is a major upgrade and expense.
There are many choices to make in selecting counters for your home improvement project. Do you want a natural stone, an engineered stone, wood, tile, Solid Surface Acrylic or Laminate?
Natural stones like granite, limestone, and soapstone have a depth and beauty of a polished surface that is hard to match. They do require upkeep of cleaning, sealing and waxing as they are porous and will become discolored if not properly cared for by the user.
An engineered stone usually uses quartz as a filler with a resin, to bind it together. They come in many beautiful colors and blends of rock. They are heat, scratch and discoloration resistant. They are easy to clean to make them sterile and do not require waxing.
Solid Surface Acrylic is a fabricated counter such as Corian or LG Hi-Macs that comes in many different colors. They are durable and easy to clean, if the surface becomes discolored. You can take a fine sand paper of 400 grit or higher and lightly sand out a stain. The seams can also be bonded together so that it looks and feels like one continuous counter. It makes a lovely counter.
Wood counters have a gorgeous look and feel to them but they require upkeep and care to keep them looking good such as teak, maple, cherry, walnut or mahogany. They are easily scratched, burned or stained.
Tile counters come in many different colors, and sizes. They are durable and easy to assemble. They can be cleaned easily, but you need to seal the grout between the tiles as it can become stained and is hard to clean. Tiles are easy to brake or chip, so they must be taken care of.
You can build a concrete counter in your kitchen in any shape you want. A form is built to hold the wet concrete until it solidifies. It requires a lot of skilled labor to make a quality counter. The concrete is porous and can stain easily so it must be sealed and waxed.
Laminate, such as Formica or Wilsonart, is durable and comes in many styles and colors. It is stain resistant, but can be burnt. It is easy to take care of and to clean.
Article Author:
When you start to renovate your kitchen counter top check out Bruce Contryman's advice on choosing a superb counter top. kitchen countertopskitchen renovateing
