How to Decide What Countertop Material is Best for Your Kitchen or Bath

When you start remodeling your kitchen or reimagining your bathroom, you embark on an exciting journey that can quickly become overwhelming because you have so many decisions to make. Even when you know the layout of your new space, you still need to figure out the details about the components that will fill that space. Looks are important, but you also need to think about the function of each piece—will it do what you want? How easy is it to keep clean? Will it require special care?

The countertops you choose will define the room in many ways, and they’re a surface you will be in close personal contact with on a daily basis. That means you need to put some serious thought into the type of material you choose. As luxury home remodel specialists with over 25 years of experience designing and executing custom kitchen and bath designs, we have helped numerous clients in South Florida review and evaluate choices for their countertops. We’d be happy to work with you to help you find the best solution for your particular situation, but here are some general considerations to keep in mind.

Don’t Start with Color

When looking in showrooms or viewing portfolios, it is easy to get swept up by a beautiful color or design. It is also possible to be turned off by a color scheme. Most countertop materials are available in a wide array of hues and patterns, so it is usually best to start by reviewing the characteristics of the material before considering the color options available. Even if you absolutely fall in love with the coloration of a particular material and don’t care what extra steps you’ll need to take care of it, by learning about the characteristics of it and other materials, you’ll be better prepared to protect your investment.

Consider Who Will Be Using the Space

A key consideration when selecting a material for countertops in a kitchen or bathroom involves an honest assessment of how the space will be used. Are you remodeling a bathroom that children may use? Do you host family gatherings in your kitchen where your cousin likes to make his famous bouillabaisse? Dribbles of soft soap or toothpaste can etch and damage many popular bathroom countertop surfaces. Acidic materials like tomato and lemon juice can do the same to kitchen countertops. If your immediate household members or guests could potentially damage your counters and you don’t want to be worried about policing their conduct, you might want to choose materials that are more resistant to damage.

You Have Numerous Choices

Whether going with a natural product like stone or an engineered surface such as Dekton, you have an array of materials to choose from when designing your dream kitchen or bath, so it can take a while to research the options.

As you learn about the properties of the materials, consider durability. You want to imagine not only how they will look and feel in your home now but also how they will look after a year or two of use.

The Unexpected Candidates

Most people are familiar with some of the basic options for countertops, so to provide a fresh perspective and a blank slate for the evaluation process, start by considering some of the more uncommon choices. Stainless steel, for instance, has been the standard in commercial kitchens for years but only recently became popular in home kitchens. Other metals like copper and zinc offer a more organic feel with many of the same benefits as stainless steel.

Glass countertops offer unparalleled design opportunities, especially when combined with custom lighting arrangements. They offer a non-porous surface that is easy to clean but can be hard to repair.

Polished concrete can be styled to look sleek and modern or textured and colored to offer a warmer feel. Incorporating rocks or other inclusions can provide a custom finish that reflects your personal style and offers a durable, heat-resistant surface.

Wood had largely fallen out of favor as a counter surface due to the difficulty of keeping it sealed and protected from water damage. However, improvements in sealing techniques and the appeal of exotic grain patterns such as those found in Zebra wood have caused a resurgence in popularity, particularly for kitchen islands.

Natural Stone

Stone countertop options run the gamut from those that are fairly fragile to those that can withstand quite a bit of abuse. Marble, for instance, offers an almost translucent look and buttery feel that cannot be replicated by other products. But even when sealed, it is highly vulnerable to scratching and etching that can ruin the surface, and it can absorb stains easily as well. Granite and quartzite generally offer much of the same natural beauty with considerably greater durability.

Other stones, such as limestone, soapstone, and onyx, offer unique properties that can give your space a unique and timeless look and a luxurious feel. However, these stones can often be marked up easily, so they require special care and caution to maintain their beauty.

Stone Composites and Hybrid Mineral Surfaces

One way to obtain the benefits of stones—even precious stones—without the worry about damage is to install countertops made from engineered composites that incorporate stone or mineral elements. These include:

• Quartz
• Silestone
• Dekton
• Cultured marble
• Sintered stone
• Solid-surface

These composites are engineered to be nonporous, so they do not require sealing and are not vulnerable to staining. Many of these engineered materials are extremely heat resistant and do not scratch easily. In some of these materials, such as those that include agate or other gemstones, the stone incorporated is quite visible. For other products, however, such as solid surface counters, the minerals have been ground into dust and combined with resins and acrylic so that they bear little resemblance to natural stone.

When You Work with the Right Contractor, You Can Get Experienced Guidance in Choosing Countertops and Other Materials

The materials you choose for your kitchen or bathroom counters will impact your life for years to come. You deserve to find a choice that makes you pause to enjoy the look and feel each time you use it, but the process is not always easy. When you work with a contractor experienced in design as well as construction—and one that is dedicated to making you happy rather than making money for the company—then your contractor can help you narrow down your choices and evaluate options to find the right countertops for today and always. At Marcela Montoya Remodeling, we put people ahead of profit, which means devoting time to helping you understand and choose the right components for your home. If you’re planning to remodel your kitchen or bath in South Florida, we invite you to reach out to discuss the possibilities.