Kitchen Countertops

Many people say that kitchen is the heart of the house. A kitchen does not only function as a place to cook your meal, but it is also a place for social gathering. Can you count how many times you and your friends have had a good time chatting in the kitchen over some coffee and cakes? I bet it is uncountable. People like to hang around in the kitchen because it is such a cozy place. Besides, who would ever doubt that it is the easy access to all the snacks!

As a place where you are passing by everyday, it would be very nice if you have the kitchen countertops that suit your functional and design preferences, as well as meet your budget. There are so many options of kitchen countertops. But you need to be very selective to choose the perfect one that goes well with the rest of the interior design of your home.

1. Granite

It is one of the most expensive choices that you have but it certainly gives you the natural color and looks very stylish. As a very tough material, granite is scratch and stain resistant, if sealed. With granite counters, you will never have to suffer cleaning the coffee stain anymore. Unfortunately, granite needs lots of maintenance and very expensive to install.

2. Engineered stone

This material is an alternative for people who want something with granite look but a little bit cheaper. There are many colors choices from engineered stone, and it is also stain, heat, and scratch resistant. Even though it may look very similar to granite, the engineered stone is not as resistant as granite.

3. Ceramic tile

For your kitchen countertops, ceramic tile would be a good choice if you want something that is easy to install and stain resistant. Also, it takes hot pans so will never have to worry about breaking it. Even though the surface of the ceramic tile is soft and easy to clean, the lines between the tiles might be very difficult to clean. But if you put the tiles very close to each other, it won’t matter that much.

4. Solid surface

This is another option for a stain resistant material for kitchen countertops. To create a great style for your kitchen, you can choose the different colors of the solid surface. Just one thing you should remember is never to put hot pans on it because it would get damaged easily by extreme hot temperature.

5. Stainless steel

To add a modern and contemporary style to your home, you can use stainless steel as the material for your kitchen countertops. With its smooth surface, it would be very easy to clean. Even though the material will show every finger prints you leave behind, with some cloth to wipe, it will look as good as new. Just be careful not to scratch it.

6. Laminates

This is the option for inexpensive stain resistant material, even though it is not a scratch resistant. It is also very easy to clean, and with the various colors to choice, you will find the one match to your kitchen interior.

7. Marble

With marble for your kitchen countertops, it will definitely give an exclusive and luxurious feeling. This material will give lots of advantages since it is waterproof and heatproof. But it will need lots of maintenance since it may stain easily, unless you choose to seal the marble professionally.

8. Concrete

If you have difficulties in finding the right material for your kitchen countertops, due to the unique design of it, concrete might be one option for you. To make it tougher, you might need to seal it so it will become stain, heat, and scratch resistant. In order to make it suits the rest of your kitchen design, you can add colors to it.

9. Butcher Block

Wood is always the classic choice for kitchen countertops because it will add warm characters to your home. It is easy to clean, and even though water might damage the surface, with regular maintenance like oiling or sealing it, your kitchen countertops will last long. There are many colors available for this material.

10. Soapstone

This material usually has a dark grey color which is very rich and deep. The surface is smooth and stain resistant in some level. This kind of material also needs to be oiled with mineral oil regularly.

Whatever you choose, there are always pros and contras for every material, so it really depends on what your priority is. But for sure, with the right material, your kitchen would look trendy and stylish.