Your Dream Is in the Details: Countertops
One of the best parts of building your own custom dream home is the opportunity to literally design your home from the floor up. The details you choose – materials, colors, and finishes – all come together to make your home uniquely yours. The detail we are focusing on today is your kitchen countertop.
Having a “chef’s kitchen” is consistently on the top of people’s must-have lists when renovating, building, or buying a home. A major component of a chef’s kitchen includes prep space – incredible amounts of countertop space to not only prepare meals, but also serve and enjoy meals as well. You are essentially choosing the largest surface of your home, aside from the floor, obviously.
Options for kitchen countertops are extensive. You need to decide the aesthetic you want, as well as the amount of maintenance you are willing to tend to and the amount you are willing to spend. Here are six of the most popular countertop choices homeowners consider, as well as their key advantages and disadvantages:
1. Granite
- Pros: Each slab is unique, durable, and pretty easy to clean
- Cons: Expensive, heavy
2. Concrete
- Pros: Heat-resistant, fully customizable (edges, textures, shapes)
- Cons: Must be sealed and is porous, so keeping it clean can be difficult
3. Quartz
- Pros: Incredibly durable, non-porous and easy to clean
- Cons: Expensive, bad for high temperatures, large counter designs will not be seamless
4. Marble
- Pros: One of the least expensive natural options, timeless white brightness is available, doesn’t conduct heat well
- Cons: Scratches and stains easily
5. Stainless Steel
- Pros: Industrial strength, easy to clean, and long-lasting
- Cons: Prone to dents and scratches, fingerprints show up very easily
6. Wood (aka Butcher Block)
- Pros: Affordable, durable, and naturally anti-bacterial
- Cons: Requires continued maintenance including sanding and oiling
Once you find a countertop you love, the rest of your kitchen design can fall into place. Accents, colors, plumbing fixtures, and even the finish on your kitchen appliances can be selected to complement your countertop.