Countertops: Selecting the Right Surface for Your Home
Are you thinking about giving your kitchen or bathroom a facelift, or are you taking on a larger remodel project? When jazzing up your space the countertops are an important design decision and can add color and set the personality of your space. Think of them as the Beyonce of your home decor, a crucial, show stopping selection that’ll stand the test of time.
Raleigh Hills Kitchen
The countertops in this kitchen spared no detail. The gorgeous quartzite slab on the island has texture, character, and durability. The remaining stone from the slab was used in a small backsplash in the bar (not pictured).
Materials: Choosing the perfect countertop sets the tone and says “I do more than chop veggies here”! It's got to be durable, stylish, and ready to withstand the chaos of the kitchen:
Granite is like the superhero of countertops. It’s resistant to scratches and looks so it’s practically showing off bringing natural stone glam.
But hold your spatulas folks because quartz is like the superhero’s cooler cousin. It's engineered to be non-porous so it laughs in the face of wine spills and make up stains. Set a hot pan down? It’s chill. Quartz can take the kitchen chaos.
Now if you're feeling fancy pants or can't let go of that Pinterest image of the marble… I get it, marble might be your spirit countertop. It’s the Audrey Hepburn of kitchen or bath surfaces: elegant and timeless, but maybe a tad high-maintenance. A bit of diva, but aren't we all sometimes? Protect your countertops with this cute marble trivet or this star shaped trivet.
Alright, for my budget maestros, laminate or butcher block might be your jam, but keep in mind wood is porous and may play hide-n-seek with bacteria. While laminate might time travel your kitchen in the not so good Back to the Future kinda way! Natural or manufactured stone is definitely an expectation for resale.
Verde Vista Primary Bathroom
This is a great example of a 3cm countertop. No decking was required for this puppy as 3cm is strong enough to stand alone.
Color in your kitchen or bathroom countertops is crucial to the process. Think about the personality of your space. Do you want it to be dark and stormy or light and bright? Consider what's happening on the floors? If you have a pattern or colored tile on your bathroom floor, keep the countertop as the backup singer, we don’t need 2 leads! Do you have a color of cabinets that you want the stone to pull from? If you're working with a large space, remember your kitchen island can be wilder than the surrounding countertop surfaces.
Expert Tips :
Size: Countertops come in two thickness options: 2cm or 3cm. In English, that's roughly 0.75 inches for the slim & trim version and 1.25 inches for the heavyweight champion. Because, you know, thickness matters!
Selection: They're often sold in slabs but here's the plot twist – 2cm is the budget-friendly hero compared to its thicker sibling, 3cm cecause, let's face it, when it comes to countertops, size does play a role in the cost.
Install Detail: Your countertop might need some love underneath. For the 2cm, we call it "decking" for structural support. But hey, if you're rolling with a 3cm slab, it's like having a superhero that doesn't need a sidekick – it can stand tall and mighty on open cabinet tops without any decking (your installer will know this).
Application Detail: 2cm is often chosen for wall backsplashes because, well, it doesn't need the thickness strength for that job.
Design Detail: Feeling fancy? Consider the edge detail. You can trick the eye into thinking your countertop is thicker by going for a mitered edge – it's like a countertop facelift. Sure, it might cost a bit more, but it's the designer label of the countertop world.
Pricing: When it comes to pricing, your installer is the maestro of the symphony. You can pick your countertop soulmate at a retail location, but here's a pro tip: ask where the stone yards are. It's like speed dating for countertops – walk through yards, find your match, and let the love affair begin! Don’t forget to bring your tile and paint samples to hold against the potential partner!
Have more countertop questions? Message us @tealandscott on Instagram!
Helpful links:
If you like to keep your counters clean, this is a great dish towel and for a more decorative note, these are lovely.
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