The countertop is a busy work space in the 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.
What kind of counter do you want to select for your kitchen. Do you want a natural or an engineered stone. A wood surface, tile, Solid Surface Acrylic or Laminate counter?
Natural stones have a depth and beauty of a polished surface that is hard to match, like granite, limestone, and soapstone. They must be kept cleaned, sealed and waxed as they are porous and will become discolored if not properly cared for.
An engineered stone comes in many beautiful colors and blends of rock and uses quartz as a filler and a resin to bind it together. They are very durable to heat, scratching and discoloration. It is easy to clean them do not require waxing.
Solid Surface Acrylics come in many different colors such as Corian or LG Hi-Macs, they are a fabricated counter. They are durable and easy to clean. You can take a fine sand paper of 400 grit or higher and lightly sand out the stain if the surface becomes discolored. They can be bonded together to make a seamless counter and the sink can be built into it.
Wood counters have a gorgeous look and feel to them such as teak, maple, cherry, walnut or mahogany but they require upkeep and care. You must take care of them as they can be scratched, burned or stained.
Tile counters can be assembled in many different colors, patterns and sizes. They are durable and easy to clean, except for the grout between the tiles that can become stained so they need to be sealed. This grout is hard to keep clean. The tiles can be broken or chipped, so you must be careful with them.
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.
