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Products :
Countertops
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Though we'll never stop preaching the importance of selecting your
cabinetry first, there's no denying it: that perfect countertop is at the
forefront of most homeowners' wish lists. Whether you're craving granite
or have fallen for the unique look of quartz surfacing, there are
certainly no shortage of options to choose from.
But with so many fish in the sea, it's important to approach the selection
process wisely. You know what these countertops look like; now it's time
to get a handle on their individual characteristics. Read on to learn
about specific costs and pros and cons before you make a countertop
commitment.
The brief overview:
Practically speaking, solid surface, natural stone and quartz tend to hold
up best. If you spill something, hope it lands on solid surface, quartz or
stainless steel. You want to roll dough on marble and cut on stone or
wood. Laminate and solid surface come in the widest variety of colors. The
flexibility of solid surfacing and stainless steel makes them ideal for
fashioning decorative shapes or integral sinks. Once sealed, concrete
functions as an excellent surface that's quickly gaining in popularity.
Tile, wood and stainless steel offer special looks but have their
tradeoffs: tile doesn’t offer a smooth surface for food preparation and
its grout can discolor; wood requires sealants and maintenance; and steel
scratches and shows fingerprints. Specialty surfaces like hemp-based
countertops and those fashioned from lavastone provide alternative choices
outside of the countertop norm.
You can achieve the best of all worlds by carving out space for a mix of
surface materials—a granite island for serving, a maple butcher-block
square for cutting, solid-surface tops for heavy food-preparation tasks
and tile for a backsplash accent.
Read on to find out more about the general characteristics of each
material.
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