How to Choose Countertops for Your New Home

2020 February 19

​As a custom home builder this seems to be a topic many clients are extremely concerned about, and rightfully so. When people are purchasing a house, the two rooms they focus the most energy on are the kitchen and the master suite.

This makes sense. The kitchen is the hub of the modern home. And if your house is like mine, it is where we seem to spend the most amount of time. Admittedly, we’re a bit biased. We have 8 children with busy schedules in sports, someone is always coming and going, and we feel like the kitchen is a 24/7 all-you-can-eat restaurant!

​With all this activity choosing the right countertop is very important to the function of the home and most importantly the kitchen. There seem to be many choices to choose from but here are the countertops most of our clients choose and why.

How to Pick Countertops

Laminate Countertops:

The biggest advantage to a laminate countertop is they are relatively inexpensive, so if you are looking to stay in a tight budget these counters are a good choice.

Laminate has other advantages too. They’re easy to clean and are resistant to stains, which is an important consideration even if your home isn’t as busy as ours. Because laminate is inexpensive you can change colors and patterns affordably and easily.

That said, laminate counters do have several drawbacks that mean they’re rarely a couple’s first choices when building their dream home.
– Laminate does not add any resale value.
– Laminate is not heat resistant.
– Laminate cracks or chips quite easily.

If these drawbacks aren’t that significant to you, laminate may be an excellent choice for your new build. While other choices may be trendier today, laminate has been the leading choice in countertops for the last 75 for good reason. And contemporary laminates have never been more beautiful or harder wearing.

Picking Kitchen Countertops

Granite Countertops

In our opinion the biggest advantage of granite is the natural beauty of the product. Because granite is a natural stone, every slab is unique and has its own inimitable look.

While granite counters are a real looker, they also perform well.
– Granite is very durable
– Granite is heat resistant
– Granite is scratch resistant
– With Granite you can easily use undermount sinks

To keep your granite countertops looking and performing their best, it’s important to do some preventative maintenance. Most importantly, granite is naturally porous. You’ll want to seal your granite countertops periodically to keep those pours closed and prevent liquids can be absorbed in the slab.

Other than the risk of staining and the need to seal your counters to protect them, the only other drawback to granite is its cost. It is significantly more than laminate, but then again, in the case of granite’s beauty, you do get what you pay for.

Quartz Countertops:

If the biggest advantage of granite is its natural beauty, the rich variation that only a millions-year-long process deep inside the earth can create, the best thing about quartz is it sleek, modern elegance. If you want your dream home to have the of-the-moment updated look, quartz is going to get you there.

Quartz has many of the same advantages as granite. It’s a solid surface, is extremely durable, heat resistant, and unlike granite, it doesn’t stain easily. Even better, quarts is scratch and chip resistant and unlike granite, it’s non-porous, so you don’t have to worry about bacteria or germs lurking beneath the surface of your counters. Indeed, not only is it nonporous, quartz is virtually maintance free.

So what is the catch? Well, it will likely come as no surprise to you, but quartz is among the most expensive surfaces that you can order for your kitchen. Other than cost, quartz is also no the best choice if your counters get large amount of direct sunshine. Prolonged sun exposure has been known to discolor quartz countertops.

Choosing the Right Countertop for you

While the counters you choose for your new home are an important decision, our recommendation is to examine your budget and then do what’s best for you and your family. Each of the counter options we’ve reviewed today can perform beautifully in the command center of your home

At the end of the day do what is right for you and your family don’t let a salesperson or designer dictate the product that works best for you!

Written by: Eric DeVries

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