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A Guide to Choosing the Right Counter-top For your Kitchen


Choosing a counter-top for your kitchen can be a daunting task, in order to choose the right kitchen counter-top you need to narrow down your search by analyzing your life style. You need to analyze and decide how much time you are willing to spend for maintaining the counter-tops and daily usage.



Tolerance for Maintenance


If you are a person who is not willing to do housework, you need to choose a counter-top which demands low maintenance. Solid surface, laminate, quartz, stainless steel and engineered stone counter-tops are best suited to tailor your needs as they require less effort to keep them in perfect condition. However if you are a person who enjoys doing household work and spending a few pennies for polishing and maintenance you can go for porous type of kitchen counter-tops which are made up of granite, wood or concrete. These counter-tops need to be periodically sealed and wooden counter-tops need to be oiled or polished once in three months to protect it from discoloration or wear and tear.



How Much Time do You Spend in the Kitchen?


If you happen to be a foodie then odds are you will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen to prepare delicacies. In this case it would be wise to go for a durable counter-top which is easy to clean. If you happen to choose a non porous material like stainless steel, porcelain, quartz or laminate you will find a hard time wiping the stains off after a long cooking session. Do not go for solid surfaces or laminate as they are do not tolerate excess heat.



How Big is Your Family?


If you have children you might not wanna chose marble, wood or concrete counter-tops as they are prone to stain. These counter-tops need to be cleaned properly and the tile gout need to be sealed periodically to prevent leakage. If your family is big you will need to look for a granite counter-top as they are scratch resistant and heat resistant. If you prefer to use laminate or solid surface counter-tops you need to make sure that you don’t place hot pots and pans as they are not heat resistant.





What is Your Budget?


If you don’t have any budget constraint in your mind then you can go for pricier counter-tops which are made up of granite, quartz, concrete or stainless steel. If you are looking for a reasonably priced kitchen counter-tops then you can go for wooden, glass or recycled counter-tops. If you are looking for a high value for money kitchen counter-top you can go for counter-tops made up of butcher blocks, laminate or tiles.


Wanna go Easy on Mother Nature?


Eco friendly kitchen counter-tops are constructed from recycled materials. Materials such as recycled glass, recycled paper, particle boards, wood and metal are used in creating recycled kitchen counter-tops. There are other attractive counter-tops which are made from recycled or re-purposed material which are biodegradable.



Types of kitchen Counter-Tops


Butcher-block counter-tops comprise of the grain ends of dimensional boards or grain sides. They are made up of a combination of small and larger piece of wood. They are affordable, easy to clean and provide a rustic appearance. However they need to be sealed and oiled properly in order to prevent water damage.
Concrete kitchen counter-tops are look similar to natural stone like granite and they can be customized to your liking. They are well suited for high end kitchens and give an elegant appearance. They are relatively expensive and require proper sealing to prevent stains.
Granite kitchen counter-tops are widely available and are the most preferred counter-tops in homes and commercial kitchens. They can be polished to provide an aesthetic look and are known for their durability and scratch resistant properties. However they are expensive and hard to maintain.

Laminate counter-tops come in a wide range of colors and designs, they are affordable and easy to maintain. However they are prone to get scratched and are not heat resistant.
Marble kitchen counter-tops are known for their posh quality and come in a wide variety of lovely colors which include pink, green and neutral tones. They are not preferred to be used in kitchens as they are prone to stain and cannot be sealed.


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