One of many first stuff you discover a couple of kitchen design is the countertop. Kitchen counter tops cowl loads of area, and are available in many diverse supplies, types & colours. Three of in the present day’s hottest choices are granite, quartz & Corian® counter tops. So, how do you select the proper countertop materials on your challenge? Whereas it largely is determined by your choice, there are a number of essential elements to think about when choosing your kitchen counter tops.
Countertop Composition & Look
All three supplies are lovely and are available in all kinds of types and colours. One of many most important variations between granite, quartz & Corian® is their compositions.
Granite is a pure stone, mined from the Earth everywhere in the world. Pure minerals give the granite its coloration & sample. Due to this, granite colours and types can extra restricted than different, engineered supplies. Whereas it’s attainable to get a number of slabs of granite in the identical coloration, no two slabs are precisely alike. The granite counter tops in your house are like an authentic piece of artwork, on show for all to see.
Quartz counter tops are an engineered stone, sometimes made up of about 93% pure quartz certain collectively by resin and pigments. As a manufactured product, the color and style choices are practically limitless, and slabs could be made equivalent to at least one one other. Quartz may also be engineered to seem like a pure stone product, together with granite and marble.
Corian® is a well-liked model of strong floor, an engineered product that has been round for the reason that Sixties. Strong floor consists of a pure acrylic polymer and pure minerals. It’s thought of a specialty product that requires particular data to manufacture & set up. Corian is available in loads of coloration choices and could be put in with no seen seams and in any form. Due to its composition, strong floor is impervious to mildew & micro organism, making it a very fashionable selection for bogs and lots of business functions.
Kitchen Countertop Sturdiness & Upkeep
Is sturdiness an vital issue in the case of your kitchen counter tops? Effectively, granite and quartz are two of the “hardest” supplies on the market, making them a logical selection. Nevertheless, all three countertop supplies have their advantages and disadvantages.
Sturdiness
Granite is essentially the most sturdy materials of the three and boasts exceedingly excessive warmth & scratch resistance. Nevertheless, as a porous materials, granite could be very inclined to stains & micro organism if not sealed correctly. In lots of cases you will want to reseal your granite counter tops each 6 months to a 12 months, to make sure correct safety.
Quartz is a nonporous floor and, because of this, is stain and micro organism resistant. Nevertheless, quartz is much less scratch & warmth resistant than granite, and could be broken when unprotected from sharp objects or scorching components. Common use of chopping boards or trivets is very really helpful.
Corian, or strong floor, is finest identified for its stellar stain and micro organism resistance. Nevertheless, Corian is susceptible to scratches and, like quartz, is just not heat-resistant. The advantage of strong floor is that any harm is normally repairable by the fabricator. Nevertheless, the provision of strong floor fabricators has dwindled over time, and so they could also be troublesome to seek out in your space.
Upkeep
The largest distinction in countertop upkeep is the necessity for sealant.
As we mentioned above, granite sometimes requires sealing each 6 months to a 12 months relying on its use. A home-owner can inform {that a} granite countertop wants sealing when water is absorbed by the floor, forming water stains or spots. Whereas it could sound like a ache, the sealing course of is kind of straightforward to comply with and could be carried out as a DIY challenge. Some sealants do require a curing interval of as much as 24 hours.
Granite counter tops additionally require the usage of gentle family cleaners solely, and even simply cleaning soap and water. Extra abrasive cleaners, like bleach or ammonia, ought to be averted as to not harm the floor.
Quartz counter tops don’t require the usage of any sealing at any level and might tolerate most family cleaners. We don’t suggest the usage of particularly abrasive cleaners, as they could nonetheless harm the floor over time.
Corian counter tops can deal with most family cleaners, and don’t should be sealed to keep up its stain & micro organism resistance.
Affordability of Quartz, Granite & Corian Counter tops
The costs of quartz, granite & Corian can differ broadly relying on the colour you select and its availability. For instance, granite countertop can value you wherever from about $35 a sq. foot to effectively over $100+ a sq. foot, particularly if the colour you chose is uncommon or unique. Equally, quartz and strong floor have a large variation in value. Despite the fact that strong floor has lengthy been thought of the “inexpensive” various to granite or quartz, which isn’t essentially the case.
How Are Kitchen Counter tops Priced?
It’s possible you’ll be asking: which countertop materials is the most costly? Effectively, it relies upon. Kitchen counter tops are priced in a tiered system. Every coloration is positioned in a tier relying on availability, reputation, and different elements. The upper the tier, the dearer it will get. If you end up affordability of every countertop materials, take into account what coloration choice you may decide in every class. The quartz coloration you want may find yourself being in a decrease tier than the granite or Corian colours you picked, leading to a cheaper price.
Countertop Materials Availability
One other key issue to consider when contemplating Corian is the provision of strong floor fabricators in your space. Whereas there are various granite suppliers and quartz producers to select from, the market and availability of Corian is significantly smaller. Strong floor is a specialty product that requires particular coaching to have the ability to fabricate and set up accurately.
Many countertop retailers don’t provide strong floor, as a result of licensed fabricators are exhausting to return by, and the demand is just not as sturdy because it was once. If you wish to use Corian in your kitchen design, verify to see in case you have an authorized fabricator in your space first. It will prevent from challenge delays, leading to larger renovation prices down the road.
Worth Added to Your Dwelling
One other issue to think about when selecting a kitchen countertop on your house is the potential worth a sure materials can add over others. In case you are contemplating promoting your property quickly, you could be questioning what your return on funding (ROI) shall be to transform your kitchen. Your kitchen counter tops are simply as vital as your cupboards in the case of ROI. They’re one of many first issues {that a} potential purchaser will discover, together with the cupboards, home equipment, and backsplash. So, which materials will get you one of the best ROI?
Presently, quartz kitchen counter tops are in the present day’s hottest & fashionable choice in in the present day’s properties. The explosion of quartz reputation is especially due to its versatility, number of coloration choices, and its “maintenance-free” popularity. In case you are seeking to enchantment to the lots and get the best promoting value on your residence, quartz is the way in which to go.
Nevertheless, many householders nonetheless like and like pure stone of their kitchens. In case you are on a tighter price range however nonetheless wish to maximize the return in your funding, granite is your subsequent most suitable choice. Granite has many colours and magnificence choices to suit any design and enchantment to as many potential consumers as attainable.
Regardless of Corian’s many coloration choices, in the present day’s residence consumers take into account Corian to be a dated product and might even see the counter tops as one thing they might want to rework down the highway. In case you are transforming your kitchen for the sake of promoting to the best bidder, we advise that you just keep away from Corian and choose both granite or quartz on your kitchen counter tops.
Countertop Sustainability Considerations
If eco-friendly supplies are vital to you, some countertop supplies are extra sustainable than others. Quartz counter tops are sometimes made within the USA and include one of many Earth’s most prolific minerals, pure quartz, together with different recycled content material. The counter tops additionally final a very long time, which is why many include hefty warranties hooked up.
Corian counter tops are additionally eco-friendly, regardless of being a manufactured product. Their manufacturing doesn’t require heavy mining, and they’re sturdy and repairable.
Granite counter tops are the least environmentally pleasant choice on this listing. Regardless of being a pure product, they require heavy mining to acquire, and have to be rigorously transported from all over the world.
Guarantee Choices
One last factor you could wish to take into account is the guarantee that accompanies your chosen countertop materials. Corian® supplies residential prospects with a 10-year, transferrable, restricted guarantee, offered that the counter tops are put in by a Corian-authorized fabricator/installer. The guarantee covers the restore and/or substitute of your counter tops, so long as they weren’t topic to extreme warmth or bodily abuse.
Quartz warranties rely upon the model you select. For instance, Cambria® affords a lifetime transferrable guarantee on their quartz merchandise. Silestone affords a 25-year transferrable guarantee for those who activate your guarantee inside 6 months of buy. Viatera, by LG Hausys, affords a 15-year transferrable, restricted guarantee. We suggest you converse together with your kitchen designer or go to the quartz model web site for essentially the most present guarantee info accessible.
Granite warranties, like quartz, rely upon the provider you buy your slabs from and might differ in protection phrases. Norfolk Kitchen & Tub works with many native stone suppliers within the New Hampshire & Massachusetts space. For essentially the most present guarantee info in your product, please ask your kitchen designer.
Is Quartz, Granite or Corian Higher?
As we mentioned at first of this text: one of the best kitchen countertop choice is determined by your preferences and particular wants. If sturdiness is your greatest concern, granite could also be your most popular countertop materials. Nevertheless, if you’re seeking to maximize your property sale value or get essentially the most sustainable product, then quartz is your most suitable option. Even Corian, regardless of a decline in reputation, has an edge over the opposite supplies by way of repairability and bacteria-resistance. Your best option on your kitchen countertop comes all the way down to what works finest for you and your loved ones. For extra info on how numerous countertop supplies examine to at least one one other, obtain our free countertop comparability sheet.
Obtain Countertop Comparability Sheet
Design Your Dream Kitchen at Norfolk Kitchen & Tub
From kitchen cupboards to counter tops and every thing in between, Norfolk is your one cease store for all issues kitchen transforming. We provide a variety of kitchen cabinetry and counter tops for all budgets, together with granite and quartz merchandise! We even have an professional design crew, many with many years of expertise navigating the nuances of a kitchen rework. Norfolk Kitchen & Tub has six kitchen showrooms in Massachusetts & New Hampshire providing free professional design companies. Cease by a showroom in the present day to be taught extra about our services or schedule your free design session to get began in your transforming journey in the present day!