Surface Attraction: Countertops

by Jeff Billstrom

When people enter your kitchen, chances are the first thing they notice are your countertops.  With so many materials and colors to choose from, countertops can really express your style and set the tone of the kitchen.  The most popular by far is granite, followed closely by quartz.  Laminates are enjoying a resurgence in popularity and are an affordable and attractive choice.  Style and function are unique to each homeowner and here at Callen, we make sure homeowners can make an informed and educated decision about what will work best for them.  Below are more than a dozen options available and their pros and cons.

Granite is still very popular with our customers.  It’s extremely durable, available in many colors, and the stone can have natural movement in its pattern.  It is heat resistant, durable, and waterproof.  You can set a hot pot on it and it won’t burn.  You can also cut on it, but it does dull your knives.  Neither is recommended.  To protect the surface, periodic sealing is necessary.  People often see sealing as a negative, but sealing is as easy as applying the manufacturer-recommend product, wiping it off, and lightly buffing.  With the lighter granites, we recommend sealing more often because it is a more porous.  Other than the sealing, maintenance is minimal.  Certainly it can be chipped if you drop a cast iron fry pan, but of all the products it probably is the most durable.

The quarrying of granite is similar to slicing a loaf of bread.  The slab (or loaf) of granite is given a name and each slice is numbered in sequence because the first slice can vary greatly from the last slice.  If your kitchen needs more than one slab of granite, you want to make sure the numbers are in sequence.  Because the veining and color shading can vary, we always have the homeowner approve the slabs before they are installed.

Pros: Natural beauty, multiple colors, resists heat, and durable.  Surfaces can be polished or satin.
Cons: Sealing is required, knives dull when cut on it, and limited colors by Mother Nature.

Quartz, also known as engineered stone with trade names like Zodiac® Cambria®, and Silestone®, is made by combining quartz with resin and pigments in a process that binds the medium permanently.  Like granite, quartz is durable, and resistant to wear and tear, stains, scratches, and high temperatures.  One of the major advantages of quartz is the color selection, but it has no veining.  Manufacturers are trying to introduce more pattern to it by moving the grains and introducing color to make it look like natural marble or granite.  Personally, I’d rather seal my countertops and take the beauty Mother Nature provides with granite.

Pros: Durable, nonporous, and many color choices.
Cons: Doesn’t duplicate the natural movement of granite.  Edges and corners can chip.

Ceramic Tile is a product that’s been around forever.  We replace a lot of ceramic tile countertops not because they are worn out but because they’ve seen their day and the colors are old.  The tile itself will resist staining, but the grout will not.  Grout stains easily, even with sealing.  Ceramic tile also is heat resistant and available in a variety of colors and patterns.  But not all tiles have matching edge pieces.  The solution is to go with a wood edge, but it can get dog-eared from water and cleaning solutions.  However, it is still popular and a good choice for many applications.

Pros: Tiles easily clean, and wide range of price, color, texture, and pattern.
Cons: Grout stains easily, even when sealed.  Edging difficult or impossible to match the countertop tiles.

One of the largest categories is high-pressure laminates.  It’s become more popular with people who want to update their kitchen with new countertops but don’t want to go over the top with it.  Laminates have come a long way from those old laminate tops of the ’60s and ’70s.  Laminate is made of paper or fabric that is impregnated with resin and put over a composite wood product like particle board.  Through digital photography, laminates can be made to look like granite or stone – so some of those stone patterns in laminate look extraordinarily authentic.  We have a display in our showroom where we show a granite island and the L-shaped perimeter is actually laminate with the same type of beveled edge treatment.  Most people initially don’t recognize two different products.  Laminates are a respectable alternative, especially if the kitchen remodel is on a tight budget. Laminate surfaces have become much better than what it used to be as far as resisting scratches and stains and heat.

Pros: Durable, many color choices and patterns, and less costly.
Cons: Scratches and chips difficult or impossible to repair.  Visible seams, and difficult to do undermount sinks.

Solid surface materials such as DuPont’s Corian®, are durable, long lasting, heat and stain resistant, and have many choices and color patterns.  Solid surface materials are composed of polyester or acrylic resin plus a mineral filler.  Solid surfacing is the same material all the way through so minor surface blemishes can be sanded out.  An advantage is that it is virtually seamless.  Integrated sink bowls are available that are made of the same materials, though they are usually a different color than the countertop.

Pros: Many color choices and patterns that mimic stone, seamless, and stain resistant.  Many edge options and integral sink or undermount sink option.
Cons: Needs protection from high heat and sharp knives.

Marble and limestone are beautiful, but I wouldn’t use them in a high-use area because they are softer stones and will scratch easy and need more maintenance.  Marble particularly doesn’t take sealers well.  A red wine would stain it pretty easily.  It works better in a desk or buffet area or bake center.  However, bakers like marble because it is an excellent surface for rolling dough and its molecular makeup keeps its temperature stable.  Limestone is without heavy veining or graining and can withstand heat, but stains, nicks, and scratches more easily than granite or quartz products.

Pros: Beautiful to look at and heat resistant.
Cons: High maintenance.  Needs to be used carefully to avoid scratches and nicks.  Not stain resistant.

Soapstone is a beautiful, but typically darker stone.  It is generally gray, green, or bluish in color and has a very smooth feel.  Although it scratches easily, it can be sanded out and wiped with mineral oil to darken the stone and conceal scuffs.  Soapstone will not absorb stains, and it patinas over time.

Pros: Smooth feel, deep colors, easy to conceal scratches, and stain resistant.
Cons: Requires regular maintenance with applications of mineral oil.

Onyx falls into soft stone products.  It’s a translucent stone that can be used for bar tops or backsplash.  Backlighting creates a stunning effect.  It’s really not suitable for a countertop that is used for food prep or that sees heavy use.  It’s more costly and not used very often, but can certainly be a very nice feature.

Pros: High-end look, translucent, exotic colors and veining.
Cons: More costly to purchase and install.  High maintenance – not suitable for acidic or abrasive cleaners.  Stains and scratches easily.

Wood countertops give warmth to the kitchen, but are not as durable and user-friendly as other products.  Stains from water or liquid can soak into the grain and may be impossible to get out.  Some people prefer a butcher block for chopping, but as marble, soapstone and limestone, it’s a living surface – it will develop its own personality with nicks and marks.  Wood can be treated with mineral oil or beeswax or varnished for stain resistance, but water can still damage it.  I recommend wood more as a feature in the kitchen such as a raised snack bar and with the use of placemats.

Pros; Rich, warm look.
Cons: Needs periodic sealing or refinish to remove cuts, dings and scratches, if you desire to maintain a certain look.

Stainless is available for a high-tech industrial look common in warehouse condos or lofts.  It’s durable, but does not impart a warm feel.  Nonporous, it resists bacterial growth.  Spots, although removable, are common.  Stainless can also dent.  Countertops are usually fabricated from templates.

Pros: Nonporous, nonstaining, and resistant to heat.
Cons: Can be more costly than granite or quartz.  May scratch or dent.  Cannot cut on it directly.  Fingerprints and water spots easily show.

Concrete counters are cast upside down in molds or formed in place.  They can be made in virtually any shape and thickness.  Made correctly that are hard, durable, and heat and scratch resistant.  But they can stain easily.  It’s not impact friendly and if something is dropped on it, it can chip.  Concrete can be tinted, textured, and have different edge treatments.  For a unique look, stone chips or fiber optic lights can be embedded in it.

Pros: Heat resistant, can be color tinted and texturized, and configured to unusual shapes.
Cons: Subject to chipping.

Recycled Glass is better suited for a contemporary application.  It is challenging to make as a countertop.  Considered a green product because it is made of recycled glass, it resists heat and scratches. 

Pros: Eco-friendly; colorful, heat and scratch resistant.
Cons: Can chip and cement based portion is porous, which stains.

Bamboo came in favor with eco-friendly movement.  Just like wood, bamboo is reforested and fast growing.  But it can be burned and scratched and swell because of water,  Again, it’s a nice look, but something to be placed in a featured area, like a snack bar, rather than a main kitchen work area.

Pro: Eco-friendly, with a distinctive look
Cons: Can stain, and moisture can cause warping.

Choosing countertops is fun as you imagine the possibilities.  But with so many patterns, colors, and materials to choose from, it can also be overwhelming.  The designers at Callen are more than happy to help you select the countertop that functions best for you and will look beautiful in your home.