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Is your kitchen missing something?
You’re not sure what it is, but every time you walk into the kitchen, you feel like the look of one of the most important rooms inside your home has grown stale and tired.
The time has come to install a kitchen countertop.
There was once a time when homeowners lived in the same home for several decades, without making any substantial changes to the look and feel of at least one room.
Those days are gone.
Adding a kitchen countertop produces several tangible benefits:
- Increase in home value
- More space to prep and cook
- A casual place for friend and family members to dine
- More storage space for dry goods and kitchen equipment
- Creating the ambiance you want
Let’s look at a few helpful tips for making a decision on your kitchen countertop.
What’s the Impact on Your Home’s Value?
Although it is important to choose a kitchen countertop that matches your aesthetic preferences, you also have to consider how the countertop will affect the future resale value of your home. What looks like an addition that improves the ambiance of the kitchen might not appeal to a cross-section of potential home buyers. Certain materials like quartz and granite add value to kitchen countertops and hence, add value to your home as well. However, as we will soon see, there is another kitchen countertop material that maximizes an increase in the value of your home.
Color Me Neutral
As much as it seems appealing to change the look of your kitchen every few years, you can expect to keep the same countertop for decades to come. The reason is removing the old kitchen countertop to install a new and improved countertop just is not logistically feasible, nor is it financially prudent. You want to select a color scheme for a soon to be installed kitchen countertop that complements the color scheme of other kitchen features, such as the wallpaper and large kitchen appliances. When you opt for a neutral color for the new countertop, you avoid locking into a color scheme that quickly loses its appeal.
How Much Maintenance Does the New Countertop Require?
Maintenance requirements should play a pivotal role in your decision to install a kitchen countertop. Some materials require following a strict schedule that involves a lot of work and at times, an additional investment into the upkeep of the countertop. You want to avoid a material that needs to be sealed frequently to prevent stains and water damage. Countertop materials that easily dent and scratch diminish the appearance of your kitchen. Once again, you can go with quartz or granite to take care of the maintenance factor, but we like marble as the best option for a kitchen countertop material.
Go with Marble
The trace of sheen you see on the surface of a marble kitchen countertop presents an elegant appearance that enhances the ambiance of any home. A slight sheen reflects natural and artificial light to boost the mood of your kitchen. It also projects the color, or colors, you chose for your marble countertop.
Rugged Durability
As a natural stone, marble does a good job of resisting the damage caused by dents, cracks, and scratches. In fact, the elegant stone does the best job of handling the abuse dished out by a stove placed within the countertop. Even though it is ruggedly durable, marble is softer than granite, which means you have the flexibility to incorporate more diverse design elements into the material.
Resists Heat Damage
The stove you added within the countertop offers the ultimate in cooking convenience. The problem now is preventing heat from damaging the countertop material. If you go with marble, you can expect the countertop to remain in pristine condition if you cook daily on a countertop stove. Not even the fine finish added to the marble countertop is a match for the heat coming out of the stove burners.
Stands the Test of Time
Yes, marble is durable, but it also stands the test of time for aesthetic reasons as well. You can expect a professionally installed marble countertop that is precisely sealed to last you as long as you own your home.
It’s Affordable
Marble’s elegant appearance makes many homeowners believe the stone is out of their kitchen countertop price range. However, marble costs less than other types of natural stone countertops. Depending on the type of marble and the thickness of the countertop, marble will take less of a bite out of the home improvement budget than installing a quartz or a granite countertop.
Location, Location, Location
You have heard the mantra of “location, location, location” when it comes to opening a business. Well, the same principle applies to installing a kitchen countertop. You have to decide whether to add the new countertop along a wall or place it in the middle of the kitchen as the featured accessory. Kitchen space is typically at a premium, so choosing where to install the countertop is a vital question to ask.
Use a Countertop Estimator
They say you should never walk into a gun fight carrying a knife. Here is another one that applies to kitchen countertops: You should never install a kitchen countertop, without first using a countertop estimator.
Big box home improvement retailers such as Lowe’s and The Home Depot train specialists to help homeowners use a kitchen countertop estimator. You can also find countertop estimators online that help you design the right countertop for your kitchen.
Using a kitchen countertop will help you decide on the following factors:
- Material
- Color
- Edge profile
- Size
- Project difficulty
- Whether to include a range
Edge profile represents the area of the countertop you can expect to make contact with more times than other areas of the countertop. It’s an especially important factor if you plan to use the new countertop for prepping food items and/or seating guests.
In most cases, installing a kitchen countertop requires the technical expertise of a home improvement contractor. Make sure to include the cost of an independent contractor in your countertop installation budget.