Kitchen countertops can take a beating. You spill things on them, drop sharp objects onto them, or even sometimes put hot pots and pans directly onto their surfaces. The kitchen is the place where you cook, help your kids with homework, and enjoy the company of friends and family.
All of these activities going on in your kitchen mean that you need to pick countertops that can stand the test of time and hold up to daily use. If you are struggling with all of the options that are out there for your kitchen countertops in 2021, never fear! This article will serve as the ultimate guide to kitchen countertops in 2021.
The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Countertops 2021
Durability
As mentioned above, any kitchen countertop that you pick needs to stand the test of time and hold up to daily use. As soon as you start looking around at kitchen remodel or improvement options, you will realize that there is a vast array of kitchen countertop materials that you can choose from for your home.
How to pick the right one? Well, durability should be your first rule of thumb to consider. Materials like quartz are a great choice for your kitchen countertops because they will hold up to hard use and look beautiful for years.
Other popular materials for kitchen countertops like quartzite, are far more fragile and require sealing, as well as annual treatments to preserve their soft surfaces. Being unable to use your kitchen countertops for fear of scratches, dings, dents, and stains is the worst!
Make sure to avoid fragile countertop materials like tile and quartzite and you will be much happier with your countertops over the long haul. Check out this website for a closer look at the various types of countertops out there.
Color
It might seem like natural material options will come in many colors, but you might be surprised at how hard it can be to find the color that you are looking for when you try and pick from natural materials like marble, granite, or quartzite.
These materials are formed naturally and are subject to a great variability in color and inclusions, even inside of the same slab! This color variation can also lead to having to buy an overrun of material to make sure that you are able to match all the countertops in your home.
If you select a countertop material like quartz, you will be able to buy exactly the amount of material that you need for your project and every inch of it will match the color that you picked out. If you don’t want to deal with added costs and guesswork, you should avoid naturally-occurring materials for your countertop project.
Ease of Installation
Many people have no idea what all goes into an installation project until they are faced with the logistics and the cost of the one going on in their own home. It can seem to the uninformed that all of the materials on the market will be easy to install, but this is actually quite incorrect.
Naturally-occurring materials like quartzite often have faults and flaws included in them since they were not formed at a manufacturer. These flaws can lead to cracking and other damage during installation. As an added issue, these flaws can hide within the counter segments even after installation and crop up later when something heavy falls on the counter.
Manufactured materials like quartz will not break or crack during installation, and can even be cut into unique shapes and sizes that naturally-occurring materials cannot handle. Quartz is one of the best choices on the market for this type of need, as it is consistent in quality that it can handle being cut into unique shapes with ease.
Care
Care of your countertops should be as easy as cleaning them with a gentle cleaner once a day. While this might seem like the norm, you might be surprised to find out that many naturally-occurring materials need special daily care to keep them from being damaged.
Quartzite, for example, requires annual sanding and sealing, and you will need to use specific cleaners on its surfaces to prevent the degradation of the sealant. Granite is mostly exempt from this need, but there are always complications to the care process if you need to use specific anti-bacterial cleaners or other chemical compounds on, or near your counters.
Quartz requires no special care and will hold up to being cleaned with normal cleaning products. This is an easy-case countertop selection and one that is perfect if you don’t want a drawer full of cleaning products for your countertops alone.
Sanitary
One of the least-known facts about naturally occurring stones like quartzite and travertine, is that they can actually foster the growth of bacteria. This is because their porous surfaces can allow in liquids and other substances, trapping the below the surface of the countertop.
This is a really humbling consideration when you think about cooking chicken or other meat products in your kitchen and not being able to clean up spills of potentially bacteria-laden fluids when you are done preparing your food!
Materials like quartz will not absorb spills, liquids, or bacteria, and you can be assured that your countertop is not breeding germs when you pick a countertop made from quartz. There is nothing worse than feeling like your kitchen is not clean, but choosing quartz for your countertops will make sure that you will never feel this way about your kitchen again.
Kitchen Countertops in 2021 Are About Durability and Beauty
Gone are the days where you need to pick a naturally occurring material to have high-quality finishes in your home. You can forego the difficulties and challenges of naturally-occurring countertops in 2021, by choosing durable and low-maintenance options like quartz.
There has never been a better variety of beautiful manufactured countertop materials to choose from. Picking quartz, or another manufactured material for your countertops has never been easier, and you won’t regret investing in this practical, durable, and beautiful material for your countertop needs.