Kitchens are at the heart of every home and the centre of activity in the house. It’s where so much of your time at home is spent. So, it’s no surprise that selecting the right kitchen countertops is challenging. Not only are there so many options available at different price points, but your choice must fit in with your lifestyle and, in open plan layouts, particularly, the overall aesthetic and design of the entire space.
The most popular and trending countertop in 2022 is marble, followed closely by concrete and butcher-block styles. Slate, soapstone and honed granite are timeless, while quartz provides an upscale look that is strong, durable and heat resistant.
With so many options available, including quartz, marble, granite, Corian and more, we look at some top tips for choosing the right kitchen countertop for your Barbados home.
1 Determine your aesthetic.
Before choosing your counters, it helps to have some ideas on how you want your ideal kitchen to look. Choosing your kitchen countertops can be made much simpler by focusing on what you like and don’t like. Before looking for new kitchen countertops, consider the style you want to achieve.
While other countertops may give your home a more modern feel, some may offer your kitchen a more traditional appearance. Consider installing more unconventional countertop materials if you’re looking for a contemporary, trendy kitchen. The countertop material you select for your kitchen will depend on the overall appearance you’re looking to achieve.
Marble is often used for its elegance, while granite brings a more personal, natural feel due to its unique patterning.
2 Select a material compatible with your lifestyle.
Particular lifestyles are more suited to specific kitchen countertop selections than others. For example, a white granite countertop might not be the best choice for your kitchen if it is a busy home with frequent spills and accidents.
Consider how your kitchen will be utilized when choosing a countertop material because some are more porous or prone to cracks, scratches and chipping. This will help you decide how resilient the countertop surface should be. For example:
Granite countertops can withstand sharp knives and hot pans, while laminate surfaces, susceptible to scratches and burns, will not. Laminate countertops are also difficult to repair due to their particle board structure.
Soapstone countertops are becoming popular, but they struggle to withstand knife scratches compared to other natural stones. They are also rough to touch and can scratch glassware and china.
Corian is beautiful, heat resistant and easy to shape into angles and curves.
3 Consider long-term upkeep and maintenance.
When selecting kitchen countertops, maintenance should be one of your top priorities. Certain kitchen surfaces need more upkeep and repair than others. For instance, granite countertops may need regular sealing to keep their lovely appearance. If granite kitchen countertops need repair after damage, the cost may also be expensive.
However, alternative countertop materials, including solid surface, none porous quartz and laminate, require far less maintenance. Quartz, in particular, is easy to clean compared to marble, which is susceptible to staining, even if it’s sealed.
Stainless steel countertops are preferred for commercial kitchens as they are stain-resistant and provide a modern vibe to domestic kitchens. Similarly, concrete countertops have a minimal style and are very durable.
Butcher-block countertops require regular sanding and oiling to remove stains and knife marks and protect them from water damage.
Kitchens should be clean and bacteria-free, so countertops without grooves are preferred, as they can harbour dirt and microbes. A solid surface countertop or choosing a material that can be sealed can prevent this issue.
4 Think about your home’s layout.
The kitchen should unite the entire house because it is the centre of the household. As such, consider your home’s overall design and layout and make an effort to maintain a consistent aesthetic throughout.
To ensure a smooth flow across the area, it’s crucial to ensure all the elements of an open-concept house function together. For example, the design you choose for your kitchen should be used across your entire house if it has an open concept. Likewise, your property will look better with similar finishes and colour schemes.
Even if your house is not an open concept, connecting the living areas and the kitchen is still beneficial. When selecting your kitchen countertops, try to keep your colour scheme simple.
5 Think about your budget for kitchen countertops.
Consider your budget before selecting your kitchen countertops if you don’t already have one. Some countertop choices can be costly, but there are options for all budgets.
For example, granite is known for its strength, durability and heat resistance but is expensive. However, it does hold up well against daily attacks from sharp objects, so it won’t require replacing for some time.
Natural stone like marble and granite are the most expensive. Concrete is also reasonably expensive, while Corian and laminate are cheaper options.
6 Choose a Favoured Sink Mounting.
The two most common configurations for mounting a sink to a kitchen countertop are under-mounted sinks and over-mounted sinks. Consider the type of sink you want in your ideal kitchen when picking your countertops.
Under Mounted Sinks
With under-mounted sinks, the sink’s edge lip is mounted below the kitchen countertop. This sink mounting style creates a continuous flow from your kitchen countertop to your sink, making cleaning up crumbs simple. Some materials are better suited for under-mounted sinks than others, like:
- Granite
- Concrete
- Marble
- Quartz
Alternative countertop surface materials might not be ideal for under-mounted sinks if there are too many seams or grout lines. So, if you prefer an under-mounted sink design, you should choose a solid surface countertop.
Over Mounted Sinks
Traditional over-mounted sinks are also known as drop-in sinks because installation involves dropping the sink into the countertop. The edges of this type of sink extend over the kitchen countertop.
7 Consider the weight of your kitchen countertops.
If you are installing a new kitchen, this is less important, but if you are re-modelling, you must consider the weight of your chosen countertop. Granite and concrete are particularly heavy and will require significant support. On the other hand, laminate and paper composite is much lighter than natural stone and water resistant, which is ideal for busier kitchens.
Choosing your kitchen countertops can be made simple by speaking with the experts at Berkan Construction. Professionals who specialize in countertops frequently know which materials best suit your needs and way of life. More than that, professionals may collaborate with you to create the ideal kitchen countertops for your dream home here in Barbados. Contact the team today.