KBIS Product Long Post: Countertops
Countertop choices confuse me. So I set out to educate myself on what is out there.
Countertops. I tend to abuse them. I'm not a careful chef...some would even say I am accident-prone. (Aaron.) Who else could set a dish towel on fire from a ELECTRIC stove? When we redo our kitchen, I'm going to need tough countertops.
A few houseblogs readers asked us to research countertops at K/BIS, so I obligingly hit the expo floor with my camera and notepad. And was immediately overwhelmed by all of the options. So I supplemented my knowledge with a little internet research as well. Did you know that when Consumer Reports gave advice about re-doing kitchens, they suggested many ways to save money but ALSO suggested not skimping on countertops? I didn't.
But, argh. The choices. Engineered surfaces or natural surfaces? Colors? Textures? Durability? Cost? Maintenance required? I am a sucker for natural materials. Therefore, I was drawn to the woods first.
According to many online sources, wood is easy to install and repair, but damages more easily than other surfaces and will require maintenance. It also looks and feels more "warm" than many other types.
New to me? Lyptus wood, a hybrid that incorporates ecalyptus wood and harder than mahogany. It's a "green" alternative dedicated to saving hardwood rainforests. Lyptus is the naturally reddish wood in this photo:
Lyptus trees can be grown to harvest maturity in 14 to 16 years, and can be reharvested 3-4 times before needing to be replanted. And it is a beautiful, heavy wood surface that is very tough.
I also fell in love with this limestone counter in the Kohler booth, as well as these soapstone and slate products.
There is a hand in the soapstone picture because that stuff is SO nice to touch, people can't keep their hands off of it.
Then there were the engineered counter products, like Zodiaq which is 93% quartz crystal and very tough. (This is my mom's favorite...she wanted me to include that.)
And the non-pourous, seamless Corian...
This was beginning to get overwhelming again. And I was suitably impressed by many of these surfaces, but it was difficult to get a handle on how to compare durability and price.
There were still many more surfaces out there: ceramic tile, laminate, stainless steel, granite. Even glass and concrete were represented.
Uncle!!!! Uncle!!! Enough!!! All of these products have their pluses and minuses depending on how you use your kitchen and your budget. There are whole books written on countertops and my time is short.
So, here are my recommendations for doing your research before you hit the showrooms to see the products:
- stop by Kitchens.com for a comparison of countertop materials and an interesting questionnaire on how to choose a countertop that is best for you.- check out Consumer Reports for more in-depth information on durability, ease of installation, manufacturer's brands, and value.
I guess I was also hoping to see some products that were a little more unusual, like Skatelite or some interesting recycled material for countertops such as paper stone and recycled glass.
When it is time for us to do our kitchen, I think I'm going to follow the advice of the folks at HGTV Kitchen Design and mix up a few countertop choices in order to maximize the look and save money. Luckily, as we are still saving for our future kitchen, I'll have a LONG time to think about this.
(Very ambitious DIY'ers may want to check out concrete countertops as something that they can learn to do themselves. Although concrete makes you think of sidewalks, concrete countertops can be quite beautiful, can mimic the look of other materials, and fit in nicely for traditional and modern kitchens.)
Looking for More?
Cabinet Refacing:
Face Your Kitchen | Your Guide to Kitchen Cabinet Refacing |
Comments
Thanks for the great reviews -- you're right that all the different options are truly dizzying! We learned about Richlite (manufacturers of Skatelite) countertops last summer, which I talked about on the O-Live blog here July 20th, 2005); we sent away for material samples and were pleasantly surprised by the look and feel. We're hoping to redo our counters in the next year and I think we've pretty much settled on this product.
One note about tile, because my husband would never forgive me.... He's a professional chef and he's on a mission to preach the evils of tile countertops. He's a tad, uh, fanatical about it. Anyway, his point is that the porous grout lines are a prime breeding ground for bacteria, which means you really shouldn't let food (especially meat) contact it directly, unless you're willing to wipe it immediately with bleach. It's not that tile counters can't be used, but with so many other terrific options available that are easy to keep sanitary, tile just seems like a poor option for a counter surface. (Which I guess is why most of the houses we looked at during our house hunting had them....)
Posted by: Brittney | April 25, 2006 2:56 PM
Something you may want to check out is Paperstone. In Chicago, it's sold at an enviromentally-friendly remodeling supply store that opened Pulaski and Fullerton last year--Greenmakers Supply.
Paperstone is very similar to Richlite but uses far more recycled material. It comes in about 10 shades and has a matte appearance with some subtle shading. It's a bit "softer" than other counter materials--I'd compare it to wood in that regard. It can be sanded down to remove scratches. When I was planning our now aborted kitchen remodel, we were planning on using Paperstone in chocolate. It was just so delicious looking; I practically wanted to eat it.
As for wood, I've often heard teak is a good choice, especially around sinks, since it's oily and less prone to drying out and cracking.
PS I've heard nothing but heartbreak from folks who installed concrete. I think it chips, stains and cracks pretty easily. Of course if you DIY, it's probably not too much of an investment if you decide to redo or replace it.
Posted by: Keri | April 25, 2006 3:27 PM
Something I have just started to look into for our kitchen remodel is a product called Toplab Plus made by Trespa (www.Trespa.com). Its the same stuff that goes on top of lab stations and tables (think the black top on HS/college chem lab stations). The few reviews I have seen on it rave about the product and its cost, although I have not been able to find much on exact pricing or distributors. It comes in a few different colors, though the black probably looks the best. You can request that 2 samples be sent to you on their web-site. I requested samples yesterday along with some pricing info. We'll see what I get.
Posted by: John Lackner | April 26, 2006 7:23 AM