Ask Sarah: How to Choose the Perfect Material for Your Countertops
Imagine with me for a minute…
You are walking into your perfect kitchen. You step inside for the first time and your jaw drops — it’s like the space was designed just for you. You feel a sense of excitement, pride, and pure contentment. Now...
What does it look like? What color are the cabinets? What type of flooring do you see? Is there a butler’s pantry? A coffee bar? A breakfast nook? Where are the appliances located? Can you picture it? And what about those countertops?
All of the above questions are decisions that every kitchen renovation requires. For many homeowners, making all of those decisions on their own (with the zillions of options out there) can be overwhelming.
That is precisely why our team is here to help you choose wisely. We know the ins and outs, pros and cons, of every material and appliance on the market. From maintenance to cost, style to durability — when designing your dream kitchen, we help you navigate the vast array of materials and finishes available to you so that you can live joyfully in your space for years to come.
Today, I want to talk to you about just one of these materials. It’s the one we probably get the most questions about… countertops.
Your Kitchen Countertops: Fabulous & Functional Focal Points
Your kitchen island, your countertops — they are a blank slate waiting to become a spectacular focal point!
While each kitchen is different and every family is unique, there are 3 tried-and-true countertop materials that we encourage our clients to consider when renovating their kitchens. All are great choices, and this is nowhere near an exhaustive list of the options available to you, as a homeowner.
But for now, let’s focus on the most popular materials: granite, quartz, and quartzite.
Option 1: Granite
Our clients chose granite for their kitchen remodel.
Granite, as you may know, is a natural stone created by Mother Nature. It was actually the first natural stone offered as a mainstream countertop choice, and it remains a favorite with many customers for a number of reasons.
The beauty and durability of granite makes it a highly attractive and practical option. Granite ranks among the hardest natural substances on the planet. Plus, it is always sealed before it leaves the fabricator to ensure long-term simple maintenance.
When you end up with spills or stains, removing them is easy. With but a little help from a damp rag, and occasionally some soapy water, granite can remain flawless for a lifetime.
Granite’s mineral composition also makes it durable and scratch-resistant. It is impervious to heat and water and holds up to constant use without losing its beauty and luster. Family friendly for those kids or grandkids (or adults with youthful spirits)? Absolutely.
Chefs love granite countertops as well because they are always cool to the touch, and with a fine dusting of flour, they are practically non-stick. This property allows professionals and home cooks alike to roll out dough and pastries directly on the countertop with ease. (As our home chef and GC, Steve gives granite his blessing!)
Granite countertops are also available in a wide range of colors and an array of affordable price points viable within most project budgets. Each slab has unique hues, individual graining, and unpredictable patterns. Your granite countertop will be as unique as a piece of original artwork...beautiful and one-of-a-kind.
Granite at a Glance:
Natural stone
Very little ongoing maintenance
Durable and scratch-resistant
Impervious to heat and water
Cool to the touch
Vast aesthetic selection
Affordable
Option 2: Quartzite
Quartzite in our Waterfront Home
Quartzite is another wonderful natural material quarried from the earth. It has high quartz content and can even be harder than granite. It is a metamorphic rock similar to marble but significantly harder and less porous. As a whole, it is a fabulous stone for kitchens.
There is a wide range in quartzite performance. Natural stone has unique characteristics, so asking questions about the stone’s hardiness is important. While quartzite, like Taj Mahal, is dense and strong, there are other quartzite varieties that are soft, like marble, and may etch with use.
When you visit the slab yard, be sure to ask the fabricator for specifics on the different varieties of quartzite they carry. The fabricator knows which stones are more prone to issues since they work with this stone day in and day out.
Most quartzite also has a polished finish and is commercially sealed when it leaves the fabricator for installation. If you decide to go this route, make sure to ask about the need for future applications of sealant, as this can go a long way to preserve the beauty of your countertops.
Quartzite at a Glance:
Natural stone
Harder than granite
Varied performance
Polished finish
Commercially sealed
Requires some ongoing maintenance
Vast aesthetic selection
Option 3: Quartz
Cambria Quartz looks stunning in this kitchen! (source)
Unlike the first two options, quartz is a man-made, engineered stone. It is created from granite stone chips, a resin base, and pigments that are blended and fired to create a material that will resist stains and heat. Because of this great chemistry, the material does not need to be sealed.
The size of the slab is important to your countertop dimensions. Some quartz is made in a “super slab” size, which comes in very handy if you have a large island and want to minimize seam locations. As you can imagine, natural stone slabs vary according to the size of what the quarry finds. That makes quartz particularly appealing since it can be fabricated in nearly any size that you might need.
A significant cost benefit of quartz over natural stone is that you can choose a white finish with the same superior maintenance and durability without an increased price point. When looking for natural stone, the whiter the stone in nature, typically the more expensive it is.
In some cases, natural stone, like marble, is fragile and therefore is not practical for a kitchen setting. Man-made quartz materials like Caesarstone, Silestone, and Cambria in white tones (mimicking Carrera or Statuary Arabesque marble) have become a popular alternative with our clients. They do look beautiful!
Quartz at a Glance:
Engineered stone
Very little ongoing maintenance
Resists stains and heat
Available in extra large sizes
Durable
Vast aesthetic selection
Affordable
What Will New Countertops Cost Me?
On average, we find that no matter which of the above options you choose, countertops range in price from $75 to $150 (or more) per square foot installed. The cost of natural material fluctuates with market conditions. Almost 100% of natural stone is imported, so there are a lot of factors involved in the final cost. Major manufacturers of man-made quartz are a bit more uniform, but also vary based on the color and content of the slabs.
You will occasionally see vendors who advertise a lower cost per square foot for countertops. That is often just for the stone itself. When providing an estimate for our clients, we include the cost of the whole process: materials, finishing, cut-outs for the sinks and cooktops, delivery, and installation.
Steve and I work with a reputable fabricator that we have an established long-term relationship with. We know that they stock first-quality stone, have reliable cutting and finishing machinery, and a warranty to stand behind what they do. They are part of our team of trusted, vetted suppliers.
If you are looking for countertop materials on your own, be sure to compare apples to apples whenever you are gathering your information. Countertops are a big part of any kitchen or bathroom renovation and you will want to spend your money wisely.
How Does this Information Fit into the Design Process?
Part of our design process is to take a field trip to the fabricator’s slab yard. This is always an adventure — we never know what we will find as the inventory changes often. It is fun for me to see what each client ends up choosing. So many times they have an idea of what they want (formed from spending time on Pinterest or browsing online photos). But things always look different in person, and in many cases we see stone that we never knew existed.
When working with our clients, we help guide them in choosing materials that make them happy both in appearance and performance. Some homeowners like the unpredictable and original look of natural stone like quartzite or granite. Others like the conformity and consistency of quartz.
There are good reasons to choose any of these stones, and although we help sift through the pros and cons of maintenance, cost, durability, etc., ultimately we defer to your preference when selecting one material over another.
After all, countertop selection is all about making an informed decision for you and your family. We want you to smile each time you walk into the kitchen and see those beautiful countertops.
If you’re thinking of upgrading your countertops or even remodeling your whole kitchen, we would be proud to bring your dream space to life. You can contact us here and trust that our team will always be available to help you through the process.
We believe that the kitchen you were dreaming of at the beginning of this post should be the kitchen you get to live in and enjoy every single day.
Warmly,
Sarah