If you’ve ever witnessed a major kitchen renovation, you have some idea of the vast array of options that before you, especially for areas such as the countertop. With new materials, finishes and design aesthetics coming online seemingly every day, the complexity of your choice only deepens. At the very least, you have marble, granite, stainless steel, wood, tile, lava stone, concrete, glass, bamboo composite and quartz to consider. Not only do you need to think about the aesthetics involved, durability, ease of maintenance, and contribution to the value of your property are considerations to think about, as well. Many of these materials are so new, though, that it can be hard to tell how their value will hold in the long term.
What kind of areas do you need to judge these materials on?
Some brave homeowners go straight for one of the newer materials simply because they look different from the granite and marble that they are used to. The colorful look of glass, solid surfaces and lava stone can be wonderful, but these materials can be expensive, and they face certain problems with durability. Glass is prone to chipping. Solid surfaces such as Corian can be spectacular, but can be extremely sensitive to heat.
Lava stone is obtained by hand from volcanoes, and such mining can even be bad for the environment. Stainless steel can be hardy, long-lived and easy to maintain, but can scratch. It can also be noisy, and some people tends to be turned off by its clinical look. Woodblock or butcher block can be beautiful, but can need maintenance. Protection from moisture is important, and it can be easily damaged. It’s important to understand that while these new materials can be a refreshing change, they also come with various shortcomings that make them challenging to use.
Granite is still relevant after all these years
Certain kinds of granite may be expensive, may be brittle, prone to pitting. According to Builders Surplus, Atlanta, GA, though, most granite types available for granite countertops that quality outlets tend to overcome all these problems. These can be inexpensive, extremely tough, easy to clean, highly durable, and completely impervious to moisture. They can look so classy that they can add value to a home. The fact that these last forever can surprisingly tend to be a bit of problem sometimes. Homeowners rarely find an excuse to redecorate.