Types of Kitchen Counter Tops and Differences
Browsing the new kitchen magazines and stores you can quickly be overwhelmed by the limitless amount of choices available in kitchen designs and counter tops.
Fortunately once you set aside the brand names its easy to learn about the materials involved in the perfect kitchen counter top for your kitchen design.
The Kitchen Countertop is the hub of your home
Your kitchen counter top plays the central role in your home. Its here where your family will spend the majority of their time from making simple meals and snacks to hosting gatherings and festivities.
You want to ensure your kitchen counter top is a reliable staple in your home, easy to clean, scratch proof and heat resistant. Most important it should be beautiful and represent your kitchen and design tastes.
An added bonus you will find at Kitchen & Bath World is that it will also be reasonably priced and fit economically into your budget.
Quartz Kitchen Counter Top
Quarts kitchen counter tops are actually man made; comprised of engineered stone formed by grinding quartz minerals with a small amount of resins, polymers and color pigments. Quartz is considerably harder than granite and will stand the test of time. Keeping quartz counter tops clean is relatively easy owing to its non-porous nature.
Features:
Durable
Non-porous
Scratch Resistant
Stain Resistant
Heat Resistant
Easy to Maintain
Eco–Friendly
No sealing required
Cleaning
your quartz kitchen counter top is very simple using a non abrasive soap and cloth to avoid dulling the surface. For tougher jobs you can also use a diluted solution of rubbing alcohol and water.
One of the reasons quartz is such a great option for kitchens and bathrooms is because of how hard and scratch resistant it is. It can’t be damaged at all by even the hardest steel. It’s also extremely heat and bacteria resistant, which means that no matter what you(or your kids!) put on its surface, it won’t hold onto any nasty bacteria, and you can easily clean it off, resulting in countertops that look as pristine as when they were installed.
Quartz is also more flexible and lighter than granite is, which allows for an easier installation. Our quartz countertops are made up of mostly natural quartz stone. Some manufacturers add resins and other eco-friendly material to enhance the natural beauty of the stone. The quartz stone slabs are very special and unique, and these countertops come in a wide variety of colors, veining, and patterns.
Come in and see why we are Kitcheners #1 choice for stone countertops in the K.W. area and beyond.
Marble Kitchen Counter Top
A marble kitchen counter top is the perfect compliment to your high end kitchen. The eye pleasing stone is somewhat softer and perfect for baking and pastries. However care must be taken to not indent the surface with hard knife presses and you should avoid any acidic spills such as orange juice or wine.
Marble is a natural stone with subtle differences from piece to piece which compliment any kitchen design or style, from modern to classic and contemporary. You will never need to switch from your marble counter tops. The composition of marble and it’s natural resistance to heat make this stone surface the perfect counter top for dough’s. These kitchen counter tops; with proper care and maintenance will be durable in your home for decades to come.
Features:
Unique high end look
striking natural look
Sealing required
High resell value
Cleaning
Use mild soap and water with a non abrasive cloth. Continued use of spray sealant (monthly) will give moderate protection from scratches, etching and stains.
Conclusions
Little scratch and stain resistance fortunately marble can always be polished to re-new it’s brilliance, and
remove stains. However, if you were to choose marble over granite it would be becauase you like the look better.
Granite Kitchen Counter Top
Granite was your parents choice but at the time the counter tops were made poorly, heavy, risked cracking and had to be built on site. Fortunately times have changed and granite kitchen counter tops are now much more reasonable to choose and install in your home. The industrial look of granite was one reserved for only the most expensive homes however granite is more common today and is one of the most sought after materials.
Granite is now available in a very wide array of colors, patters and tones: from vibrant reds and blues to browns, whites even midnight black.
Features:
Scratch resistance
Extremely hard
Resists abrasion and stains
Heat Resistant
Sealing required
High resell value
Cons
Depending on how well its maintained, you may have to seal the granite once every few years.
Why Choose Kitchen & Bath World
The experts at Kitchen & Bath World can solve all your Kitchen renovation needs ensuring you the perfect kitchen counter top. We carry one of the largest stone counter top displays in all of Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge and Guelph. Our designers have the knowledge to create that vision you have and even offer new ideas that you might not have considered. We offer a free consultation and 3D design to allow you to see your new kitchen appear right before your eyes. Just like magic your old kitchen is transformed into a place that everyone will want to enjoy.
Because of our years in business we are quite lucky that we are able to literally source almost any stone that is sold in Canada allowing us the flexibility to work with a client with what they want. Considering we don’t manufacture the stone we can give an honest opinion accompanied by the best prices.
Come join us at our showroom or call and book an appointment today.
Stone Counter Tops Q & A
Questions?
- Can I put a hot pot on a quartz counter top. Answer. You should not put a hot pot on any type of stone counter top. It is a fallacy that stone counters are not susceptible to burning.
