What do a cutting board, a juice spill and a hair straightener have in common? They’re all things that may be placed on your countertops.
Countertops need to be practical for your day-to-day life, but they can also be a way to add a touch of your personal style to your kitchen, bathroom, or other rooms in your house.
When you want to upgrade your current countertops, it’s possible to get a stylish, functional countertop that’s within your budget. Having many options to choose from is great, but can sometimes be overwhelming. Here are the steps you can take to come to a decision about what new countertop you want.
CONSIDER ALL OF YOUR OPTIONS
Whether you already have an idea in mind of what you want or if you have no idea at all, it’s a good idea to consider all of your options. You may think a certain material is out of your budget range or a material may be too hard to care for, but you won’t know for sure until you check. You may also find that a design or feature may catch your eye that you weren’t initially considering – such as the different options for the edge design.
If you want to be on trend when choosing your new countertops, consider quartz. Granite countertops also remain a popular option, especially in kitchens.
If you’re looking for new countertops for your bathroom, stone countertops are a common choice this year. Cultured marble with a matte finish is also very trendy in bathrooms.
Other common countertop materials include laminate, concrete, wood, and tile.
THINK ABOUT THE ROOM AND COUNTERTOP USE
Consider how you use your countertops in your day-to-day life and what you need your countertops to handle. The function of the room matters when you’re choosing the material.
A kitchen counter will naturally get food or drinks spilled on it and crumbs may accumulate on the surface. A great way to combat this is an undermount sink. You can simply whisk away crumbs and spills right into the sink without hitting the sink edge!
Your bathroom counter is bound to get wet and may have hot hair tools within close proximity to it. This can burn or melt some countertop materials, so choose a durable, heat-resistant countertop (and be careful with hot tools).
Your garage countertop may need to withstand heavy equipment, while your laundry room counter may simply be used for folding laundry and storing cleaning materials. Make sure to consider your actual usage, and be realistic.
LEARN ABOUT THE MATERIALS AND REQUIRED MAINTENANCE
Your countertops should fit your lifestyle. Learning about the qualities and required cleaning for each material will help you rule out certain options.
If you’re prone to making messes in the kitchen, opt for something low maintenance and nonporous (meaning it won’t stain) like quartz.
How much maintenance you’re willing to keep up with is entirely up to you. Some countertops, like granite, must be resealed. How often granite countertops need resealing depends on the absorbency and porosity of the stone. Other materials, like laminate, require minimal upkeep, with only regular cleaning with mild soap and water or a gentle multipurpose cleaner required.
FIGURE OUT THE LOOK YOU WANT
While cost and functionality are important, so is your personal taste! Countertops are an important part of a room and something you’ll look at every day, so think about the style you want. Consider the furniture you already have in the room, the wall color and the color of your cabinets. Then visualize different countertops in your space. Take some samples from our showroom so you can compare in your home, which can help you with your decision.
At Big C Lumber, we have countertop brands that can give you the function, maintenance level and look that you want to meet your budget. And, we make it easy for you by providing free in-home measuring and estimating services!
WORK WITH OUR SPECIALISTS
Our experienced countertop specialists at Big C Lumber are happy to walk you through the process of choosing new countertops. Contact us today to get started.