How To Choose The Right Kitchen Countertop For Your Lifestyle
Making A Lifestyle Based Kitchen Countertop Choice
Investing in your kitchen is always a good call. If you’re thinking of selling now or in the future, updating and upgrading your kitchen, real estate professionals routinely cite kitchen remodeling as a way to increase your property value. But even if you're not planning on selling anytime soon, updating your kitchen to fit your family's lifestyle better can pay big dividends.
The kitchen is the heart of your home and one of the most used spaces in the house. When remodeling, you have plenty of decisions to make, from practical elements to design, including choosing the right colors and materials to meet your unique style. Choosing major features like your kitchen countertop is based on functionality, trends, and design needs. Taking a lifestyle-oriented approach to your decision-making can help you choose a material that will best fit both your functional and aesthetic needs.
Today, homeowners have dozens of choices when it comes to kitchen countertops. By asking and answering some key lifestyle questions to narrow down your choices, this post will help you make the best decision to meet your goals.
5 Key Questions to Ask When Choosing Your Kitchen Countertop
The first thing many homeowners think about when choosing their kitchen countertop is how they'll look in your space. While aesthetics are important, if you don't consider your lifestyle, you're wasting money.
Here are five questions that can help steer you towards the right choice of a kitchen countertop that will not only look amazing but will stand up to everyday use.
1. How Do You and Your Family Use The Kitchen?
This is the first question to ask. Think about it broadly. To better define your answer think about:
Do you cook a lot?
Do the kids do their homework on the island countertop?
Do your counters see a lot of wear and tear from hosting parties or from the kids?
How long do you plan to stay in your home?
One way to expand the range of your kitchen and accommodate different uses is to combine materials. For example, if you do a lot of chopping and ingredient prep, you may want a butcher block countertop to create a built-in cutting board. If you like to bake, consider including a marble countertop section for working with dough.
Mixing and matching kitchen countertop materials can also be budget-friendly. For example, installing butcher block on the island and using a higher-end material like granite or soapstone on the perimeter will look amazing. It's also a practical way to stretch your budget and add functionality to the kitchen.
2. How Much Maintenance Are You Willing To Do?
This is a question you want to be honest in answering. Before you fall in love with a countertop material, understand what is involved in its upkeep. Some things to consider:
• Porous stones like marble, limestone, and granite need to be oiled and sealed at least once a year.
• Materials like quartz are non-porous and can be kept clean by just a simple wipe-down.
• Butcher block is very durable, but it too requires regular sealing to avoid excessive damage.
If you're looking for anti-microbial material, quartz or soapstone are excellent choices. Both look great and are durable. However, soapstone is softer and is easier to scratch. Do your research and educate yourself on the pros and cons of the material you are interested in.
3. How Much Material Will You Need?
Most countertop materials are priced by the foot, either linear or square. Knowing how many linear feet of countertop space you will need can help you create a rough estimate of the amount of material you'll need. Please take this to various fabricators to compare prices for the options, materials, and brands they carry. This will give you a rough idea of how much it will cost you to buy one material or brand over another.
4. What Can You Spend?
The cost of countertop materials can range widely. But the right countertop, if properly maintained, can last a lifetime! It's a good idea to make your ideal choice and then find a version that will fit your budget. For example, if you love Carrara marble but it doesn't fit into your budget, there are quartz products that look like marble but are much more affordable.
However, that being said, you need to weigh the cost difference between your ideal and the less costly version. Sometimes spending a little extra is worth the expense if you'll be living with the finished product for years.
Kitchen Design Trends: Four Inch or Full Height Stone Backsplash?
Another consideration in terms of price is not only to ask if you can afford the countertop. You also need to ask if the cost is consistent with the other elements of your kitchen. For example, putting a $200 a foot marble kitchen countertop on builder-grade cabinets with sheet vinyl flooring will create an imbalance in the quality and design of the space.
A good rule of thumb is to allocate between 15 and 30% of your budget for the kitchen countertops. If you're spending less than 15%, the quality might be inferior to the other materials you're using. If your countertops cost significantly more than 30%, you might be overdoing it.
5. Now for the big question... What Material and Color Will Look Best in my Kitchen?
Here are some questions to help you define your aesthetic when it comes to choosing the right kitchen countertop to meet your lifestyle:
Do you prefer a particular color?
How will your choice look against your existing kitchen wall color?
Are you set in terms of paint colors and hardware, or do you see them changing?
If replacing existing countertops, are you happy with your current kitchen style, or do you want to change it up?
Choose a tone that coordinates or contrasts with your cabinets rather than trying to match them. For example, consider brown countertops on natural white oak cabinets as a coordinated look. For contrast, choose black granite or white painted cabinets.
Think versatile. Choose a color that is versatile and flexible. Paint and accessories can change over time. That's why it is smart to have counters that will match anything. When choosing a natural stone, pick a material with veins or splashes of color to help you keep your design options open!
It’s Time to Choose A Countertop
Now that you know what to ask when choosing the best countertops to meet your lifestyle begin to research the pros and cons of different materials to narrow your search. Prepare a list of wants and needs as well as your goals. Are there issues that need to be solved or resolved within your kitchen? Things you liked or hated about your previous countertops? When speaking with your contractor, kitchen designer, or countertop fabricator, be open and voice your opinion. Communication is the key to success!
About Stonelink Marble & Granite
If you are looking for a top-quality marble, granite, quartz, or soapstone kitchen countertop, Stonelink Marble & Granite now serves all of New England. Give the experts at Stonelink Marble & Granite a call at (508) 393-0720. Let us help you to choose the perfect kitchen countertop to meet your creative vision and enhance your kitchen design!