What matters most to you: A certain look or easy maintenance? Do you hardly ever cook, do you cook a fair amount or are you truly passionate about cooking? Consider your needs -- and your budget -- before choosing a kitchen counter.
LAMINATE
Characteristics
- Huge selection of colours and styles.
Pros
- Has appearance of “rich” materials like marble or granite.
- Economical and easy to install.
- Available as prefabricated countertop or in sheets. (Fewer shades available in sheets.)
- Matte finishes are tougher than glossy finishes.
Cons
- Very vulnerable to stains, scratches and chips.
- Not highly heat-resistant.
Cost
About $15 to $25/sq. ft.
CERAMIC TILES
Characteristics
- Great variety of colours, styles and sizes, allowing you to get creative with your kitchen decor.
Pros
- Looks good in contemporary or country-style interiors. Highly resistant to heat and wear.
Cons
- Can crack.
- Surface joints, where dirt tends to gather, require regular sealing (using epoxy for the grout will prevent staining).
Cost
$15 to $50 /sq. ft.
SOLID SURFACING
Characteristics
- Corian is the best-known brand name of the so-called solid surface, or solid plastic, countertop materials.
- Composed of minerals, polyester and acrylic. Huge selection of colours and styles.
- Coloured all the way through.
Pros
- Resistant to heat, shocks, stains.
- Can be custom-moulded to eliminate seams and to integrate under-mount sink, for one continuous surface.
- No-maintenance, long life.
Cons
- Pricey.
- Look of plastic not to everyone's taste.
- Vulnerable to knife cuts, although scratch marks, stains and even holes can easily be repaired by a professional.
Cost
$50 to $100/sq. ft.
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4 Comments
I have a arborite counter top, that have some burn marks on it and I would like to give it a facelift, (am renting my apartment) is there anything that I can do my name Jeannie Palladino user name giopalli giopalli2325@yahoo.ca
I was just speaking to the paint associate in Home Depot about painting laminate counter tops. He did so in his own home to make it appear like granite. He had to re-paint an area once after placing a hot pot on it. He told me it looked genuine and otherwise held up well through the 4 yrs. he continued to live there. Here's what he told me to do: You would need-- -a sand block -paint brush -sponge -1 qt/L of clear sealer -a quart/litre of primer -1 qt/L of high gloss for base coat -1 pot each of 3 other coordinating colours -1 pot of glaze. This comes in qt/L and gallons. Since you will need to mix glaze:paint in a 4:1 ratio, calculate what you'll need. Thoroughly clean the laminate, Lightly sand it. Prime it and let dry. Apply base coat and let dry. Sponge on first faux glaze. Repeat for other 2. When all is dry, coat with a clear sealer. Voila...faux granite!
I recommend that you should buy <a href="http://www.cornerstonehd.com/prefab-granite" rel="external nofollow">prefab granite</a> because it has quality, it has the strongest tab and it will last long. I used it at home. :)
Nowadays solid surface countertops become very popular, so I think those and quartz are the best options http://www.livingstonesurfaces.com