Your Guide to Kitchen Countertop Materials

Whether you’re unloading groceries, doing the dishes or perfecting a favorite family recipe, few surfaces in your home get more everyday use than your kitchen countertops. As a strong design element, counters help define the character of your kitchen too. New countertops can make your kitchen work and look better, and the broad selection of materials available ensures that you’ll find one that fits your unique needs. Use this guide from Handyman Connection of Eden Prairie to help you select the ideal option.

Natural Stone

No counter material combines durability and beauty better than solid stone. The material is naturally resistant to heat and water, and when properly sealed, it shrugs off scratches and stubborn stains too. Thanks to its exceptional strength, granite remains the top choice for stone countertops. For their Old-World style, softer options like marble, soapstone and travertine are popular as well. Stone countertops typically cost more than other materials, but because each slab of rock has its own unique color and variegations, they give your kitchen a custom look that’s hard to beat.

Engineered Quartz

Rivaling granite in popularity, engineered quartz is a manmade material that incorporates natural stone with polymer resins. The result is a countertop that has the look and feel of real stone with a surface that withstands just about anything you can throw at it. Some manufacturers even include antimicrobial protection in their engineered quartz products to help keep mold and bacteria at bay. It’s available in a dizzying array of colors, patterns and textures too, making it ideal for kitchens with custom color schemes. Prices are comparable to natural granite.

Solid Surfacing

A synthetic material that offers endless design possibilities, solid-surface countertops are constructed from heavy-duty plastics that can be cut into any shape you can imagine. This versatility makes them ideal for everything from bump-out sinks to curved kitchen islands and custom breakfast nooks. Non-porous and stain-resistant, solid surfacing is a breeze to maintain, although hot pans can scorch it. As its name implies, the material is solid through and through, which means that any scratches, marks or dings that occur can be sanded away.

Ceramic Tile

An affordable material that’s as durable as it is decorative, ceramic tile is a great countertop choice for a busy kitchen. It’s impervious to heat and highly resistant to stains, and its modular design makes it easy to replace a damaged tile instead of the entire counter. The biggest drawback of ceramic tile is the maintenance involved with keeping the grout clean. Available in a wide range of colors and patterns, ceramic tile complements a variety of decorative styles, from Tuscan to Moroccan and Mediterranean.

Laminate

An excellent value, laminate offers an affordable easy-to-install solution for standard kitchen countertops. It comes in a wide assortment of artful designs too, so you don’t have to sacrifice style to save money. Decorative options range from wood and stone look-alikes to contemporary patterns. Made by adhering layers of decorative paper, kraft paper and resin together under pressure, laminate cleans easily and resists stains, but it’s subject to scratches, chips and burns. High-end laminate products come with heavy-duty finishes for extra strength and durability.

Whatever type of material you choose for your countertops, you can trust the remodeling experts at Handyman Connection of Eden Prairie to handle the installation. From preparing the surface to adding the finished edges, our experienced craftsmen will ensure that you enjoy quality results. At Handyman Connection of Eden Prairie, we take pride in our ability to improve the style and functionality of every room in your home.