The great countertop debate pt. 1

Categories: Ideas - Tags: Caesarstone, Corian, countertops, kitchen ideas, polished concrete, quartz

In working through the space planning & design with Lisa, we’ve begun talking about some of the interior finishes & materials for the various rooms. When the topic of kitchen counters came up our immediate first thought was quartz – for obvious reasons.

For the countertop newbies out there let me break it down for you…

1. Virtually maintenance-free.
   Quartz countertops are super easy to clean – requiring nothing more than warm, soapy water – and once installed, there’s zero sealing or polishing needed.
2. Stain-resistant
   The non-porous nature of the stone makes the counters resistant to stains from food, juices, wine, coffee, tea, and even nail polish.
3. Strength and durability
   Because most are made of natural quartz combined with polymer resins, the added resin makes them often more durable than natural stone. That added hardness makes the countertops difficult to scratch and chip so there’s no need to worry that the occasional kitchen mishap will damage you’re beautiful counters!
4. Hygienic
   Again, because the surface is non-porous, they’re often less susceptible to hosting bacteria than other countertop materials and most quartz countertops don’t need to be sealed to be food safe.
5. Ummmm, helllloooo?! They’re friggin beautiful!!
   Need I say more??

We came across Caesarstone at virtually EVERY booth at the Interior Design Show earlier this year and instantly fell in love with their product.

Ok…so there’s CLEARLY a quartz love-fest going on here. So you’re probably asking yourself – what the heck is there to debate over??

Well…as much as we love quartz in general (and Caesarstone in particular), unfortunately our budget isn’t quite feeling the love. For a kitchen our size in the configuration we want, we’re looking at just under 100 sq. ft of countertops. That makes for a hefty investment that while we know would be worthwhile in the long run, we just aren’t sure is realistic within the confines of our budget right now.

So what are the other options?? Well we’ve been researching Corian as well as toying with the idea of polished concrete.

Tune in tomorrow as we talk through the pros & cons of each!