Posted on: January 15, 2006

Counter Intelligence

Stone, metal synthetics and even that old reliable laminate all have their advantages. Here’s how to make an intelligent decision to best serve your kitchen surface needs.

By Chuck Ross
CTW Features

If you’re shopping for kitchen counters these days, chances are you’re seeing a lot of granite. In the room where plastic laminates once ruled the roost, natural stone, especially granite, has become the hands-down leader, leading kitchen designers say.

“Granite has been the most popular countertop for some time,” says Joan Kohn, HGTV home-design guru and author of It’s Your Kitchen (Bulfinch Press, 2003), who notes that the material has maintained its luxury image despite its growing affordability.

“It’s a recognized status symbol,” she says.

In fact, others say granite has surpassed solid surfacing materials, such as DuPont’s Corian material, which once was seen as a less-expensive alternative for achieving a durable, natural-stone look.

“That market share has been taken away by granite,” says Dan Lenner, a designer with Allentown, Penn.-based Morris Black Design Studio. “If you go back 10-15 years ago, granite used to be significantly more expensive [than solid surfacing]. Now they’re pretty much on par.”

Not all granite options feature the sleek and highly polished designs today’s homebuilders commonly promote. Matte, or “honed,” finishes can soften a granite counter’s appearance, and are becoming more popular among some homeowners, says Jessica Snyder, residential designer at Norwell, Mass.-based Kitchen Concepts.

She adds, though, that a honed finish can be more susceptible to stains, so homeowners need to ensure it stays properly sealed.

Growing familiarity with granite also is boosting the fortunes of other quarried stones. Soapstone is so durable it once was commonly used for laboratory counters. Like honed granite, soapstone needs to be regularly sealed, in this case, with mineral oil, to help protect against stains. It’s softer than granite, and can be scratched, but scratches can be sanded out with ordinary sandpaper.

Best of both worlds?

If you want granite’s durability, but worry about maintenance, new engineered-stone materials, under such brand names as Silestone and Cambria, may be a good option. These products are actually more than 90 percent stone, often quartz, which is ground into an aggregate and combined with resin and pigments. The result is a long-lasting, uniform-looking counter that still features quartz’s natural sparkle. Lenner sees two distinct benefits in these hybrid offerings.

“The first advantage of those products is the continuity of the design,” he says, noting that some counter shoppers find granite’s graining and variations distracting. “The other advantage is that they never need to be resealed.”

Equally durable metals are also are catching on with homeowners, Kohn says. Stainless steel, especially, is becoming more popular as homeowners continue to take their cues from professional cooks.

“It’s hygienic and easy to clean,” says Kohn. “And it gives you that professional chef look. It really is a neutral. It can be very high-tech and industrial, but it also can have a very earthy, country look.”

Zinc and copper are two other metallic contenders to consider. However, Snyder notes that these materials do develop a patina over time, so these counters will look very different from their showroom appearance after a year’s use.

Deciding factors

With so many materials to consider, homeowners may have trouble narrowing down their options. Stone, metal and synthetics, and even laminate all have their advantages, and experts say that individual circumstance is the best litmus test.

“What’s the best countertop?” Kohn queries, repeating a familiar consumer question. “Unfortunately, there is no single answer.”

She suggests a functional approach to starting your selection process. Consider the tasks you regularly carry out and the materials best suited to each effort. However, Kohn says, after outlining these needs, your decision really comes down to personal aesthetics.

Mixing it up

You don’t have to limit your choice to a single, uniform design, however. Many designers suggest homeowners consider incorporating more than one counter option into their kitchen plans. Such a plan might include durable granite on a cook top island, solid-surface material for a sink counter and integrated sink, and a butcher-block preparation area, for chopping and other tasks.

In addition to providing function-specific work areas, this varied approach also works well with the move in traditional designs toward cabinetry that looks more like repurposed furniture, Snyder says.

“Most people don’t want an expanse of things that look the same,” she says, noting that she looks for materials that complement the multiple cabinet styles. “It helps enhance the furniture pieces.”

Lenner says he looks for a natural break in the counter surface when determining how to place varied material selections. So an eating counter raised above an adjacent prep area provides an obvious opportunity for a switch in counter covering. Just make sure to maintain a visual balance by pairing strongly patterned surfaces with more neutral partners.

“You have to look at the two products next to each other and make sure they don’t fight each other,” Lenner says.

Don’t break the bank

As an added benefit, Kohn notes that incorporating different countertop materials can provide some valuable financial aid for an otherwise costly kitchen plan. With a mix-and-match design, you can have room to splurge on a beautiful and expensive highlight, while using less expensive options such as laminate in other areas.

“It balances the design and the budget at the same time,” she says. “You really can have something special. If you fall in love with some elaborately veined piece of granite, you can have it,” Kohn says. “Then the rest of the kitchen can be a more affordable material. Everything doesn’t have to be as beautiful as everything else.”

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