The Life of Countertops

When I was growing up, everyone had laminate countertops in their kitchen. It was inexpensive, fairly durable and "in." It was the latest and greatest. Now days granite tops most charts as the "need to have" countertop. It's true that granite has a long list of pros and in my opinion, a weak list of cons. That doesn't mean that it's the best and only option for kitchens all across America. Some people can't afford to lay a slab of granite or don't really like the way it looks. Not to mention that granite isn't always the best choice for every design.
Recently I was looking through the new issue of Martha Stewart and in the back was a reader question about kitchen countertops.
Martha listed the materials followed by a pro and con list. Unfortunately she left out a growingly popular material. Quartz surfaces(Caesarstone, Silestone).
So here in the design studio, we put together our own list of countertop options.

Comparative Countertops

MATERIALS
PROS
CONS
LAMINATE
INEXPENSIVE, EASY TO CLEAN, EASY TO INSTALL, MANY DESIGNS AND COLORS
VISABLE SEAMS, WATER CAN SEEP THROUGH SEAMS, NICKS AND SCRATCHES EASILY
TILE
MOST TILES ARE STAIN RESISTANT, UNLIMINITED COLOR AND STYLE OPTIONS, INEXPENSIVE, POSSIBLE TO REPLACE DAMAGED TILES
GROUT CAN STAIN EASILY OR CRACK, REQUIRES A LOT OF MAINTENANCE 
WOOD
CAN USE AS CUTTING BOARD, EASY TO INSTALL, CAN SAND TO REPAIR
REQUIRES FREQUENT SEALING, EASILY DAMAGED BY HEAT, CUTS AND IMPACT
CORIAN OR SOLID SURFACE
CAN BE JOINED TO APPEAR SEAMLESS, DURABLE, SANITARY (COMPARED TO LAMINATE) EASILY SERVICED, LESS $$ THAN QUARTZ (MATTE FINISH)
CAN WARP, SCRATCH AND CHIP WITH EXPOSURE TO HEAT, SCRATCHES CAN GROW BACTERIA, SEVERE DAMAGE REQUIRES COMPLETE COUNTER REPLACEMENT
QUARTZ (CAESARSTONE- SILESTONE)
DURABLE, SANITARY AND SCRATCH RESISTANT, UNIFORM IN COLOR AND PATTERNING, POLISHED FINISH, HEAT RESISTANT UP TO 400F
MORE EXPENSIVE TO INSTALL THAN SOLID SURFACE, NOT SEAMLESS
GRANITE
VERY, VERY DURABLE AND STRONG, WITHSTANDS HEAVY AND HOT PANS, KNIVES, SPILLS, AVAILABLE IN MANY COLORS AND VARIATIONS
NEEDS SEALED YEARLY, FULL SLABS CAN DIFFER FROM SAMPLES, CAN VARY GREATLY FROM SLAB TO SLAB
STAINLESS STEEL
HEAT AND STAIN RESISTANT, WATERPROOF, GOOD WITH UNDERMOUNTED OR INTEGRATED SINK
DENTS AND SCRATCHES EASILY, SHOWS FINGERPRINTS, REQUIRES MORE MAINTENANCE TO LOOK SHINY AND NEW
CONCRETE
CAN BE COLORED AND TEXTURED TO YOUR SPECS, CAN INCORPORATE STONE PIECES
CHIPS AND SCRATCHES EASILY, HAIRLINE CRACKS
MARBLE
HEAT RESISTANT, MANY COLORS AND VARIATIONS, CAN BE SANDED AND POLISHED IF DULL
CAN STAIN AND SCRATCH EASILY, DULLS OVER TIME, HIGH MAINTENANCE COMPARED TO GRANITE

Lunch at Merryvale Winery

Staircase

            A beautiful staircase in Dublin, Ireland