With the holidays approaching, families turn an eye toward cooking and entertaining their friends and loved ones. At the heart of entertaining is food, and that makes the holidays the very best time to have a kitchen of which a family can be proud.
White soapstone
Choosing a countertop to meet your needs is a matter of working with the elements which will affect your choices so you can be confident your countertop reflects your style and taste as well as matching well with your family and lifestyle.
Matching
If you’re working with existing cabinetry, and you want to match the countertop to the cabinets, an easy way to do this is to bring one of the drawers to the showroom. (Empty it first!) You’ll then be able to match the drawer with a stone color and type that matches it well.
Type of material
The type of stone you choose depends on who will use it and their habits. Materials which are easily damaged are less suitable for a busy, exuberant cooking team.
Even though you may like a color which only comes in marble, if you are worried about being ultra-tidy or living with etch marks, marble might not be the best choice for you. No one wants to live with regret. On the other hand, it’s elegant, smooth, cool and very sophisticated, and if this describes you, it’s a great match.
Quartz costs a little more, but it’s exceptionally durable, even though it isn’t as heat resistant as some other choices. Because it is factory engineered, it comes in a plethora of color and style choices.
Granite is the mainstay, the standard that sold homeowners on the value of buying stone countertops for their forever homes. It does need to be sealed every year, though, which quartz does not.
Soapstone is one of the older materials, very soft and gets a ‘lived with’ feel fairly quickly. You can’t go wrong with soapstone if you want a counter that screams ‘home.’ There are other types of stone to choose from in addition to the ones we've mentioned here.
Some people like to use rounded edges if they have children, but, be advised, it's still stone.
Finish and edge
The finish, either polished, brushed, or leathered, should also be chosen with your cooking habits and tastes in mind. The rule is, the smoother texture of polished stone will be more likely to show etch marks. If many people pitch in during the holiday cooking frenzy, you’ll be happier with a countertop which isn’t expected to show every splash and scar. At the same time, if you don’t enjoy the leathered look and feel, you may want to go with the brushed look as a compromise. Your countertop is something you’re going to live with and enjoy for years, and the choices made before installation will help that dream become a reality.
Choice in edging is subjective to the whims of the user and the decor in the room. Whether you are a traditionalist or like a modern feel, there is an edge you will love.
Putting it all together
Putting these choices together will result in a highly functional product capable of producing long-term satisfaction for the family, which means your cooking during the holidays--and every day-- will be welcomed with surfaces you and your family will love.
