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7 Materials For Creating The Perfect Kitchen Countertop
By James Mahoney, Fri Dec 9th
The kitchen countertop has to be able to take a lot of abuseincluding the heat of pots, cutting and knives and abrasivecleansers. The ideal countertop should be able to stand up toheat and the sharp edge of a knife. Let us take a look at 7 of the most popular kitchen countertopmaterials being used today: Granite - A natural stone, granite is a popular choice for it'sclassic beauty and durability. Granite is the hardest anddensest of the natural stones. It can create a kitchencountertop that is extremely scratch resistant and can keep itsluster longer than most materials. granite slabs are the mostexpensive of all kitchen countertop surfaces, although it isstill considered a very practical material in that it isvirtually indestructible.
Marble - Another natural stone, marble is considered to be theheight of elegance and will last longer than most kitchens. Itis however, is very expensive and requires some care: acidicfoods such as orange juice will etch the finished surface of amarble kitchen countertop. Slate - Because of it richness and beauty slate is usually usedin interior applications such as kitchen countertops, bathroomsinks or fireplace surrounds. It can be used in either modern ortraditional kitchens as well as in combination with marble.Slate is durable, strong, and can withstand hard use. It is lessexpensive than marble Concrete - This is one of the biggest trends in kitchencountertops today. It is a good look for clean, industrial andcontemporary kitchen designs. Available in pre formed
sectionsor poured and formed on-site. Concrete is a good material forunusually shaped counters. Concrete kitchen countertops areexpensive, require a sealant and must be treated with care. Thecountertop can crack if the concrete should contract. Concretecan be stained any color. The most popular color is a naturalgray tone. The top layer can be finished as desired. Corian - A solid surface material that first became popular inthe 1990's It is highly recommended by kitchen countertopexperts. It is a totally manmade product and is not porous. As asolid surface it can easily be repaired if scratched or burned. Stainless Steel - Advantages include very hygienic, easy toclean, has ability to stand up to exteme wear and heat.Stainless steel can provide a great look for an ultra modernkitchen. Some disadvantages with stainless is that it can benoisy and that scratches can develop. Tile - Tile surfaces can be tough, hard-wearing, takes hot pans,heat and stain resistant as well as beautiful. There are manytypes of tiles including ceramic, porcelain, quarry, glass,natural stone and mosiac. Available in many colors, sizes andtextures. It has good design flexibility. Tile can often be usedfor trim or backsplashes. The downside of tile is that thegrouts can be easily stained. Also the tiles can become chippedor cracked.
If you liked this article and would want to subscribe to hisinformation packed newletter visit:http://www.kitchendesignersideas.com About the author:James Mahoney is the owner of Kitchen Designers Idea.com. Learnabout today's kitchen design ideas by visiting his site athttp://www.kitchendesignersideas.com
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