When you’re remodeling your bathroom or kitchen with new cabinets and countertops, you’ve got plenty of decisions to make. When it comes to choosing your countertops, budget, durability, and maintenance will all likely play a part in your decision-making process. But at the end of the day, style is also important.
At Boca Cabinets, we specialize in kitchen cabinets and countertops for Chicago homeowners and work with them from design to installation. In this post, we’re breaking down some of the most popular countertop looks from marble to granite and beyond. Give us a call to discuss kitchen countertop design options for your home today!
Choosing the Right Fit
Choosing the right countertop design involves much more than just finding a look that you love. With a busy family, for example, you’ll need a durable countertop material that won’t show every smudge from small hands or spills. The great news is that Boca Cabinets offers a wide range of countertop materials to choose from, which means no matter what your lifestyle needs, we’ve got you covered.
Start by asking yourself these questions:
1. What is your budget?
2. How much counter space do you need?
3. How will you be using your countertops?
4. How durable will your counters need to be?
5. What color do you love?
6. What type of material are you interested in?
Marble Countertops
Marble is a stunning and elegant high-end stone that has been revered for its timeless beauty. Marble has been a popular choice among homeowners for decades. However, in the past few years, more homeowners than ever have begun embracing natural stone, especially marble. Forged by heat, limestone, and time over the ages, each marble slab has its own unique beauty and patterning.
Marble for Chefs
If you love cooking and spend a lot of time cooking gourmet meals, marble is an ideal countertop surface. The naturally cool surface of marble means that when preparing dough for pastries, pasta, and baking, you don’t have to worry about softening. Marble is also a naturally non-stick surface, making it perfect for rolling dough or kneading.
However, if you spend much time dicing and chopping food, you’ll need to be especially careful near your marble surfaces. Marble is softer and more porous than granite, making it more vulnerable to scratches and knife marks.
Additionally, marble will etch anytime it comes into contact with high acid substances such as marinara or citrus juice. It will also stain much more easily than many other types of natural stone due to its porousness.
On the other hand, marble-loving chefs often embrace these marks as a beautiful natural patina. What’s most important is determining if marble will work with your expectations for a kitchen counter.
Here are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of marble damage:
● Don’t let spills sit on the marble surface. Instead, wipe them up right away.
● Request a custom cutting board built into your kitchen countertops.
● Be especially careful with acidic ingredients.
● Use baking soda and distilled water to remove stains.
Granite Countertops
Granite is another popular countertop material. An igneous rock, granite is formed deep within the earth as magma cools and crystallizes through the ages. Granite is beloved for its incredible durability and variety of colors and patterns due to the minerals each slab is composed of.
The type and amount of each mineral found in granite are directly connected to the magma it is formed from. These are a few common granite minerals and the colors they’re associated with:
● Quartz: Quartz is a milky white or gray color and is one of the most common minerals found in about 20% to 60% of granite countertops. Higher percentages of quartz create a harder and denser granite stone.
● Feldspar: Next to quartz, feldspar is another of the predominant minerals found in 10% to 65% of granite countertops. Feldspar found in granite is beige, brown, or opaque white. Potassium feldspar is pink, while labradorite, another feldspar family mineral, is bluish.
● Biotite: Biotite creates a brown or black granite slab.
● Mica: Mica flakes add a delicate sparkling effect in the granite slab. Muscovite, a type of mica, is a yellow, clear, or silvery mineral, whereas biotite is black.
● Amphiboles: Large amounts of amphiboles can create a green hue.
Granite for Active Homes
If you’re looking for granite countertops that work well for a busy household, granite may be the perfect solution. Granite is one of the most durable counter materials on the market. It’s difficult to scratch. As a less porous natural stone, it won’t easily soak up liquids or stain and is easy to clean, making it a healthier solution. When you’re ready to upgrade to a larger home, granite is also a coveted look among homebuyers and makes an excellent selling point.
Quartz Countertops
The most durable stone countertop material available is quartz. Quartz is a manufactured alternative to marble and granite that’s made primarily from stone combined with polymer resins. Here are a few key benefits to quartz countertops:
● It’s less likely to chip than completely natural stone.
● It’s easier to repair.
● It’s available in almost any color.
● It’s resistant to bacteria.
Countertop and Cabinet Stores Near Me
Based in Chicago, Boca Cabinets specializes in quality countertops and cabinets both locally and nationally. Whether you need inexpensive kitchen cabinets, a bathroom transformation, a new laundry room, or a commercial cabinet installation, we’ve got you covered.
To schedule your free design consultation and discuss kitchen layouts, countertops, or cabinet storage, give us a call at 773-886-4686 or sign up on our contact page. We can’t wait to design your new kitchen countertops!