Tips For Choosing Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops

The kitchen is one of the more important parts of a household. This is where families gather to cook and share sumptuous meals, celebrate milestones and simply to bond with each other. Any homeowner would love to have the best tools and equipment in the kitchen, and it all starts with the best cabinets and countertops. Cabinets and countertops not only make a kitchen look stylish, it can also hold various number and sizes of kitchen tools and utensils.

There are various tips for choosing kitchen cabinets and countertops that every homeowner should learn. First, in selecting kitchen cabinets and countertops, one should have an idea on the space required to store various kitchen tools and utensils. The sizes of the kitchen cabinets and countertops should be determined first before going to the nearest home depot. For small kitchens, tall cabinets may be required to maximize space as much as possible.

Cookware Sets

Kitchen cabinets

Usually, kitchen wall cabinets have various sizes ranging from 24 inches in depth and 35 inches in height, with width starting at 12 inches and higher. Since there are numerous sizes of kitchen cabinets, homeowners have greater flexibility on how the cabinets would be placed in their kitchen.

Those who are not able to find the right size of kitchen cabinet, an alternative is to have it customized. This is the best way to get the right cabinet dimensions, although this can cost more than regular-sized cabinets.

Of course, in choosing kitchen cabinets and countertops, one should also set aside a certain budget. Those who have plenty to spare for their kitchen cabinets and countertops may go for more expensive yet durable and stylishly designed models. Homeowners constricted with their budget can settle for modification of their old cabinets and countertops.

Countertops

Among countertops, granite is considered as the top choice of homeowners. Granite comes in numerous colors like black, white, coral, beige, and green. It is also available in a polished finish that provides a shiny look to the kitchen. The costs of this material can depend on the color, style, and the place where the stone was imported.

Aside from granite, other natural stone are popular materials for counterparts such as limestone, marble and soapstone. These materials are softer compared to granite and thus should be used with utmost care. Concrete countertops are also getting more popular since it comes in various finishes like grounded, smooth, and pressed. Wood countertops, on the other hand, are also highly preferred because they are easy to clean while scratches may be sanded out.

For those who cannot decide on one material for their countertops may mix and match surfaces. This is particularly helpful in differentiating space and assigning a countertop for a specific task. For instance, most households use butcher block in chopping while marble countertops are usually for baking.

Before making any decision on what material suits best for a countertop, homeowners should see the surface first in person by visiting a showroom or seeing samples in-home.

Tips For Choosing Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops

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Silestone vs. Granite Countertops - The Real Story

So you want to upgrade your kitchen or bathroom with a new countertop, but you're not sure what your options are. Chances are you've heard of granite and marble. After all, they have been used for myriad construction purposes for centuries and you always see marble and granite countertops in luxury homes.

But what about Silestone...isn't it better than granite?

Cookware Sets

Well, it depends on what you think is better. However, Silestone and other makers of engineered quartz stone countertops, such as Zodiaq and Cambria would have you believe their product is a significant upgrade from granite.

Engineered stone countertops are a man-made product that mixes quartz found in granite with a resin to make a surface with properties almost identical to granite. Silestone and all the other companies make essentially the same product, which is widely regarded as an excellent countertop surface.

However, these companies try to make mountains out of molehills in an effort to sell their product and compete against granite which is and has bee the most popular and proven surface type.

Myth #1: Sealing granite is a horrible, dirty chore.

This issue has been blown way out of proportion with marketing. It's always listed as a benefit and one would get the impression that granite is defective and must be sealed with over and over to protect it.

True, you don't have to apply a granite sealer to an engineered stone counter top. And hey, that's great, but applying a granite sealer is really a very simple and infrequent "wipe on, wipe off" procedure. It is not a major chore and for all practical purposes it isn't a determining factor when comparing Silestone vs. granite.

Also, it doesn't take a closet full of special chemicals to protect your granite and keep its luster as Cambria and other engineered stone counter top manufacturers suggest on their websites. Hey, to their credit they are just trying to effectively market their product.

A little secret about most granite . . .

You could do nothing but wipe it with a sponge for years and it would still look gorgeous. Minor, easy maintenance performed periodically will, however, give you peace of mind and bring out the best in your granite and natural stone. And the same can be said about quartz. Care and cleaning is equally easy for either surface.

Myth #2: Again with the sealing.

You may also read that you must seal granite to maintain it's shiny polish. Not true. Sealing is for stain resistance. Both natural and synthetic stone counter tops are polished by grinding and buffing the surface into a smooth shine.

Myth #3: Granite harbors bacteria.

Silestone also tries to claim their product resists bacteria while granite "harbors" bacteria. This is totally false. Studies prove that both granite and quartz are among the safest and cleanest surfaces on the market today, but one isn't superior to the other.

So Which Countertop Is Best?

Well, once you remove the hype and you understand that man-made quartz countertops and granite perform equally well and that the care and cleaning of each surface is essentially the same, the decision between granite and Silestone, Cambria, Zodiaq or other quartz counter tops usually comes down to color, pattern and perceived value for most buyers.

Color and Value

Granite enjoys a greater "prestige" due to it's natural uniqueness and is therefore, of greater value in the minds of most homeowners and buyers. New granites come on the market all the time from different countries providing hundreds and possibly thousands of different colors and patterns to choose from.

Silestone and other engineered stone manufacturers offer 20-50 color choices all of which have basically the same repetitive pebbled appearance. The benefit here is that you never have a problem matching a pattern or color at a seam, which sometimes is a problem with granite. Of course, you may end up with the exact same countertop as your neighbor, which won't happen with granite as each slab is unique.

So, whether you choose engineered stone or granite you will get an excellent countertop surface. Just don't listen to all the marketing hype and pick your product based on what color and pattern you like best.

Silestone vs. Granite Countertops - The Real Story

Ryan Burden is co-owner of Countertop Specialty a granite and marble countertop company in Dallas, TX. Ryan is also the creator of CountertopSpecialty.com which provides comprehensive information on all you countertop and remodeling needs AND...produces a nice income on its own. Why would you care?

Perhaps YOU have a business, hobby or passion that you’d like to turn into online profits. Discover how Ryan did it and how easily you can Build Websites That Work with the right tools and without the usual hype.

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