Countertop materials:  pros & cons…

Plastic Laminate, Ceramic Tile, Stone, Solid Surface, Butcher Block, Stainless Steel, Concrete – these are popular choices to select from when considering countertop replacement for your home.  Each has its pros and cons which will help you in your decision when you consider how you use the space.

Plastic Laminate

Laminate is the most widely used countertop material in home improvement.  It is inexpensive and low-maintenance. It resists grease and stains, and comes in a vast array of colors and patterns. It also can come prefabricated with its own seamless backsplash.

Laminate has its drawbacks, however. Since it is made in layers (hence the name “laminate”) the dark under layer (usually pressed wood) may be visible. The top is susceptible to damage from sharp knives and hot pans, and it easily melts.  Once damaged, it cannot be easily repaired.

• Installation Tips: To keep laminate looking new longer, reserve for less used areas of the kitchen. Locate seams at corners to avoid wear and tear.

Ceramic Tile

Beautiful and durable, ceramic tile is the experienced do-it-yourselfer’s dream come true. This is where you can celebrate your creative side. You can make that counter anything you want. How about a mural? Or how about using your children’s drawings as patterns? Or simply go with your favorite colors broken up and mixed? It can be as simple or as complex as the artist in you desires.

Ceramic tile is heat, scratch, and stain resistant. Damaged tiles can be easily replaced.

Grout can stain or collect food particles giving way to bacterial infestation.  Cleaning tile with abrasives can ruin a high-gloss finish.

• Installation Tips: To cut cost, use solid-colored tiles and create your own patterns. Use epoxy and acrylic grouts, which are more stain resistant. Remove stains from regular grout with ordinary household bleach.

Stone 

Marble is not for everybody. Marble must be frequently sealed with mineral oil (which is not particularly food friendly, since it is made from petroleum).  It is softer than granite and it scratches and stains. This is an inherent characteristic of the material and should not be considered if you are adverse to an aged, worn look.

Soapstone is a soft, non-porous, natural stone. Despite its softness, it’s very resilient. It is always a dark stone, very nearly black and it always has a honed surface.  Cook’s love it because it’s an excellent heat insulator.

Quartz composites are a newer and growing countertop material. Composites are made from stone aggregate and polymers that are compressed under high pressure. The result is a practically non-porous material and just as strong as most natural stones. Since it’s a manufactured product, it has consistent colors and patterns.

Granite is impervious to cuts, scrapes, burns and stains when properly sealed. Its beauty is undeniable, and a perfect choice for the serious cook.  Pie crusts, pastries, and homemade chocolate love these surfaces.

Stones are expensive, heavy, and brittle, so they must come in thick slabs. Marble and granite require regular resealing, and are expensive to repair.

• Buyers Tip: You may be able to find suitable pieces at an antique salvage yard.

Solid Surface

A solid surface countertop is a step up from plastic laminate. It comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns which are uniform throughout.  Solid-surface products are made from mineral powder blended with acrylic and sometimes polyester binders.  Solid surface countertops remain the only material that can be seamed invisibly.

Since the color is integral through the entire counter, scratches and blemishes can easily be buffed out.  It is strong and self-supporting, so it requires no underlayment. Solid surface material is non-porous and resists both mildew and stains.

Solid surface can scratch and be cut easily by sharp knives. Hot pans set down will leave a permanent discoloration.

Butcher Block

True butcher block uses end-grain hard-wood for counters; however many counters come in a lesser grade. You will want to make certain that you have a true hardwood. 

The warm natural appearance of hardwood is an attractive choice.  It is ideal for cutting and chopping, and it is easy to repair. Surface scratches can easily be sanded out.

Butcher block must be sealed or frequently treated with mineral oil; however protective surface sealers are not always food safe.  It must be cleaned immediately after food preparation or moisture exposure. If it becomes contaminated with meat juices or dirty vegetables, it must be disinfected, then resealed.  Butcher block scorches and dents easily.

Buyer’s Tip: Many cooks use olive oil to season the wood after each use; however this can also darken the wood.

Stainless Steel

This tough surface is very popular with the high-tech crowd.  It is the counter of choice in many upscale restaurants.

Stainless steel is tough and impervious to stains and hot pans. It gives your kitchen a contemporary look.

Stainless steel shows nicks, dents, and it scratches easily. It should never be cleaned with scouring powders, and steel wool should never be used to clean it.  It needs a solid, firm underlayment to ward off serious denting.  While beautiful, stainless steel is very cold to the touch.

Concrete

Concrete is a growing category in the countertop market.  When fabricated by the hands of a skilled craftsman, there is practically no shape, color or finish it can’t transform into.  Because all concrete counters are one-of-a-kind, adding different colored glass or stone to the mix during fabrication can add interest and color you’d like integrated into your design.

Terrazzo, a form of concrete is made from a concrete base with decorative aggregates added to the mix. After the mix cures, it’s polished to a high sheen with a grinding wheel. The polishing is what makes terrazzo.

Any unsealed, natural state of concrete will stain because concrete is porous. In order for concrete to be used as a countertop material, it must be sealed. The most important factor to understand when choosing concrete is to know the type of sealer used. There are a variety of concrete countertop sealers on the market, many of which can create a nearly impermeable surface that is highly tolerant and resistant to staining.

Overall, concrete is a durable, tolerant material, but again with regard to heat resistance, the issue lies with the sealer that is used by the fabricator.  Cutting or chopping directly on your concrete countertop can damage the sealer causing a breech in the sealers ability to resist staining.

Use a digital camera
Take a camera with you wherever you go and take pictures of fixtures, space and colors you find attractive.

Visit your friends
Friends and family are a great resource to use when working on a project like a remodel.  Perhaps you can visit them and ask to take a look at their kitchen or bathroom.  They might even have suggestions as to what they would do different if they had the chance. 

While visiting their space take pictures or notes of what you like or even what you don’t like. 

Buy some magazines
Pick up a few magazines on home improvement and bathroom & kitchen remodeling. You will get great ideas from the articles and photographs

Visit showrooms

Although your new space will eventually be specific to you, visiting showrooms might bring out some additional ideas.

Always pick up as many brochures as you can find when touring the showrooms. Circle the items that you are interested in and make sure you write down prices and thoughts that you have at the time.  This will help with your budget and selection down the line.

Use the Internet
The internet is a great tool to get remodeling ideas. 

Make a list

What are you looking for?  One sink or two, pedestal or vanity, wood or ceramic flooring, shower or tub, shower curtain or shower doors, granite or laminate? 

Last but not least, call MEGA 847-658-8989.  We are here to help from the initial design to the final clean up!

Yes, with MEGA you will work one on one with a master designer. There is showroom and design support as well as guarantee of delivery dates so your project will run smoothly.

MEGA is now offering smart money, no interest financing. Call MEGA for details. 847-658-8989

There are many reasons why you may not have your entire kitchen remodeled. I’m here to tell you there are ideas and ways to make you kitchen sing again!

Starting with your cabinet hardware; there are thousands of options available to start the transformation of your new look.

Next would be your countertops. Here you have options of materials from Corian, granite, quartz, laminate which all offer different colors, durability, and appeal.

While doing your counters you will also have the opportunity to change your sink, under mount sinks will offer less cleaning, and countertops such as Corian offer an integrated sink that will have no seams.

It’s time to pick out a new faucet next that will fit your comfort, style, and look. A nice touch is to match your hardware finish with your faucet finish.

Moving on a backsplash is an area which you can always freshen up with paint but you can also tile this area to add a surface that will be much easier to clean and open the door to many other unique sizes, styles, and looks.

Lighting options include under cabinet lights, standard light fixtures can be swapped out, or you can add more lighting by going to recessed ceiling lighting.

Finally with a good cleaning of your cabinets your whole new look will be complete.

There are many variables in a kitchen remodel. To best answer your question lets start with a respected source. Remodeling Magazines 2010-2011 Cost vs. Value Report

Major Kitchen Remodel Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value
Update an out-of-date 200-square-foot kitchen with a functional layout of 30 linear feet of semi-custom wood cabinets, including a 3-by-5-foot island; laminate countertops; and standard double-tub stainless-steel sink with standard single-lever faucet. Include energy-efficient wall oven, cook top, ventilation system, built-in microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and custom lighting. Add new resilient flooring. Finish with painted walls, trim, and ceiling.

$58,367.00
MEGA tracks and uses this information to measure and create our MEGA customer value. MEGA’s exclusive process for kitchens, baths, or any project which requires cabinets, fixtures and finishes allows us to make it easy and cost effective for the customer to select and purchase direct. MEGA does what we do best, confirm and coordinate, all the moving pieces and we have found our customer can get the package described above to include an upgrade to solid surface counters (most often Quartz or Corian) at a cost closer to $48,000.00….still depending on the customer’s selections of course, the MEGA value comes in at $10,000.00 less with great counters included. The other option you can consider is a MEGA Kitchen Tune-up, if your cabinets can remain we have done some remarkable tune-ups” maybe new tops, hardware, shine up the cabinets, lighting and back splash is more in budget at $14,000.00 to $18,000.00. We hope this information helps. Please let us know if you need anything.