What is best countertop for kitchen
HOME HACKS | Choosing the Best Kitchen Countertops for your Home | Julie Khuu
hi guys welcome back to my channel
today's video is all about kitchen
countertops I know when you're designing
a kitchen there are like a million and
one decisions to make so I want to break
down all the different types of
countertops and why you should choose
one over the other let's jump right into
it when designing a kitchen
you clearly have so much to think about
you have the flooring the cabinets that
appliances the hardware the countertops
the accessories your China your silver I
mean there's just one endless decision
after another but the number one
question I get asked the most is how do
you pick a countertop we're gonna start
with the main questions you have to ask
yourself when designing your kitchen
we'll jump right into pros and cons of
each type of countertop material your
budget what your requirements are and
hopefully all of that information will
help guide you on how to pick the right
countertop for your kitchen you always
want to decide on function first
function should always be your top
priority when selecting pretty much any
material especially for your kitchen
countertops you first need to make an
assessment of how you and your family
use your kitchen for my home Lahab sand
i both cooked so clearly we needed
something that was durable we needed
something that was heat-resistant I
pretty much bought and remodeled this
house before we started our family so we
weren't even thinking about kids but if
you have you know kids are running
around and they're like dropping things
off on the kitchen countertops or you
have like a lot of spills that you need
to take care of you need to be able to
assess what your key requirements are
for that kitchen think about the
function and its use and then figure it
out from there the second question you
have to ask yourself which might even be
the most important question is what is
your budget I mean what can you afford
the different types of materials
actually range from like low to high end
it's a common myth that marble is the
most
spensive countertop material that you
can get but I've actually sourced some
like really high and exotic granite
before that even Trump's the most
expensive marble there is out there
so while there is a really great
variation between the cost per square
foot between materials you need to
figure out number one how much
countertop material you actually need
you can break it down by slab and to
whether or not that will fit into your
budget a designer's tip when you're on a
restricted budget but love like a really
high-end material is to kind of switch
it up maybe do that beautiful material
in the island that doesn't get a lot of
use and then you can install the less
expensive materials all around the
perimeter
number three is maintenance how much
maintenance can you handle every single
type of material comes with this long
list of demands for instance if you are
someone who needs a completely sturdy
workhorse it's so durable you don't want
to maintain it you don't need a seal it
then maybe a porous material like marble
or granite it's just not for you however
if you don't mind regular maintenance
like myself I actually love to tend to
my countertop I constantly wipe them
down with a daily cleaner annually I'll
do like a surface peeler pour on it so
there's a long list of demands that
every material requires so you just have
to figure out how much maintenance do
you want to commit to that particular
material and lastly what is your style I
mean what's your vibe what's your
aesthetic my personal style is super
eclectic I knew the minute I stepped
into this lab yard I absolutely wanted
to go with an exotic granite I found
this really beautiful black slab with
all of this like pattern baning in it
and I just vibe with that look
so of course aesthetics were really high
on my list so you want to ask yourself
what your personal style is if your
style is a little bit more farmhouse
maybe butcher block is a way to go if
your style is really clean and modern
quartzite with this very minimal
variation in
this might be the style for you and of
course you can never go wrong with white
marble
I know Carrera and Calcutta is high on
everyone's wish list and at the same
time
it matches a variety of styles depending
on what you pair it with so to recap you
need to ask yourself those four key
questions what are you using your
countertops for what's your budget how
much maintenance are you willing to
handle and what is your style so now
let's break down some of the most
popular countertop materials and talk to
you about the key characteristics of
each first we have our natural stone
countertops like marble granite
limestone or soapstone these are natural
stone materials that are typically
quarried from all over the world you can
get them anywhere from Brazil to China
to Italy you can even find them locally
here in the states in Colorado the great
thing about natural stone is that
they're natural you know some of the
veining and the patterns are inherent in
the stone which makes them really
beautiful however something like silk
stone which is also a natural material
there's less veining in the overall look
at the material so if you like a natural
stone but you don't want too much
pattern it's soap so make the right one
for you then there's engineered quartz
which is like Silestone or a Caesar
stone engineered stone just means that
they need to pour a resin into the cork
compound so that it creates a super
durable material quartz is probably one
of the most typical materials you find
in kitchen countertops today they're
really made popular by HDTV and along
those home remodeling shows but of
course you still need to determine
whether or not it's right for you and
then we'll go through the pros and cons
of each next we have a butcher block
material which is pretty much just a
really beautiful slab of wood there's
different ways you cut out the wood
there's a faith grain and edge grain so
depending all the wood is cut up and
glued back together that's how you get
your butcher block material BAM
after becoming increasingly popular as
well so it kind of has that look of wood
but clearly it's not hood it's a little
bit more sustainable you also have your
metal or stainless steel counter tops I
mean I love the look of that in like an
industrial kitchen or a really modern
kitchen you'll also see a lot of
kitchens now are trending towards
concrete which I absolutely love it's
not like concrete of the 80s guys I mean
you can't just like put a pan right down
and the whole thing cracks today's
concrete is precast and they come in a
variety of colors so it's really
beautiful you get a lot of variation and
at the same time it's a really modern
has a super cool vibe then there's solid
surface countertops like Corian which
are poured but since it's not
heat-resistant and it's completely
engineered I absolutely don't even
recommend it for a kitchen you'll also
see laminate countertops or a tile
countertops which to me are like
absolute no nose so we won't even
discuss the pros and cons do away with
tile
I mean who won grout marks in their
kitchen when there's dirt and oil flying
everywhere
so now let's jump into the pros and cons
of my favorite materials so you can
decide which one is right for you let's
jump right into marble marble is my
absolute favorite material to use I mean
I probably use it like 90% of all of my
projects I absolutely love marble
because it always looks high in its a
natural material each piece is unique it
comes in a variety of patterns and
colors and paintings so I never really
can go wrong with choosing marble
because it's just so unique not only is
marble heat-resistant it actually
develops a patina over time so with you
subway gauge and with where you actually
get like this really beautiful patina
that comes out of it if you guys don't
know what a patina is a patina is really
just the look of a surface as a
and where's just think about copper once
you started using copper for a while
you'll see the different areas where
copper starts turning green or hash like
this bluish tint to it that is what a
patina is marble also works with so many
different aesthetic I've put marble in
like a European farmhouse type of home I
put it in like a really modern home
before it depends on the surface
finishing of marble marble can be
polished or honed depending on your
aesthetic one of the cons of marble is
that it could be expensive I've actually
sourced a slab that cost more than like
a small car so if you're restricted by
budget absolutely rethink whether or not
you want to use marble another con is
that since it is a porous material which
means the surface has pores in it it
requires ongoing maintenance you can
have it professionally sealed properly
annually and what I usually tell clients
is if you have marble installed in other
rooms of the house like a bathroom you
could have your professional sealer come
and kind of seal everything out once so
that you don't have to think about it
in between use I mean it is susceptible
to staining as well red wine and acidic
liquids are not marbles friend I mean
you have to really just wipe it up right
away and if you feel as though you can't
do that then marble probably isn't the
countertop material for you it also has
very low abrasion which means it could
scratch easily for me I just love the
inherent look of it so I find the
aesthetics more valuable than whether or
not I see a little bit of scratch if you
polish the surface you'll see more
scratches but if the surface is hone
you'll actually see less scratches
another con that was also a pro is that
it develops the patina over time
depending on how you look at it it's a
pro or a con some people love that their
kitchen shows exactly how they use it
and other people don't like that so much
so you need to determine whether or not
that patina works for you
moving on to granite granite is probably
one of the most durable materials
there that is an absolute pro but since
it is a porous material it does me to be
sealed a lot of people love the heat
resistance and the scratch resistance of
granite which means you can take a pot
right off the stove throw right on your
countertop and it won't damage the
granite I love that about my granite but
honestly it's not a big deal you need to
lay something out for your surface
anyways since gran is one of the most
durable materials out there it won't
scratch or chip easily but it doesn't
mean that it's indestructible I mean if
you took like a hammer to it or you like
accidentally rub like a huge pot on the
side of it or a cast-iron skillet I mean
you are going to damage it guys but
since it's one of the toughest materials
out there that's why people usually pick
granite another Pro to granite it's it's
beautiful veiny and patterns which I
mean honestly at the same time you can
actually see that as a con so depending
on what your style and aesthetic is you
might love the veiny or you don't some
of the most exotic Granite's are like
super high-end and visually just make a
statement in any type of kitchen in the
kitchen just imagine you have like a lot
of straight lines it's just a lot of
cabinets and a lot of drawers and all of
a sudden is broken up by this beautiful
pattern in the center of your kitchen
that's why I always gravitate towards
natural stone for countertops I mean it
just gives off a very luxurious vibe and
no two slots are the same in any type of
kitchen you're absolutely going to see
seams depending on the material and your
fabricator you either gonna see them
less or more but we've granted since
there's so much pattern variations
sometimes you could hide the seams a
little bit better versus like of course
granite countertops are actually
considered one of the lower maintenance
countertops
they don't need professional sealing
like marble you can really just go out
to Home Depot and buy like a topical
sealer and then just kind of wipe that
down periodically granite is also a
genuinely natural material so if you're
worried about sustainability I mean
granite is
as well as they know another Pro for
granite is that they are absolutely
resistant to chemicals
if you accidentally pour like an acid
like a vinegar or bass right onto your
countertops you can just wipe it right
up without it harming the natural porous
surface let's move on to soapstone what
is soapstone soapstone is also a natural
material
it's a metamorphic rock that got its
name from its soapy texture that soapy
smooth texture is thanks to the presence
of talc in the stone there are two
varieties of soapstone architectural and
artistic the artistic soapstone is the
ones where you see them carving statues
out of you can kind of like chip and
carve into it but the architectural ones
are the ones that I've used for
countertops in your kitchen
the architectural great soapstone has a
lower talc content usually about fifty
to seventy-five percent which makes it
super durable for kitchen countertop
although it's not as durable or hard as
granite or marble people love it because
you can literally install it in any
design shape or form one of the biggest
pros of soapstone is that it doesn't
stain it's a dense and non porous
material which means it's heat resistant
it's super durable and it can stand up
to acidic materials as well because
soapstone is also non-porous I mean the
maintenance on it is super low it
doesn't need to be sealed so sometimes
when you Nick it or crack it or chip it
that becomes inherent in its beauty to
me that's what makes soapstone really
unique it almost looks like a grayish
marble sometimes you can get it in like
a dark blue or even like a tinted green
but typically it's like this really
beautiful gray that could also be a con
with soapstone there's not a whole lot
of variety in colors so if you're
looking for something outside of that
color range soapstone isn't for you
another con is that you can't find like
huge old slabs
usually they quarry them at about 7 foot
slabs so if you know that you have a
linear countertop with that is more than
7 feet you're going to have
so soapstone like marble does develop a
patina over time so definitely consider
that when making your decision
let's get into the pros and cons of
engineered quartz quartz countertops are
just as strong as granted but with that
added resin in it makes it a little bit
more flexible quartz is non porous which
means it never ever ever requires
sealing these types of slabs offer a
virtually maintenance-free kitchen
workstation which is why homeowners love
it while they're super durable they're
not indestructible either
however they are stain resistant so if
you drop a glass of red wine on it you
can easily clean it right up but the
other thing about quartz is that since
there's resin mixed in if you have a
part of your kitchen that IV seems like
a whole lot of sunlight and a portion of
your kitchen that doesn't that part that
receives a sunlight can discolor over
time there's a lot of new quartz
material out there that is made to look
like marble so if you're restricted by
budget love the look of marble you can
actually choose a quartz that looks like
it but of course it's less maintenance
and a lot more durable moving on to
butcher block I love how the look of
wood just warms up an entire kitchen the
natural coloring of would just really
advise with modern farmhouse styles I
love that it's like a really soft
material so every time you put like a
dish or a glass on it you don't get this
like big loud banging in your kitchen it
maintained properly it's a really long
lasting and durable choice I actually
really love would mix with marble so if
you do like marble on the outer
perimeter you can have good as your
Center Island and it's just a really
beautiful mix another pro to wood
countertops is that it's really
repairable if you get like a scratch or
a nick in it all you have to do is just
sand it down and it's good as new one of
the biggest cons with butcher block and
wood is that it's not heat resistant you
can't put a hot pan down without a
trivet or a towel underneath or else
it's gonna burn your wood wood can also
swell or crack in extreme heat or dry
climate whereas excessive witness could
also brought the wood and again like
some of the other natural stones it does
develop a patina over time so of course
you can see that as a pro or a condom
when your style is lastly let's talk
about the pros and cons of concrete
countertops concrete countertops are
like so trendy right now I literally
cannot open Pinterest without seeing a
concrete countertop unlike a super chic
kitchen typically you think of concrete
for really industrial spaces but I
actually love how the inherent look of
concrete and make a space look so modern
and so chic at the same time one of the
pros of concrete countertops is that it
could be formed and shaped and molded
and poured into any type of
configuration for your kitchen so if you
have like an angular kitchen or like a
curved kitchen
you really can't specify concrete to the
design of your kitchen there are so many
options when it comes to colors and
staining concrete isn't only that cold
hard grade that you typically think of
you can add stains and colors to it so
it can match pretty much anything that
you dream up concrete is rock hard solid
I mean it's completely heat resistant
it's stain resistant it doesn't a
scratch is super durable and
long-lasting you can pretty much pour
anything into concrete to make the look
unique what do I mean if you want it
like glass fragments or shells or rocks
or stones you go pour it right in there
and it'll be cast alongside with your
countertop I mean which i think is
pretty cool I've never done that myself
but I've seen it done and I think it's
just like a really beautiful unique way
to make a personal statement the surface
is really easy to clean providing that
you regularly seal it concrete nowadays
is considered like a super premium
high-end material so it actually adds
value to your property one of the
biggest cons for concrete is that it is
expensive I mean it usually starts like
around 150 dollars a square foot
I've actually specified marble for that
cost but if you're like constantly
thinking of concrete if you're
constantly pinning images of you know
kitchen countertops that use concrete it
is definitely a valuable investment
another thing about concrete is that it
is a heavy I mean sometimes it can't
with stain like really cheapy cabinets
and drawers underneath it make sure you
have high quality materials as I found
for the concrete countertops to sit on
the biggest con about concrete is that
the repairs are gnarly even though
they're super hard material if you
accidentally crack it or chip it I mean
you have to replace the entire thing
which a lot of people don't like but at
the same time if you can afford it hey
why not so the bottom line is treat your
countertop like a huge investment
besides your bedroom a kitchen is the
most used room in your home you want to
make sure that you make quality
investments you really consider all the
questions when determining which
countertop material is right for you of
course style and aesthetics plays such a
huge role in whether or not that
countertop will buy with your space I
hope this video has helped you Widow
down your selections I know there's so
much to consider when specifying your
countertop material for me personally I
buy the best that I can afford any time
it comes to selecting materials for my
home I think of two things number one
what can I not live without and number
two what can I afford that I won't
regret later if you keep these
principles in mind when selecting any
types of materials for your home you
really can't go wrong coz to me you
really thought it out the more thought
you put into it the less regret you'll
have later I know that there are so much
information in this video guys and it's
one of those content and heavy posts so
if you like this type of content please
give this video a thumbs up let me know
in the comments below if you have any
questions when trying to figure out
which countertops are best for your
kitchen and of course subscribe to my
design channel you haven't already thank
you so much for watching I'll see you in
the next one
