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If you are contemplating installing a kitchen countertop, you probably have passed the pros and cons stage of the decision process. After all, adding a kitchen countertop will increase the value of your home. You will create extra space to prepare and cook delicious foods. Your new kitchen countertop can double as a place to set several places for dinner. The question is not whether to install a kitchen countertop.
The question is how do you go about it.
Go with Marble
One of the most important decisions you will make when it comes to adding a kitchen countertop involves selecting the best material. You can spend all day watching home improvement shows and listen to experts debate the merits of each material. Or, you can cut out the noise and do what a growing number of homeowners are doing by choosing marble as your kitchen countertop material. Marble represents a natural stone that is frequently used by both contractors and do it yourselfers for kitchen countertop installation projects.
Speaking of Do It Yourself
Although it is not considered one of the most difficult home improvement projects, adding a kitchen countertop can introduce several factors that will leave you scratching your head. When it comes time to decide whether or not to hire a professional contractor, one of the most important questions to ask is do you need to stay within a tight budget or can you afford to splurge by hiring a pro. Of course, you have to answer this question: Are you capable of installing the new kitchen countertop yourself?
Understand the Difference between Cost and Value
Marble is a relatively expensive material to use for designing a kitchen countertop. Your home improvement budget will mostly dictate whether you can afford to use marble. However, you are just considering the cost of marble, not the value marble will add to your home. Laminate is an affordable material to use for manufacturing a kitchen countertop, but how much value does it add to your home. Comparing cost and value is similar to calculating the return on your investment in a kitchen countertop material.
Project Timeline Matters
If you hire a professional contractor, you can expect the installation of a kitchen countertop to last about one day. Nonetheless, the time it takes to perform the project does not include the time it takes to prepare marble to be the material used to construct the kitchen countertop. You also have to factor in other projects that enhance the value and functionality of your kitchen.
Is a Full Replacement the Answer?
You might not have the time and/or the home improvement budget to perform a complete kitchen countertop installation. Maybe just a section of the countertop, such as the island needs a major makeover. If your current kitchen countertop is in good shape expect for one section, then you can save both time and money by using marble to replace the section.
Why Marble Rules
Some home improvement experts say granite is the most popular kitchen countertop material, but after reviewing the best attributes of marble, they might want to change their professional analysis. Subtle lines that complement a gorgeous, shiny surface make marble the king of kitchen countertop materials.
So do the following reasons.
Easy to Form into the Perfect Design
As a softer natural stone, marble represent the ideal kitchen countertop material for customizing uniquely, visually stunning designs. The softness of marble allows you or a professional contractor to create a wide variety of edge profiles like straight, bevel, bullnose, and demi bullnose. You can also produce customized edge profiles such as chiseled, stair thread, and waterfall edge, which is an upscale edge cut containing three cascading convex arches that mimic that flow of a waterfall. Although custom edges cost more than standard edges, you get more bang for your buck by going with marble instead of granite. For more information please visit slabmarket.com.
Rugged Durability
Marble tends to require a little more maintenance than fabricated kitchen countertop materials. However, that is typical for any natural stone used to design and manufacture kitchen countertops. Maintenance is not directly related to durability; it is more about maintaining a beautiful appearance. Marble is one of, if not the strongest material for constructing a kitchen countertop. It resists the types of dents and cracks that diminish the quality of other types of kitchen countertop materials. If marble is strong enough to use for building the Taj Mahal and the Lincoln Memorial, it is certainly strong enough to withstand the punishment delivered by daily use in your kitchen.
Resists High Heat
When we talk about kitchen countertop material durability, we usually discuss how a material handles strong impacts, such as the blows delivered by a falling stock pot or the accidental dropping of a large butcher knife. Another way marble is king for durability concerns how the natural stone handles prolonged exposure to high heat. If you plan to apply your culinary skills on your new kitchen countertop by adding a range, then marble represents the perfect material because it is impervious to the highest cooking temperatures. Marble does not burn, melt, or worse, catch fire.
A Baker’s Dream
We just talked about external heat coming from a range, but what about the even higher temperatures set for an oven. Marble kitchen countertops always remain cool to the touch. The cooler than room temperature feel makes marble ideal for culinarians that love to bake. It is the right kitchen countertop material for bakers that are skilled at working with dough, chocolate, pastries, and ice cream.
Elegant Panache
Marble offers a seemingly countless number of colors and designs that will help create a kitchen countertop that exudes elegant panache. Home improvement contractors have coveted marble for a long time because of the warmth is produces, as well as the natural visual appeal of the stone. As the most popular type of marble, White Carrara was the marble of choice for the design and construction of Ancient Rome relics like the sculptures created by Michelangelo.
Glows under the Sun
If you want to boost the energy and brighten the ambiance of the kitchen, marble is the material to use for adding a kitchen countertop. The natural stone reflects when placed under artificial light, but when the sun hits it, marble emits a warm, inviting glow that makes your kitchen appear larger.
