There are many different kinds of countertops around. They can range a lot in terms of material, durability, texture, and even in how they are made. However, if you’re looking to get a countertop for your home, you should make sure that you’re getting only the best possible kinds.
Countertops are some of the surfaces that we use the most in our homes, and they take some of the most beating too.
We use countertops for our kitchens, meaning they have to withstand heat, some weight, and the occasional slash and impact.
We use countertops for our bathrooms, and they need to handle all the water and humidity that it has.
We also put countertops in outside areas, and it has to be able to withstand the sun and the elements.
Many kinds of countertops don’t cost much. But they also don’t last long. Over time, the amount of maintenance you’ll need to do will make them much more expensive than getting a quality countertop from the beginning.
So, before you make up your mind on which kind of countertop you want to get, you should know which are the 5 best kinds of countertops around.
The 5 Best Different Kinds of Countertops
From the many different kinds of countertops you can get, 5 of them are by far the best. They last the longest, look amazing, and bring a lot of value to your home. Each of them has their own features, so it’s important to know them well to figure out their best applications.
Granite
Granite is the classic countertop material. It’s the one you see everywhere you go. And that’s for a very good reason: it’s hard, it lasts a very long time, and it’s relatively inexpensive. It’s anyone’s go-to material when getting a countertop.
It works great for just about any application: kitchen, bathroom, outdoors, you name it. Of course, you also need to do regular maintenance to keep it looking good. Any natural stone, granite included, is porous in some way, meaning it’s prone to get stained. To handle that, you need to reseal the slab at least once a year.
The only disadvantage of granite is, of course, that it’s everywhere. It’s what everyone expects when they think of a countertop. If you want to do something fancier and impress your guests, you should consider using another kind of stone, or going for some rarer granite. This can bring a lot of value to your home!
Marble
Marble is definitely one of the fanciest kinds of stone around. It’s simply beautiful, and its presence is bound to impress anyone who sees it. It’s so easily recognizable, that it leaves a great impression to anyone.
Having a marble countertop is an especially subtle sign of wealth, for a very simple reason: marble needs much more maintenance than granite and other stones.
Marble is incredibly soft. It’s so soft, you might be able to scratch it with your fingernails. The sealer may help a bit, but it’s also pretty soft. Marble is also much more porous than most stones, meaning it can get stained more easily. And, if it’s white marble, the stains will be very visible.
Marble is technically not the best countertop material, but it’s certainly one of the most impressive ones, simply because of the dedication you need to have to keep it looking nice.
Quartzite
Quartzite is a less common material, but it’s an amazing one, and one you should seriously consider.
Its main feature is that it’s harder than granite. That’s right, it’s much better at handling scratches and impact than granite, meaning it can last even longer.
Not only that, but its beauty is comparable to marble. Just like marble, it also has some visible veins running through it, and you can easily find white varieties that look a lot like marble. But it’s also available in some very colorful patterns, mixing white, brown, and blue in mesmerizing ways.
It’s a seriously underrated and impressive material.
Quartz
Quartz is an engineered version of quartzite. That is, it’s not pure natural stone that has been sealed, but particles of natural stone that are held together by some kind of resin.
That gives it some amazing properties. Mainly, it’s much less porous, meaning it’s much harder to stain it, and it doesn’t need to be sealed. The resin does a great job of filling in all the pores and leave it nice and smooth. It makes it require much less maintenance than other kinds of stone.
Even though the resin is what holds the stone together, the slabs are still almost as hard as quartzite and lasts nearly as long. The main problem, though, is that the resin is not very heat-resistant, so you shouldn’t put a quartz countertop in outside areas.
It’s main feature, though, is that white quartz looks a lot like marble, while being much easier to maintain.
Onyx
Onyx is another underrated material. Onyx slabs have their own unique appearance: they come in a variety of different colors, and tend to have some wild patterns. This makes it a unique option for a countertop, as it’s bound to be different from anything anyone had ever seen.
While we tend of think of onyx as a black gem, the onyx stone is most often green or a nice light brown.
Its main features are that it’s much lighter than other stones, making it much more flexible and easier to install, and that it’s translucent. Ever wanted to have a countertop that lights up? This is your chance. It’s a feature that is bound to impress just about anyone.
We Can Help You Choose The Best One For Your Home
Too hard to pick one among all of them? This is why those materials make for the best kinds of countertops. Still, there are many factors involved in choosing the best countertop for any given application, and it’s not really possible to put all of them in a single article. It’s something that comes with experience.
To make things easier, you should get a specialist. Years of experience make it easy to choose the best stones for a countertop in any given room. Here at Eagle Stones, we can help you with that. Just fill this form to get a specialist in your home and a free estimate!
If you want to know more about those stones, you’re also free to visit our showroom here in Sarasota, FL. This way, you can see the amazing variety of stones that we have and figure out which kinds are the best ones for you!
