Covering your bases: Part 1
Facts about counter top materials:
Some of the most popular materials for counter top surfaces in any kitchen or bath are as follows:
o Tile: The upside of tile is that this is an inexpensive solution. Tile costs less than any other solid surface. The down side is that it is an uneven surface and has grout lines. Grout will have to be cleaned because it is very porous, and you can’t roll out cookie or pie dough on a tile counter top. As a designer or a person that is concerned about function and performance of a surface, I will tell you this is never the right choice in today’s kitchen or bath environment. It’s a grout cleaning headache. If you want to put tile on your bar or outdoor grill, then go ahead. Keep function easy and smart in the spaces that you work hard in every day.
o Formica or a laminate counter top: The old standby that we all remember as children. Of course, back then it was in dreadful colors like orange, olive, or my personal favorite, “Harvest Gold”. Yikes! I’m pretty sure my parents had orange counter tops in our kitchen when I was a kid. And it was the latest "in" thing! Well, laminate has come a long way. You can get laminate that looks like granite, or has natural texture like linen, or even metal or wood grain. The down side is that it is still laminate. It’s a picture with a coating over it. If you drag something across it, it will scratch, and you can’t buff it out. And if you put something hot down on it, it will bubble and burn. To get some of the nicer looking laminate products, you are sometimes spending as much as you would for a group one granite. This material is okay for a laundry or utility room, but please, not for your kitchen or bathroom. You are getting the chance to improve things. Spend the money to improve them then! Don’t go backwards. It’s hard to find fabricators for this product anymore in Tucson unless you go to Lowes, Home Depot, or maybe Costco. People just rarely go in this direction. There are too many other great choices out there.
o Corian: This is the most common manufacturer name for a solid surface product that is made 100% out of a Poly Resin product, which is a fancy name for plastic. You all know it, it comes in sheets that are usually 2 cm thick. It has a flat finish to it, its never shiny. It can be in solid colors, or a speckled finish. This product was introduced and became quite popular in the early 80's as a solution and rival to laminate (Formica). It is occasionally used with remodel clients today. I don’t’ think you will ever see it in New Home Developments because there are other products that perform better, and are just more attractive and upscale looking. Like laminate, when I see Corian in a house I think, “dated”. “This counter top and kitchen has been here since the 80’s and hasn’t been touched”. The upside to this product is that if you damage it with Heat, (because its plastic, it will melt), or scratch it, (because it is plastic and soft), you can have someone come in and buff it out. They can sand it down and bring it back to its original luster. Again, I might get 3 clients a year that want Corian in their kitchen or bath. Fabricators for this product are also scarce. But they are out there. Price for this product, again, can be the same as a group one granite. And I will tell you that Granite is a better product to me, all the way around. 
o Granite: This is a natural stone product that has been pulled out of the ground in slabs. Most slabs come anywhere from 96” – 120” long, by 48” – 55” wide. Because this is a natural product, (rock), it needs to be sealed and it can be polished. Most of these slabs are polished to a shine, but others can be available in flat or honed finishes. You have to discuss this option with your fabricator. Sealing is important and should be done about every 2 years, however I have a lot of clients that don’t ever seal their granite counter tops. The sealing is to fill in the pits and fissures that you get with a natural stone. This is so the tops stay cleanable and bacteria and stain free. Although it is hard to stain granite, I have heard of it happening. This is by far a pretty indestructible surface for Kitchens and Baths. It holds up to heat, and is hard to scratch, providing you don’t make scratching a mission and drag a screw driver or a tool across the surface on purpose. You can cut on it for the most part, but if you are over aggressive, of course you will succeed in scratching it. The two biggest plusses about this product is its indestructible nature and of course, its beauty. Pricing for Granite runs in groups, 1 – 5. 1 being the entry level pricing, 5 being the higher dollar material. The groups are based on availability and appearance. There are so many choices visually and it is the fun selection you will make for your remodel. Just walking through the slab yards is a treat. This product is one of my top two choices for covering your bases.
o Quartz: My other favorite surface for Kitchen and Bath counter tops is Quartz. What is Quartz? I hear people throwing this word around in so many different contexts. So, what is it really? Well, honestly, Granite is quartz. You can find quartz in almost any stone. It is the most common mineral on the surface of the Earth. It can be found as a component in metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks along with other forms of crystals such as flint, agate, citrine, amethyst, and garnet. These are the impurities that cause the granite to look so unique and have all the different colors and movement in it.
So, when you are looking at counter tops and the sales person refers to Granite and Quartz as two different things, what are they talking about? Well “Quartz” is a name that has been given to a product that has been on the counter top scene for approximately the last 15 years. This product is more like a re-engineered granite because it has granite in it, but it also has poly-resin in it. Remember that term? I used it to describe the Corian. In trying to stay true to what the material is, and for lack of another name they call it “Quartz.” So, Quartz is like the marrying of Granite and Corian. Quartz is Granite that has been ground down and compressed into slabs. Then, Poly- Resin, (plastic) is used to fill in any fissures or gaps in the slab. Usually this resin is made to match, so it looks like part of the stone. This process creates a product that is a bit stronger than granite, and naturally anti-bacterial, therefore, no sealing or maintenance is required. This is a very appealing fact about Quartz for many perspective buyers. Due to the fact that a bit more fabrication goes into this product, it’s a little more expensive than some granites, but it is a fabulous product, and visually the choices are endless. Most Quartz pricing is done in groups, much like Granite. 1 – 5, 5 being the most expensive.
There are other solutions on the market for counter tops than what I have covered above, such as; poured cement, glass, travertine, and soap stone. I could go on and on. These that I have just mentioned to you require a lot of maintenance, more than the other surfaces I have covered in this article. There is a reason why we don’t recommend that you use them, because, while they are pretty, they are not the best functional choices for a kitchen or bath. These are hardworking spaces, you are in there every day, cleaning, and using products that could stain or alter the look and longevity of your counter top. You want a surface that is going to hold up to day to day use, and one that you don’t have to continuously be polishing and wiping finger prints off of. If you are choosing a counter top surface for your space, get what you want, but make sure you have all the facts about how it performs and what you are getting yourself into as far as maintenance.
Some great local resources for materials like these and good places to get a look at them would be: Bedrosians Tile and Stone: 3865 W. Orange Grove Rd., 747-2200, Arizona Tile: 765 E. Ft. Lowell Rd., (520-622-4671, , also some of your kitchen appliance stores that have kitchen vignettes using these products: Such as Monarch: 3850 W. Orange Grove Rd., Also Kitchen design firms such as Southwest Kitchen and Bath: 7780 N Oracle Rd, (520-820-9271) and Tucson Stone works is a dealer for most Quartz products: 6970 N Oracle Rd. Suite #100, (520-977-2453)
Stay tuned for Cover your bases Part 2: I’m going to explore the new trends in 2017 for Quartz counter tops and tile. Talk about edge treatments, give a tip on fabricators and how you can work with yours to get the pretty parts of your counter tops in the spots that you want them to appear in your kitchen and bathroom.
Begin Again with all the Right Tools! Chris Maxwell, 520-820-8271
