Bath and kitchen countertop material choices include tile (mainly for baths), solid surfacing, quartz surfacing, or natural stone. Tile is an eye-catching option – ceramic or otherwise – when installed in an infinite array of designs, both on countertops and as backsplashes. Grout lines can trap dirt and encourage mildew, but new grouts and sealers can help.

Cast from an acrylic resin, solid-surface countertop material demands little maintenance and is extremely durable, making it a nice alternative to stone. Fine-grade sandpaper smoothes out scratches, abrasions, and minor burns. It is well suited for laundry rooms and bathrooms.

Quartz-surfacing may be mistaken for granite, but can feature intense hues and consistent patterns not found in stone. This material – made from crushed quartz mixed with pigments and binder resins – is durable and nonporous; resistant to scratches, burns, and stains; with no need for periodic sealing.

There’s no question marble and granite are beautiful. Marble stains easily, granite doesn’t – except from grease. Cultured marble – made from real chips of natural marble embedded in plastic – is also less costly. Also look for reclaimed materials in countertops such as glass and even paper (mixed with durable resins).

2008 Trend Watch:
Countertops

Marble in practically any color; more exotic choices with extreme coloring: terracottas, greens, black, mica, metal finishes

Limestone

Clean, sleek, contemporary lines

Quartz with concrete appearance that’s non-porous, often in chocolate and deep browns

More diversity in shapes

Vanity countertops with bumped-out ledges

Greater attention paid to edge details, even honed edge and surfaces

Higher backsplashes with artsier design work

Article provided by and reprinted with permission from Urban Home Magazine (Issue: Winter 2008).

For an archive of this and other magazine articles, visit urbanhomemagazine.com.