Countertops are one of the most vital parts of your kitchen, as they affect the look of the kitchen and its functionality.
Most homeowners installing kitchen countertops for the first time make plenty of costly mistakes. Which are these mistakes? Here they are:
Choosing the wrong material
Due to the many countertop materials in the market, most first-time installers buy the wrong ones often because they don’t know the right ones to go for.
If this is your first time, you should know that the material you choose depends on the look you want for your kitchen, and your lifestyle, among many other factors.
For example, if you love cooking and have small children in the house, it would be unwise to install marble countertops, as they are highly porous and stain easily.
These countertops would be perfect if you live alone and rarely use your kitchen.
The best way to avoid buying the wrong materials is to work closely with an experienced professional who knows what they are doing.
The professional will first understand the look you want, and your cooking patterns and then recommend the suitable material to go for.
Buying from big box stores
The best place to buy the countertop materials is from the big box stores. After all, they are popular, and this is where most people buy from, right? While they are popular, they are the wrong places to buy your countertop materials.
This is because they often don’t stock a wide range of countertop materials. This means you are always stuck with what is in the store, which is usually extremely limited.
The big stores also sell their materials at extremely high prices, and you can’t haggle the prices.
The best places to buy your kitchen countertop materials are from small stores. While they are small and often unpopular, they tend to stock a wide range of materials, so you have many options to choose from.
Since these stores specifically deal with countertop materials, they have experts that will help you decide on the best materials to go for if you aren’t sure.
The small size of the stores also means that you can negotiate the prices to buy the countertops at a much lower price.
Besides the above benefits, these stores will install the countertops often for free or at a meager price.
While this is the case, you should note that no two stores are the same. This means that you should take your time and find a reputable store to buy from.
As a rule of thumb, buy from a store with many countertop materials. The store should also have experts that will guide you make the right decision.
Before you decide to buy from a given store, scout around and see what is available.
Avoid buying from a highly cheap store as they might be selling cheap, low-quality materials. You also should avoid a costly store as they might be trying to rip you off.
Buy from a store selling high-quality countertop materials at a standard price.
Ignoring countertop cost factors
Besides the cost of the countertops, you need to factor in the price of installing the countertops. Different countertops have different installation costs that vary depending on the material and contractor.
Of course, you can cut the installation costs by finding a countertop store that will install the countertops for free.
The other cost factor to consider is the maintenance cost of the countertops. Some countertops, such as marble and granite, are porous, requiring resealing at least once a year. As you can guess, this significantly contributes to the total cost of the countertops.
If you aren’t ready for these costs, find a cheaper countertop that will be cheaper to maintain in the long run.
Hiring the wrong contractors
This is a major mistake as you can buy the best marble, granite, quartz, or any other countertops but fail to get the results you deserve and waste money.
As a rule of thumb, take your time and find highly experienced granite contractors Raleigh or any other professionals to install your countertops.
Before settling on a contractor, do a thorough interview and background checks and ensure you are working with the right person.