When you are looking to buy kitchen countertops, there are plenty of things you need to consider to buy the right units. These things include:

Your lifestyle

Different countertop materials are ideal for various applications. If you have small children, so you cook a lot, chances are your home has plenty of spills and accidents. In such a scenario, you should avoid marble or white granite countertops as it will just be a matter of time before the countertops develop ugly stains giving your kitchen an ugly, unappealing look.

Here, you need tough but easy-to-maintain countertop materials.

If, on the other hand, you live alone and rarely use the kitchen, marble or white granite countertop surfaces are an excellent choice as you won’t worry about them developing ugly stains.

If you aren’t sure about the right material for your lifestyle, get the input of a professional.

Ease of maintenance

How much care do the countertops need? You should ask this question before you make the purchase.

Of course, to have an easy time, you should buy countertop materials that are easy to maintain.

As much as granite and marble surfaces are excellent, they need regular sealing to prevent stains from developing. Is this something you are comfortable doing at least once or twice a year? You should think about this.

If you aren’t comfortable with this, you are better with quartz countertops or other materials that don’t need sealing.

Remember that even if you go for easy-to-maintain countertops, you need to protect them from damage so they can last for a long time. This calls for you to avoid cutting directly on them.

You also should avoid standing or sitting on the countertops as you can easily break them.

Your preferred look

How do you want your kitchen to look? We all have a preferred look, and you should consider this when purchasing.

Some countertops can give your kitchen a traditional look, while others give it a contemporary vibe. Give your kitchen the look you want.

If you aren’t sure about the right countertops you should go for, get the input of an expert.

Your preferred sink mounting

Over-mounted and under-mounted sinks are two popular ways to mount your sink to your kitchen countertops. You should note that the style of sink you install will influence the size and style of countertops you choose.

Here is more about the mounting sink types:

Under-mounted sinks: With under-mounted sinks, the sink’s edge lip is mounted below the countertop. This sink mounting style creates a continuous flow, making it easy to clean up crumbs when a mess comes about.

Some of the best materials for under-mounted sinks are granite, marble, concrete, and quartz.

Don’t try to install under-mounted sinks on other materials, as there is the risk that the materials won’t be well suited for these sinks. In most cases, there are risks of having too many seams and grout lines.

Over-mounted sinks: Also known as drop-in sinks, these sinks involve dropping off the sink into the countertop. Unlike the under-mounted sinks, this style has edges over the kitchen countertop giving it a traditional look.

Your home layout

The kitchen is the heart of every home and should tie the entire house together. As a rule of thumb, ensure that the style and layout of the house flows throughout the house.

For example, choose countertop materials that maintain the look if your house has an open concept. In such a case, keep a simple color palette that looks good on the open layout.

Your budget

As you can tell, this influences everything from the store you buy the countertops to the contractor your hire.

Many people make the mistake of rushing to the stores with little money. You should note that quality comes at a price, so there is no way you will get quality granite or marble countertops Durham on a small budget.

Instead of being in a hurry, always take your time and save some money until it’s enough for your desired countertops.

It’s often said that you should fake it until you make it. If you love the look of granite countertops but don’t have money to buy real granite, you can always paint your countertops to look like granite. How do you go about it? Here is what to do:

Pick the right paint

You will not get perfect results if you choose the wrong paint. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources you can use to find out the right paint to go for. If you aren’t sure about the one that will give your countertops a look you are after, get the input of a professional.

You should note that you can choose the right paint, but if you choose the wrong primer or sealer, you will most likely have awful results, so also be ultra-cautious when buying the primer and sealer and ensure that you choose the one that goes well with your paint.

Clean and prepare the surfaces

Like any other painting project, you need to clean the surfaces before painting. This calls for you to remove any materials from the countertop surfaces. If possible, also pull the sink.

Using quality household degreasers, scrub any dirt, grease, and debris from the surfaces, then fill any deep cracks or nicks with wood patch or laminate repair filler.

Give the filler time to dry, then sand flush with the countertop surface. If the caulk is loose, cut it away from the sink or backsplash.

Apply the primer coat

Pour a small amount of primer on the surfaces, then cut it with a 2-inch brush. To minimize marks on the surfaces, use a narrow brush.

After cutting, use a roller to apply more primer to the countertops. For the best outcome, work in 3-foot sections, rolling in a single direction with overlapping strokes. When you complete each 3-foot section, roll back over the primer using long, straight rows to reduce air bubbles.

You should repeat this process in 3-foot sections across the rest of the countertops, making sure that you roll out any paint before it dries.

Once you are done, thoroughly clean your roller and brush with warm water, as you will use them to apply the glossy top coat. You should let the primer sit for at least 6 hours before you apply the top coat.

Paint the surfaces

Once your surfaces are ready for painting, go ahead and paint them. The painting kit you buy will come with a sponge with a special texture that significantly impacts the granite style finish that you will achieve.

Cut off a small sponge (1-1/2 inch) of the sponge, then apply it to 2-3 inches of your countertop to see its results.

Before dipping the sponge in the paint, soak it in water, then wring it out. The remaining moisture will prevent the sponge from soaking up too much mineral paint.

Paint your surfaces following the instructions given on the kit. You should note that to achieve the granite look, you must apply the paints in the order indicated on the packaging.

Begin with shaking the paint and pouring a small amount onto a paper plate. Then holding the flat, cut edge of the larger sponge in your hand, blot its un-cut, textured side in the mineral.

You should then dab the sponge on the second paper plate to remove any excess paint, then lightly stamp the coated side of the sponge onto your countertops using quick, up and down movements.

You should then blot the sponge randomly over the countertop surface, taking care not to make sideways swipes. This is because the swipes leave brush-type marks that don’t look like natural granite.

For the best outcome, stick to vertical, up, and down stamping. When doing it, press the sponge firmly, so that sponge’s face makes full contact with the countertop.

Once in a while, turn the sponge to stamp with a different part of the face to mix up the pattern and achieve more uniform results.

Protect the surfaces

You need to protect your faux granite countertops NC from moisture and wear. One of the excellent ways to do it is to seal the surfaces. After sealing, give the surfaces time to cure before using them.

You also should avoid cutting or chopping directly on your surfaces.

Tag Archives: granite countertop care

Things To Consider When Buying Kitchen Countertops