Choosing Kitchen Countertops

Finding the perfect countertop for the most active room in our home is really a big challenge to me.. The countertop must be durable, stain resistant, easy to clean and attractive right?? Is it possible to have all these in 1 countertop?? Sure, if we're willing to pay more.. :P

Let me share with u some info that i get from surveying all kind of countertops.. Eventho i've all the info, but then i still dun decide which one we will have in our kitchen.. haha.. It is so damn hard to decide as we need to invest a lot of money on our kitchen cabinet.. Some people might say that we just do it once, so just go ahead.. Others might say any material would be ok, as long as it meets the purposes.. Yeah~ true, but then we also have to think whether it is attractive or not?? haha.. As long as it is nice (at least to our own eyes) and meet ur house's concept, then it should be ok..

I'm sure most of the contractors will suggest u to do the concrete countertop and covered with ceramic tiles on it.. It is cheaper compared to others, durable, heat and water resistant.. Yeah~ for sure it will last forever, but then, u've to remember the tiles will have lines between it.. Even if u use 2 x 2 tiles coz it will look nicer, but then the lines are still there.. And it may be hard to clean between those lines, unless u use a darker color.. If u've 2 kitchens, i would suggest this kind of countertop for ur wet kitchen as u'll use it in daily basis..

Concrete Countertop

Picture - Google-

And nowadays, everyone would prefer the solid surface countertop.. Yes, it is nice as it won't have any lines.. And they come with lots of colors too.. It is durable, smooth, no visible seams and water resistant.. But then, u can't put the hot pan directly on the surface as it is not heat resistant.. Scratches can easily seen on the surface, but then it can be sanded out.. And, for sure it is quite expensive if u buy the imported one.. For the local solid surface, u can get rm120 to rm180 per square feet..

Solid Surface Countertop

Picture - Google-

What about the plastic laminate countertop?? It is cheap, easy to install and lots of color options.. But the cons are it won't tolerate direct heat, not water resistant and thin surface color can fade.. I won't suggest this kind of countertop as it is not durable..

For granite countertop, i would say it is good.. It is smooth, durable, heat resistant and great for baking preparations.. Some say that it is water resistant, but some say it is not.. After a long use, it will affected the cabinet.. It is expensive and for the large size countertop, it will have visible seams as they will come in one size only.. It is not smooth like solid surface top where they can be cut to the exact size that we want.. And, the granite one comes with limited colors only..

Granite Countertop

Picture - Google-

While for melamine countertop, i would say a big no.. It is clearly not heat and water resistant.. Sooner or later, it will affected ur cabinet coz it absorbs the water.. Unless u're really take a good care of it, always keep the surface dry.. Then u may consider this one..

Whateva it is, it is up to ur own preferences.. For me, i may choose either solid surface or granite countertop.. hurm~ still thinking.. I wish if i can have 2 kitchens, so i'll choose concrete countertop for my wet kitchen and solid surface for my dry one.. hehe.. I wish~ :P

So, which one u would prefer??