The Latest Trend in Countertops........

Granite remains one of the most popular counter top materials in Arizona kitchens and baths, in spite of being one of the most expensive choices on the market. Homeowners love its colors and the many dramatic grain and vein patterns that can be found all in the same slab. Granite is mined in quarries all over the world, including India, Italy, Brazil and Peru.

It’s a substance that does need to be handled with special care and is a bit tricky to install as a replacement for existing counters.

Although granite can handle heat pretty well, you should place hot pans on a trivet or cutting board when you take them off the stove instead of directly on your counter top. Use only mild, neutral cleaners on granite; use nothing with ammonia in it.

Granite is also a porous material and will be sealed by the installer after it is put into your kitchen. But you have to seal it regularly with costly sealers – maybe every six months. If you let that seal wear off, granite can stain when an acidic liquid like red wine gets spilled on it. You can’t leave a slice of lemon on a granite counter top overnight, or you could end up with a big hole in finish of the granite. Edges and corners of granite counters can chip and need repairs.

Take a Second Look at Quartz

If you’re thinking about replacing your countertops, another popular material that deserves your attention is quartz, a synthetic that can look like stone. It’s an engineered, man-made product that combines 90 percent ground quartz bound together with a 10 percent mixture of resins, polymers and pigments.

Sometimes quartz comes sold under brand names like Silestone, Cambria, and Caesarstone. These choices include a wide range of colors and styles. Quartz can also be made into many shapes to create a more dramatic touch in your kitchen.

It wears just as well if not better than granite and doesn’t have to be sealed like granite. In fact quartz had higher ratings in tests done by Consumer Reports. But you can’t use harsh chemicals or abrasive materials on quartz either. Quartz does cost just about the same as granite and sometimes slightly more.

Other materials to investigate as well include marble, solid surfaces like Corian, slate, paper, recycled glass, bamboo, concrete, plastic laminate, or butcher block!