Remodeling Your Kitchen: Choosing Your New Kitchen Countertops
Remodeling Your Kitchen: Choosing Your New Kitchen Countertops
Have you recently made the decision to remodel your kitchen? If so, what would you like to have remodeled? There are some homeowners who only choose to have a specific part of their kitchen remodeled, but then there are others who want everything changed. Whether you want to only improve a small part of your kitchen or if you want a completely different kitchen, there is a good chance that you may be looking for a new kitchen countertop. If so, have you decided on which type of countertop you would like? The most important consideration in a countertop may be the cost which can range from hundreds up to thousands of dollars.
When it comes to choosing new kitchen countertops, for your kitchen remodeling project, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration. One of the most important things to keep in mind is your kitchen cabinets. Kitchen countertops are almost always placed on top of kitchen cabinets or cupboards. If you are looking to remodel your cabinets as well, it may be a good idea to pick out all of your supplies and materials at the same time. This will help to ensure that your new kitchen countertop not only looks nice, but that it also compliments the kitchen cabinets that you will have installed.
Perhaps, the most important thing to keep in mind, when choosing your new kitchen countertops is the cost. Laminate countertops are often considered the most affordable of all countertops. Despite being the most affordable, they are often considered plain. If you are looking to not only change your kitchen around, but improve the appearance of it, you may be looking for something better. A large number of homeowners choose to make their new kitchen countertops out of wood, granite, concrete, or marble. The most modern trend in kitchen remodeling is to use kitchen countertops made from granite, marble, slate, or concrete. Compared to laminate countertops, these countertops are extremely heavy and require to be properly supported for years of use. For putting them on top of a base cabinet, a simple diagonal heavy-duty steel brace is sufficient. However, when putting your countertop on an island with an overhang, you now have a special circumstance because a portion of the countertop up to 8”-10” may be unsupported and this requires an angular heavy-duty steel brace. These are made by several companies such as Ego Bike, Ekena, Ecotrie, 7 Blacksmith, Centerline, Original Granite Bracket, Kitchensource, Hyperdraum and Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/. The ones we like best are made by Tech Team They are a full 8”x 8” as opposed to only 8” x 6” and they are a full ½” thick. This is more than enough to support even the heaviest of countertops. We particularly like their item 732 https://www.amazon.com/Countertop-Brackets-Countertops-Heavy-Duty-Construction/dp/B07G1KQPPQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1547587979&sr=8-3&keywords=tech+team+countertop+brackets+for+granite and their item 781 (link) as these appear to be the best available.
Although it is important to focus on the beauty and overall appearance of a countertop, it is also important to make sure that you can afford it. If you are remodeling your entire kitchen, it may be a good idea to make a list of materials that you will need or wish to have, in addition to a budget. If you mistakenly spend too much money on kitchen countertop materials, you may find it difficult to afford to remodel the rest of your kitchen.
While there is a chance that you may already know what type of new kitchen countertop you would like to have installed, there is also a chance that you may not. If this is the case, you are advised to start shopping. Whether you look for kitchen countertop materials online or in one of your local home improvement stores, there is a good chance that you will come across a wide selection of materials, all with different designs and styles. Shopping or at least browsing is one of the best ways to get ideas. In fact, doing your shopping and browsing at the place where you plan on buying your remodeling supplies from is a great way to get price estimates, which are essential when kitchen remodeling is being done a budget.
Once you have decided which type of materials you would like to use for your kitchen countertops, whether they be a traditional green laminate color or a beautiful marble color, you will need to decide how your kitchen countertop will be installed. If you desire, you can seek assistance from a professional kitchen remodeling expert or a general contractor; however, you may want to do your own countertop installation. With a set of directions, you will find that it is relatively easy to install your own kitchen countertop, even if you do not have any home improvement experience. Many kitchen countertop materials come with directions, but if not, you could easily purchase a how-to book for a relatively affordable price.
