What Is the Best Natural Stone Countertop for a Kitchen Island with An Overhang?

I’m going to be going over the primary countertop materials what they’re made of what are their pros and cons. The first one I’m going to cover is granite. Because most people love granite. This has been one of the most popular countertop materials for about three decades. It has a beautiful natural look to it because granite is natural, and it’s mined right out of the ground and that’s why there are limited color choices. Although you can typically find granite to fit any style, granite is in the mid to high price point and starts at $40.00 a square foot fully installed but it can go up to about $70.00 depending on the type and the color that you choose. You can get granite far more expensive if you want to get a really exotic color. So just like anything else a lot of it depends on the style and the color. The thing that a lot of people don’t like about granite is that there is maintenance involved. You have to seal granite every few months. It needs to be well kept up otherwise it will stain. Granite is a porous material so without that sealing you are going to get stains. You also could get some scratches. It’s a pretty durable stone but it is not completely scratch resistant, so there is a little bit of wear and tear that can occur. Typically, it’s great for resale because home buyers love it and overall it is a beautiful and affordable countertop material and the price has been able to come down over the last several years.

One thing that you really want to pay attention to when you’re looking for any stone countertop is the installation costs. A lot of companies will install for one price but then they’re going to charge you for the sink cut out the faucet cut out the edge treatment then for any additional fabrications and they kind of start to nickel and dime you until it’s a pretty expensive install, much more than you anticipated. So make sure you find someone who will install it for one price including everything. That way you know what to expect upfront.

Quartz is the absolute favorite countertop material because it’s got some really beautiful highlights in it, a lot of sparkle and shine. It’s available in really nice colors that are going to go with most any cabinets. One of the best things about quartz is that it’s absolutely no maintenance. You don’t have to seal it the way you would seal countertops that are granite. You can rest assured knowing that you’re not going to get scratches or any burn marks on this countertop because it is the most durable stone. Next to diamonds it’s incredibly hard. This is something that’s going to last you for 50 years if you wanted it to. Hopefully, you still love it in 50 years, but you definitely could. It’s going to be that durable. Quartz is a manmade stone; it’s made with resins and natural quartz and that’s why you’re able to get an enormous variety of colors. Much more than you could with granite. In quartz you can get blues and oranges, or you can just get beautiful whites with specks in it and lots of beautiful swirls. They can mimic granite looks with quartz and then you just have the added benefit of the low maintenance or no maintenance and the additional strength involved. There are tons of color options to choose from. Quartz is mid to high price point similar to granite, it starts at about $65.00 a square foot and it can go up much higher to about $120.00. However, it does overlap some of the price points of granite. So it is not always the most expensive countertop material and when you think about the additional maintenance and the extra durability it’s definitely worth the price that you’re paying. If you want to know more just do a google Hey Alexa or Hey Siri search for most durable stone countertop materials.

If you’re installing a granite, quartz, cement, or limestone countertop, you need to pay close attention to the installation, particularly if you are going to use it as an overhang on an island. The point is that it must be properly supported. Failure to support it properly on the underside of the overhang can result not just in chipping or damage, but the actual breaking away of the unsupported area. To properly support it, you need a strong countertop bracket that extends at least 85% the distance of the overhang. These brackets need to be placed at least every 24” to provide proper support. There are numerous brackets available from several companies. The strongest one that you will find on the market is made by Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/ and that is 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 which is made from heavy duty steel that is bent to 90° and is fitted with all the necessary holes that are properly countersunk to provide a professional smooth fit.

The farmhouse look has really allowed butcher block to take off a lot. It’s a beautiful material. It is usually a custom order option that is a little bit on the high price range, and it does have some maintenance as it has to be oiled. It can be scratched although you can buff those scratches out or sand them out. However, you do need to make sure you have a stain that will match whatever you choose. Sometimes people just want to do an accent piece like an island in butcher block and do stone for the rest. It’s a gorgeous option that gives your kitchen a lot of personality. You should avoid using butcher block in a bathroom because wood does not do well around water.

Laminate is another option. The laminate on top is what’s going to protect the particle board underneath layer, but it definitely is the lowest in terms of durability. This can be damaged by water and it can be damaged with heat, so you really have to be kind of careful when you have laminate countertops to not damage them. The benefit of laminate is going to be that you’re going to pay less, and you may compromise on style and durability to get that lower price. These can be bought right off the shelf at Lowe’s https://www.lowes.com/?cm_mmc=src-_-c-_-brd-_-mdv-_-bing-_-brand_core-_-Brand%20Core%20Exact-_-lowes.com-_-0-_-0&msclkid=3bb7e6500e5a1b4db887bbd8e17a9a6d&gclid=COSN95ar5-QCFaS8swodHWwDaw&gclsrc=ds or Home Depot https://www.homedepot.com/?cm_mmc=SEM%7CB%7CBase%7CNA%7CNA%7CNA%7CBT1%7c71700000002466128%7c58700000049525002%7c43700003833474931&msclkid=09479978174b1be282b3c4f0f80e4f4e&gclid=CJbiy6ir5-QCFaS8swodHWwDaw&gclsrc=ds. There is recently a huge resurgence in laminate countertops. It’s becoming more popular and one of the reasons is because there are a ton of custom laminate colors. There are laminate countertops in stock that you can take home. It’s pretty easy to install yourself and there are custom laminates in hundreds of colors to choose from. You can get one that looks just like barn wood. You can get a cement look a green look. The options are pretty wide when you get into custom laminate though the prices do tend to get higher. So, it’s not really saving you that much money and that is something to weigh and consider. However, if you don’t have the money to get the stone countertops that you want it’s a really easy thing to replace in the future whereas cabinets are much more difficult to replace. So this is something that you can upgrade over time. However, you can still get a really great look with laminate as well.