In the past, they were considered merely a place for food preparation, cooking, and washing, but nowadays, things have shifted, and kitchens have secured their spot as spaces to indulge in a whimsical feasting paradise. Not only because of the great food you’ll prepare but because they’re this great place for the whole family to gather and chat.
Every square inch of this room is a testament to the owner’s style and character, which is why a lot of Cleveland homeowners face hardships while making decisions about their kitchen remodel. Understandably, this is no easy task, but we can ease it for you by going through the best materials and why some are a better fit for your type of kitchen than others. Let’s dig in!
Quartz vs Marble Countertops Duelling: Which is the Better Option?
Countertops aren’t just flat surfaces where meals are prepared. In fact, a carefully selected one leads to a well-thought-out kitchen. The kitchen’s appeal doesn’t merely end with usefulness and low maintenance. We humans are visual creatures, so the appearance of our surroundings can significantly impact our cooking desire or food indulgence.
Balancing form and function is the ideal scenario so that you wouldn’t need to compromise functionality in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing kitchen. Below, we’ll analyze the features of two popular countertop material choices for you to see which option goes better.
Quartz
The highlight of this material is its durability. It’s extremely immune to heat, scratches, and stains, and what’s best, it’s a low-maintenance one. It doesn’t need any sealing at all. Although they cost more than the rest of the materials, the durability, toughness, and rigidity you’ll get surpass the money given. It can be an ideal long-term investment.
The high-end, glossy finish doesn’t cause any hardships while cleaning, so you can choose whatever cleaning product you have at home. When discussing setbacks, this material is man-made, making it an inadequate choice for those fond of the organic feel marble gives off.
Overall, quartz offers better value for your money. It’s the cheaper and more durable option. Considering marble is easily prone to destruction and requires regular maintenance, it will cost you a lot more than the initial sticker price for lost performance.
Although marble is renewed for its sheer classiness, quartz keeps up with its aesthetic and exceeds it. It can take both an elegant form with dramatic veining to mimic nature and a trendy, glossy form available in every color in the palette. This chameleon-like quality cannot be found in marble.
Marble
Although inarguably elegant, this material is relatively challenging to upkeep when compared to quartz. It’s important to note that etching dims its natural shine by contact with home acids. Staining is not a rare occurrence, either. Regular honing gives off a bright hue, and polishing ensures its longevity.
In the summer, marble can feel excessively heated; in winter, its truly cold and flat surface cools the kitchen even more. You can pick from soft grayish, minimal veined Carrara to egg-white, black, thickly veined Calacatta marbles. The former is an easily achievable basic, while the latter is its prestigious counterpart.
Backsplash For Your Kitchen Remodel: Granite vs Porcelain
A kitchen backsplash no longer serves exclusively as a wall’s protector. Luckily, people broke free from traditional designs and started making bold and daring choices. Available in a myriad of shapes and sizes, backsplashes are the ultimate chance to unleash your creativity.
The debate about whether natural or manufactured materials are a better bargain always existed. Now, let’s compare two materials of inherently different natures.
Natural Granite
Just like onyx and hand-blown glass, granite also makes up the luxurious material family. Renowned for its classical beauty, it oozes exclusiveness and refinement. If you decide to choose it for your kitchen remodel, you can rest assured it will look like those in commercials.
What makes granite stand out is its one-of-a-kind pattern. It’s up to you to pick one tailored to your own needs and design a kitchen no one else possesses. To keep this material fresh and pristine, you must seal it annually. Regarding its specifications, this material is extremely tough and weighs a lot.
Polished Porcelain
This material brings airy freshness to any room. It especially enhances backsplashes with its sleek and trendy finish. You can find porcelain available in two options – tile and slab. As for colors and patterns, you have versatile alternatives to choose from.
By selecting a slab you like, you’ll have a matching hue or pattern, making the kitchen remodeling process way more manageable. Porcelain is rougher than granite and doesn’t absorb liquids easily. Unlike granite, this material doesn’t need to be sealed.
Although rapidly winning the hearts of homeowners, porcelain still hasn’t achieved the luxurious status granite enjoys. This may negatively affect the decisions of potential customers. Though granite is more expensive, it’s worth the money.
Some types of porcelain might try to emulate granite’s authenticity, but there’s no material quite like it. Remember, it’s distinctive to the point of not being able to find two identical pieces of it.
Cabinetry: Wood or Metal?
No kitchen remodel is complete without proper cabinets. Everything starts with them. They take up much space and can significantly improve or worsen the overall impression.
Ideally, choosing them is a bespoke experience, where kitchen cabinet creators strive to tailor their jobs to suit your unique needs. They are indicators of the kitchen’s true spirit. Below, we’ll put these two opinions on a scale to reveal the best one.
Wood
Think of a typical traditional, organic, and earthy kitchen, and you’ll immediately envision wood. After houses full of marble, quartz, and luxuries, wood brings refreshment and stands out from the crowd. You can pick from ash and teak to birch and oak. Hardwoods are impressively safer and more durable than softwoods.
However, wood is high-maintenance and may not be the best choice if you have little kids. This material is prone to easy damage, scratching, and staining due to its softness. Keeping it as good as new requires regular cleaning. If you can’t afford wood, your best bet would be to choose a cheaper alternative, such as plywood.
Stainless Steel
Unlike wood, stainless steel gives off a contemporary and trendy finish. The industrial look might be off-putting to some. As the name itself says, the material is resistant to daily challenges such as stains. Though expensive, it’s durable yet prone to minor scratching.
Constant fingerprint marks are what dissuades customers from buying it. The winning combination of mixing different types of metals in your kitchen, borrowed from the fashion industry, doesn’t work here. This is applicable for hardware, not cabinetry.
After carefully considering both of the options, we came up with a conclusion. Steel is more suitable for you. It’s not short of timelessness while retaining the sleek vibe. We decided based on the fact that steel is economical yet easy to maintain, unlike wood. Plus, it’s immune to liquids and fire.
Flooring Dilemmas: Vinyl vs. Tile?
Each of these two materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, so make sure to weigh them up before deciding which one suits your needs more. Here are their specifications:
Vinyl
The waterproof vinyl can gimmick more expensive materials and doesn’t require you to spend extra money on installation services. However, this material is pretty soft and scratches rapidly. No matter how impressive it looks, tile has always been regarded as the more durable option for kitchen remodeling.
Tile
Made out of natural clay, ceramic, or porcelain, tile is widely recognized in the kitchen remodel world for its durability. It can handle extensive foot traffic and is immune to staining and scratching. Unlike vinyl, its installation phase requires a certain level of experience and expertise, so you’ll need to consult with a kitchen contractor.
It conducts heat easily, making it suitable for the summer and unsuitable for winter. Its extremely hard surface can irritate your feet. If you’re looking for a cheap tile substitute, we recommend you consider laminate.
The Right Kitchen Remodel for You
Looking back, we all used to have the same type of kitchen, but now, every homeowner wants a kitchen that stands out and showcases their personal taste and style. So, in order to end up with a kitchen that’s both unique and functional, you have to consider the functionality and affordability of the materials, combine colors smartly, and measure your lifestyle.
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This is no easy feat, which is why you should think about hiring an experienced kitchen contractor, such as SemBro Design & Supply. Our certified interior designers are notable for their 10 years of experience. At SemBro Design & Supply, we prioritize the details that the majority fail to notice and transform your intangible dreams into palpable reality, so don’t hesitate to contact us today for your next kitchen remodeling!
