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Kitchen Countertops
Ceramic tile
Advantages. It's good-looking and comes in many colors, textures, and patterns. It is heat resistant and, if installed correctly, water resistant. Price depends on how many tiles are used and whether they're formed by machine or by hand. Buy a tile that's rated for countertop use. Grout is also available in numerous colors. Patient do-it-yourselfers are likely to have good results.Disadvantages. Some tile glazes can react adversely to foods, acids, or household chemicals; be sure to ask. Unglazed tiles can be sealed, but some sealers are unsafe around food. Many people find it hard to keep grout satisfactorily clean (using epoxy grout and thin, uniform grout spaces can help). The hard, irregular surface can chip china and glassware.
Solid-surface
Advantages. Durable, water resistant, heat resistant, nonporous, and easy to clean, this marble-like material can be shaped and joined with virtually invisible seams. Many different edge treatments are possible. It allows for a variety of sink installations, including integral units. Blemishes and scratches can be sanded out.Disadvantages. It's expensive, requiring professional fabrication and installation for best results. It also requires very firm support below. Until recently, color selection was limited to white, beige, and almond; now stone patterns and pastels are common. Costs climb quickly for wood inlays and other fancy edge details.
Wood
Advantages. Wood is handsome, natural, easily installed, and easy on glassware. If given a good surface finish, it can resist water damage. Maple butcher-block, the most popular, is moderately priced; it's sold in 24-, 30-, and 36-inch widths and with either long, edge-grain strips or blockish, end-grain squares. Other hardwoods are sometimes used in wider, edge-joined form.Disadvantages. It's harder to keep clean than nonporous materials. It can scorch and scratch, and it may blacken or discolor when near a source of moisture. You can seal it with traditional mineral oil or with a longer-lasting, nontoxic penetrating sealer (though cutting might mar this finish). Or use a permanent surface finish, such as polyurethane (but then you definitely can't cut on it).
Stainless steel
Advantages. Stainless steel is waterproof, heat resistant, easy to clean (if matte-finish), and durable. You can get a counter with a sink molded right in. It's great for a part of the kitchen where you'll be using water a lot.Disadvantages. Don't cut on it, or you risk damaging both countertop and knife. While 16-gauge stainless itself is inexpensive, the cost of fabrication -- sink cutouts, faucet holes, and bends and welds for edges and backsplashes -- can be quite high. Custom detailing and high-chromium stainless up the price even more. You can, however, reduce the cost by using flat sheeting and a wood edge, as shown at left.
Stone
Advantages. Granite, marble, and limestone all popular for countertops, are beautiful natural materials. Their cool surface is very useful when you're working with dough or making candy. They're heatproof, water resistant, easy to clean, and very durable.Disadvantages. Oil, alcohol, and any acid (such as that from lemons or wine) will stain marble and limestone or damage their finish; granite can stand up to all of these. Solid slabs are very expensive, and decorative details add more cost. Recently, some homeowners and designers have turned to stone tiles -- including slate -- as less expensive alternatives. When considering a stone other than granite, be sure to study the latest sealers.
