Choosing The Best Countertop for Your Kitchen in Toronto

Choosing The Best Countertop for Your Kitchen in Toronto

A kitchen remodel is an exciting prospect, able to transform your outdated space into something modern, efficient, and breathtakingly beautiful. Of all the decisions you’ll make with your renovation, choosing the best countertop for your kitchen will rank among the most important and impactful.
The countertop sets the stage for your kitchen, perfectly complementing the overall design, accentuating your floors and cabinets and providing an efficient, low maintenance workspace for food preparation, sipping your morning coffee, finishing up work and more.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the key factors to consider when choosing the best countertop for your kitchen in Toronto, and a brief recap of the best materials to consider.
Key Factors You Can Use to Guide Your Decision When Choosing the Best Countertop for your Home
According to Remodelista, a leading home remodeling publication, asking the right questions to establish your needs vs wants and ‘must have’ vs ‘nice to have’ features is a surefire way to help you narrow down your options.

Lifestyle
Consider your daily routine and lifestyle. What aspects of your kitchen counter are important to you, and just as relevant, what aspects do you care very little about? Do you need additional counter space for wrapping up work brought home from the office? Are you an avid cook who needs room for appliances and food prep? Make a checklist and keep it handy when shopping.
Required Maintenance
These days we could all use a couple (or dozen) more hours in the day to get things done. Because of this, maintenance and upkeep, from cleaning to refinishing and sealing can be a factor worth weighing on your decision.

Aesthetics
What is the look and style you’re going for? What kind of feel and energy do you want your kitchen to have? Is your style rural and rustic, modern and contemporary, bold and bright, traditional and elegant? Make sure that your countertop will match or complement the overall look of your kitchen.
Durability
Kitchen countertops often comprise up to 15% of a kitchen renovation budget. As such, you’ll want to make sure that its durability and longevity are in alignment with your budget vs value expectations. Similarly, lifestyle plays a key role here too. For example, are you hard on your counters? Do you bang around appliances on them? What about moisture?

Health
If COVID taught us anything, it was a harsh lesson about the benefits of being overly cautious with regard to health and well-being. Certain types of countertop materials are naturally anti-bacterial, easier to clean and sanitize, and non-porous.

Cost
We all have a budget to adhere to. Make sure you have clearly defined your price range, categorizing ‘must have’ features vs. the ‘nice to haves’ to help you narrow things down.
Kitchen Countertop Materials
The Best Countertop Materials for Your Kitchen Cabinets or Kitchen Island Countertop

Quartz Kitchen Countertops
It’s only right that we start with one of our favorites. Contrary to popular belief, quartz isn’t a natural stone. Rather it is human-engineered and can be customized to offer an astonishing range of colors, patterns and styling. Apart from being breathtakingly beautiful and highly durable, quartz kitchen countertops don’t require sealing, making it low maintenance.

Granite
This natural stone offers impressive appeal and a luxurious look that can elevate any kitchen space. Available in a wide range of colors, this stone is versatile, durable, resistant to heat and relatively low-maintenance.

Natural Stones
From soapstone to limestone, natural stone counters offer an interesting alternative to traditional materials. This uniqueness comes at a price, though, with some natural stones being either more porous (subject to stains and requiring frequent sealing or treating), and/or are softer stone subject to scratches, dents and chipping.

Engineered Stone
Durable, visually stunning, and in many ways more environmentally friendly (no harvesting from the earth required). Available in a spectrum of styles, designs, color schemes and textures.

Concrete
Concrete countertops have spiked in popularity among those looking for something more ‘industrial’ or spartan. Rugged and modern, this material is appealing, but does have its downsides. Concrete generally requires sealing up to four times a year and waxing every few months. Further, house settling can cause cracking over time, and the added weight might not be suitable for your cabinets or support beams.

Stainless Steel
Sanitary and easy to keep clean, stainless steel offers a commercial industrial feel and may uniquely complement stainless steel appliances. Be advised, however, stainless steel can scratch and is susceptible to moisture over time.

Laminate
Affordable and available in an endless number of color and pattern combinations. Higher-end laminate can even uniquely imitate natural wood, stone or bricks. Easy to clean and impervious to water, you’ll still want to take caution against excessive heat and any activity that could scratch or cut into the thin material.

Kitchen Countertop Doesn’t Have to Be Hard
Granted, the number of options on the market can be a bit overwhelming. But with a little preparation, planning and assessment of your needs, you’ll be well on your way to making the right choice. For those needing a little more help, Kitchen Land would love to help you find the right match. From award-winning products and unparalleled quality, to value and service, our team can make sure your next kitchen update goes off without a hitch.