Materials Should I cut on it? Should I roll dough on it? Should I place a hot pot on it? Is it virtually stain-proof? Main advantage? Main disadvantage? Expect to pay per sq. ft. Natural Stone YES YES YES NO DURABLE EXPENSIVE AND REQUIRES RESEALING $70-$100 Quartz Surfacing YES NO NO YES DURABLE EXPENSIVE $70-$250 Solid surface NO NO NO YES DURABLE AND CAN FORM INTEGRAL SINK NOT GOOD FOR HOT POTS AND PANS $70-$80 Stainless steel NO YES YES YES CLEAN LOOK AND CAN FORM INTEGRAL SINK SHOWS SCRATCHES AND FINGERPRINTS $85-$100 Concrete NO NO YES NO TEXTURED LOOK AND IS EASILY SHAPED REQUIRES SEALING $55-$100 Laminate NO NO NO NO LOW COST LAYERS MAKE IT HARDER TO REPAIR WHEN CHIPPED $5-$20 Tile NO NO YES YES, BUT GROUT IS NOT STAIN- PROOF ARTISTIC LOOK NOT A SMOOTH SURFACE AND GROUT CAN DISCOLOR $1 - $100 Hardwood YES NO NO NO GOOD FOR CUTTING AND CHOPPING REQUIRES RESEALING AND SHOULDN'T BE NEAR SINK $10-$40     Countertops How do I Decide on a Counter top? Don’t head out your front door without your cabinet door when you go countertop shopping. A sample made all the difference on a recent trip to the showroom. With a custom-cherry flat slab in hand, a designer helped his client quickly settle on a grayish limestone cousin with distinctive veining and a soft patina. The client found she was willing to trade some durability for what she felt was the perfect complement to her new cabinets.   Look If you prefer: Then choose: Manmade materials Laminate, solid surface, stainless steel, or concrete Natural materials Stone, tile, or wood Consistent color Plastic laminate, solid surface, or stainless steel A speckled or veined appearance Stone Integral sinks Solid surface, stainless steel, or concrete A textured feel Tile or concrete Decorative edge treatments Solid surface, wood, laminate, or concrete A statement-making backsplash Tile   Needs   If you need to: Then choose: Dice, chop, and slice Any stone or wood Roll dough and make pastries Marble, another stone, or stainless steel Set down hot stuff Any stone, tile, stainless steel, or concrete Spill without staining or having to first apply sealants Solid surface, engineered quartz, or stainless steel Perform little or no maintenance Laminate, solid surface, or stainless steel Protect kids and the elderly Any material with the corners rounded   Budget Price depends on: · · Quality and type of material · · Difficulty of installation · · Edge treatment material and design Backsplash material and design Manufacturers         Page 24. Kitchens Page 25. Kitchen Design Page 26. Countertop Selection Page 28. Kitchen National Guidelines     Page 1. Home Page BrandsConstruction                                   Concrete Betonas Bomanite Buddy Rhodes Studio Concreteworks Kilnworks Sonoma Cast Stone Soupcan Inc. Engineered Stone Fireslate Pyrolave USA Shirestone Custom Countertops Glass Curvet USA ThinkGlass UltraGlas Granite & Natural Stone Ann Sacks Bay Marble Benissimo Systems DuPont Granite Green Mountain Soapstone Kirkstone M. Teixeira Soapstone Monticello Granite SenSa by Cosentino Sheldon Slate Products Surfacing Products International Tulikivi Vermont Soapstone Walker Zanger Laminate Abet Laminati Inc. Advanced Technology Inc. (ATI) Arborite Formica Nevamar Pionite VT Industries Wilsonart Quartz Surfacing Avanza CaesarStone Cambria DuPont Zodiaq Formica Stone HanStone (by Hanwha Surfaces) LG Viatera Okite (by Seieffe Corp.) Samsung Staron Quartz Silestone by Cosentino Technistone     We hope this page helps... Let us know any way to improve our web site and feel free to pass along any information you think might be useful on our web site - Thanks!   Know we are happy to help or provide information - Feel free to call or email!   Free Quote? Free Plan? Contact us!   BRANDS CONSTRUCTION   FREE PLANS & ESTIMATE? 616 283 1151 CALL TODAY!      Email:BrandsConstruction      616 875 2005   616 875 2085 Fax www.BrandsConstruction.com http://groups.msn.com/BrandsConstruction countertop selection   To Leave our Site and View Cabinet Storage Special Features Click: http://   You See Things And You say “Why?” I Dream Things that Never Were and Say “Why Not?”  George Bernard Shaw     Home Page BrandsConstruction           Solid Surface Avonite Surfaces Centura Solid Surface DuPont Corian Eos Surfaces Fama Industries Formica Solid Surfacing Hanex (by Hanwha Surfaces) LG Hi-Macs Meganite Royal Stone Samsung Staron Swanstone Wilsonart Recycled Surfaces Alkemi (by Renewed Materials) EnviroSLAB (by EnviroGLAS Products) IceStone PaperStone Richlite SeaStone shetkaSTONE Vetrazzo (by Counter Production) Stainless Steel & Other Metals AA-Abbingdon Affiliates Elkay Formica DecoMetal Frigo Design M-Boss Inc. Soupcan Inc. Star Stainless Design Tile Amaru Tile American Olean Amsterdam Ann Sacks Artistic Tile Congoleum Crossville Dal-Tile Epro Florida Tile Italian Ceramic Tile Corporation KPT Latco Laufen Monarch Tile UltraGlas Walker Zanger Wood Bally Block Craft-Art Wood Counter tops John Boos & Co. MHM Designs Michigan Maple Block Portions of Original Information was edited from www.Kitchens.com.