Many homeowners are looking to doing upgrades to their kitchens instead of a full-blown kitchen remodel in the interest of smart choices. One of the best kinds of upgrades they can do with a limited budget is replacing kitchen countertops.
However, with so many people getting wise to this move, it can be hard to avoid a cookie cutter look. A good way to do this is to mix and match countertop materials for a truly unique look.
It has worked for kitchen cabinets, where choosing one style and/or color for wall cabinets and choosing another one for base cabinets has been a big hit with homeowners. It will certainly make a big difference with kitchen countertops, considering the wide range of materials, colors, and designs available. The combinations are virtually limitless.
An additional benefit of mixing and matching countertop materials has to do with cost. Natural stones, engineered quartz, and hardwood tend to be pricey. So, mixing them with less expensive materials can make your upgrade fit nicely into a limited budget.
However, creating the visual drama and a unique look without looking overblown or odd can be hard without professional help. Here are some mixing and matching tips for kitchen countertops that rock!
Wood and stone
Wood has not been a popular choice for kitchen countertops for many decades. Because it is porous and requires regular oiling and maintenance. They also scorch and damage easily. That said, wood is a wonderful material for the kitchen because it looks very attractive and homey.
A good way to reap the benefits of wood in the kitchen is to combine it with granite or quartz. Use the stone materials for the food prep areas and keep the wood for the eating areas. You can choose an exotic species of wood such as iroko, which is durable and weathers well, with light colored granite or quartz. This combination also works well in outdoor kitchens. You should only use natural stone such as granite, marble, or limestone as quartz stone fades under direct sunlight.
If you bake a lot, you might want to consider a wood-marble-granite combination instead. Marble is particularly ideal for making pastries and other heat-sensitive preparations. Because it is typically a few degrees cooler than the ambient temperature. That said, marble is not ideal for more robust cooking methods, so you can put marble in a small area reserved for baking.
Another good mix is pairing the wood and stone finish to the cabinets. For example, if you have black cabinets on one side, and a natural wood finish on the other, you can black granite or quartz countertops on the black side, and wood countertops on the natural wood side. If you have a kitchen island, you can choose wood or stone countertops, depending on the overall look of your kitchen.
You also need to consider the tone of the wood when choosing a stone surface or cabinets to which you should match it. Just like stone, wood countertops have random variations in the color and grain, and the overall effect may be cool or warm. Choose your stone surface accordingly to give your kitchen a cohesive look.
Concrete and quartz
Concrete countertops are enjoying an upsurge in popularity in some circles, mainly because it is very versatile. You can do almost anything with concrete in terms of design, although most designers and homeowners use it to give the kitchen an industrial look.
However, concrete countertops are among the most expensive and high maintenance of the stone countertops. They feel almost repellent to some people. You can offset the coldness as well as the overall costs by pairing concrete countertops with quartz stone in a contrasting color or design.
Quartz stone is a durable and low maintenance manmade material. It is more affordable than concrete countertops and available in a wide range of colors and designs. It is highly unlikely that you will not be able to find the perfect match for your concrete countertops.
Steel and plastic
Another industrial look that has been trending in modern kitchens is by using stainless steel as kitchen countertops. This is a practical choice in terms of durability and maintenance, but they are prohibitively expensive. You can offset this by using laminated plywood or medium density fiberboard for some of the countertops. You can use stainless steel for the island, and laminate for the perimeter, or vice versa.
The beauty of this pairing is that you can choose any color for the laminate. Because it will go well with stainless steel. As a rule, you will want to choose a laminate color that matches the cabinets for a uniform look, unless the cabinets are also stainless steel, in which case anything goes.
Steel and stone
Another pairing of stainless steel is with natural or quartz stone. While this may seem like a cold combination, stone countertops can look quite warm if you choose the right color. Additionally, granite and quartz are scratch-resistant, which stainless steel is not. A good pairing is having granite or quartz countertops for the eating area, and stainless steel for food preparation.
Conclusion
The kitchen is a multifunctional area. So, it makes sense to have more than one material for kitchen countertops to serve different functions. Of course, granite, marble, and quartz can also mix and match to a satisfying degree, so it might be a good idea to consider using them for your next kitchen upgrade. Keystone Marble and Granite can help you with all your kitchen countertop needs in the areas of Columbus, Ohio, Delaware cities, Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
We have showrooms in Lancaster and Horsham, Pennsylvania as well as New Castle, Delaware and Columbus, Ohio. We will walk you through each slab and explain how each can benefit you in your kitchen or bathroom remodel. If you prefer engineered stones, we also carry the top brands in the industry such as Cambria, Caesarstone, Silestone, and MSI, all with manufacturer warranties.
Once you have chosen your slabs, we provide free professional design consultation and quotes, so you know exactly where you are before committing. We also have a quick turnaround, so you will get your products on time and on budget. We are experts at fabricating and installing engineered stone, marble, and granite countertops, so you can be confident that you will get the very best in product and service quality.
Give us a call or send us an inquiry through our website to set the ball rolling!