Bathroom Vanity Countertops: Which Material is Right For You?
The Pros and Cons of Bathroom Vanity Countertops
When it comes to choosing your kitchen countertops, one of the critical components for making your decision needs to be its functionality. While aesthetics are important, if your kitchen counters can't stand up to some serious daily wear and tear, it's definitely an issue.
However, when it comes to the bathroom, functionality is still necessary. Still, the truth is that bathroom vanity countertops don't take the daily beating your kitchen countertops do - assuming you're not knocking around with marble rolling pins in there!
The good news is that means that when shopping for vanity countertops, you can consider appearance above all else. And, that's excellent news since vanity countertops are typically custom made, leaving the style and design options utterly open to your personal taste and style.
Let's take a look at the pros and cons of some of the most popular choices for bathroom vanities to help you make an informed decision about the best option to meet your aesthetic and lifestyle.
Choosing the Right Material for Your Bathroom
Today, choosing the right material for your vanity countertops can be challenging thanks to the full range of attractive materials available to homeowners across all price points. Because bathroom surfaces don't typically face the abuse that kitchen countertops do (think sharp knives, hot pans, spilled tomato sauce), your decision is going to be based less on functionality and more about style and cost. Fortunately, most countertops combine the strength to stand up to cosmetics and toothpaste, with beauty.
Three of the most popular and sought after materials by both homeowners and designers are granite, marble, and quartz.
Granite Vanity Countertops
Granite is the long-lasting, stain-resistant, durable and beautiful Rolls Royce of countertop materials! Once reserved for high-end bathroom remodels, granite is becoming more popular for homes in a wide range of styles. It's the most durable and easiest natural stone to care for, and because every slab is unique, it allows you to express your personal style. View Natural Stone Samples
Pros:
• Granite comes in a wide variety of patterns and colors, so you're sure to find a slab that speaks to you and perfectly meets your needs.
• Granite is tough, durable, and scratch-resistant. It requires minimal upkeep when regularly and adequately sealed.
• Sealed granite is impervious to moisture, and heat resistant so that hot curling iron won't damage the vanity countertop surface.
• It lasts for decades and adds value to your home should you ever choose to sell.
Cons:
• Granite is recyclable. However, it's transportation, mining and fabrication require extensive energy resources.
Granite countertops are at the high-end in terms of materials. However, the price can range widely depending on the species and the location it is mined. Expect to spend anywhere from around $75 to over $200 per linear foot, including installation depending on the species, size, and thickness.
Engineered Quartz
Quartz countertops are an engineered material that consists of 90% (or higher) quartz crystals bound together with resin and formed into slabs. Quartz comes in a stunning range of colors, patterns, and thicknesses, many of which imitate the look of limestone, granite, or marble. Quartz is non-porous, so it is impervious to moisture and more resistant to stains and scratches than natural stone. Four manufacturers Silestone, Okite, Caesarstone, and Zodiaq, make over 130 different styles of quartz countertops! View Quartz Examples
Pros:
• Quartz is incredibly durable, and the perfect material if you're considering a fancy edge treatment.
• It's naturally resistant to moisture, stains and as a result it is anti-bacterial
• Minor scratched can be buffed out, and it allows for virtually seamless installation.
• It's effortless to clean and never needs sealing.
Cons:
• Wear and scratches are typically more visible on darker colors
• It can be damaged by heat or dropped heavy objects.
Although it is an engineered material, quartz rivals granite and marble in terms of cost and can range from $110 to $200 per linear foot, including installation, and depending on the thickness, and edging.
Marble Bathroom Vanity Countertops
From the time of Ancient Rome, marble has been synonymous with wealth and privilege. It offers homeowners an elegant and luxurious countertop option that today, thanks to improvements in manufacturing, has become much more affordable. A hard metamorphic rock that is a form a crystallized limestone, marble is often white with grey veining, although there are many color variations depending on its country of origin. View our Gallery of Projects
Pros:
• While not the most durable natural stone, marble is long-lasting and strong enough to resist most chips or dents.
• It can be polished for a luxurious high-gloss shine, or honed for a more casual matte finish.
• Marble fits into almost any style of design, from contemporary to traditional.
Cons:
• Marble is a "softer" stone and has a more porous nature making it more prone to stains, scratched, and etching from acidic materials like nail polish remover or other cosmetics and cleaners.
• Marble requires more frequent sealing than granite to maintain its stain resistance and finish.
Like granite, the price of marble varies based on several factors, including species, and the size and thickness of the slab. Prices range from around $50 to $180 per square foot, including installation.
Your choice of bathroom vanity countertop material can make a design and stylistic statement while still remaining practical. The material you do choose can become a significant visual focal point and help to set the tone for the entire room. When you're shopping for materials, you need to consider price, maintenance, and compatibility before you invest. Remember, a bathroom remodeling is an expensive project, so choose wisely, chances are you'll be living with your choice for a while.
If you live in the greater Boston MetroWest/ Worcester area, give the experts at Stonelink Marble & Granite a call at (508) 393-0720. Let us show you the many benefits of installing marble, granite, or quartz countertops in your bathroom. If you're looking for something a bit more exotic, ask us about our selection of limestone, natural quartzite, travertine, and soapstone.