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A counter top will receive the most wear and tear of all the surfaces in the kitchen. It has to endure hot pots and pans, knives, water and dirt. Therefore your countertop has to be made of a durable material. Some materials are more durable than others. You should choose the one that is right for you and that you can afford. You can do a lot yourself to protect your worktop by using chopping boards and trivets. Wipe up any spills right away to ensure little chance of discolouring. Below and on a second page we have outlined the different matterials used for counter tops Please email us with any questions or what is involved with receiving a price on any of counter tops. Higher quality than Home Depot Click on the name to go directly to it's info Granite - Soapstone - Corian® - Silestone® Stainless Steel - Solid Wood - Tile   Post Formed Plastic Laminate Arborite - Formica - Nevamar - Pionite - Wilsonart   Stone (ie. Granite/Marble/Soapstone) Click on picture for granite colours from around the world. We supply only the top grade of stone and is all finished by hand. Granite is the most common type of stone used for a counter top. It is also one of the most expensive materials to cover your counter top with. It's a natural material that will give great character to your kitchen. Marble, while beautiful, is not recommended for a kitchen. Marble is more porous and softer and is better suited for places like bathroom counter tops. The same holds true for Sandstone, Limestone and Travertine. What seems to be the most mistaken idea is that stone is indestructable. It is highly durable but, depending on the stone chosen, it still has a slight possiblity of scratching and staining. Because stone is formed by nature, it contains slight inperfections, no slab is the same. Veins and faultlines run through each piece. This is what adds to it's highly sought after character. Another idea for your counter tops is to combine different materials. Choose for example stainless steel for around your sink and granite for the pastry preparation area. This way you make the most of the qualities of the different materials and it also breaks the monotony of your worktop area. Expect about a 2 - 3 week waiting time from time of templating to time of installation. In most cases a warranty after installation is not offered. Click here for our Edges Available RETURN TO TOP Soapstone Click on picture for soapstone colours. We supply only the top grade of stone and is all finished by hand. Soapstone is a metamorphic rock that comes in degrees of hardness. It is composed of talc, magnesium silicate and chlorite. The softer is known as "talc" and is used to carve or crush to a powder for a variety of purposes. The harder version "steatite" is what is used for countertops and other similar uses that require durability. It comes in shades such as green/gray, blue/gray and charcoal gray in its natural state but turns quite dark to almost black with the application of mineral oil. Soapstone is inert, which means that acids and alkalis will not etch soapstone as they will other stones. For many years, soapstone has been used extensively in laboratories and science classrooms for sinks, flooring, and work surfaces. Another benefit of soapstone is a resistance to bacteria. While soapstone is durable and somewhat repairable, it is still recommended to use cutting boards when cutting vegetables, etc. If you scratch the surface, you can repair it. It is simply a matter of using sandpaper to sand out the scratch and then applying more mineral oil. Care should be taken when sanding as you do not want to sand a dip into the countertop. Meaning you should sand the area around the scratch and gradually work out the scratch. How often should you oil? When installed, mineral oil should be applied with a soft cloth and left to sit over night. Wipe the excess off with a clean dry cloth. After this initial application I would personally follow the 3-2-1 process: three times per week for the first month, two times per week for the second month, 1 time per week for the third month. After this 3 month process, I would recommend maybe once every three months or as needed. You should be able to tell when the countertop is in need of oil. It will show dryer spots and water may not bead as well as when first oiled. Expect about a 2 - 3 week waiting time from time of templating to time of installation. RETURN TO TOP Dupont Corian® Corian® is a wonderful product for counter top use. It provides seamless construction and is perfect for kitchens and bathrooms that consist of many different angles. Corian® can be as expensive as Granite, but with it's various pricing levels it can be a farely reasonable alternative as well. Expect about a 2 - 3 week waiting time from time of templating to time of installation. What is Corian®? "Corian® is a solid surfacing product. A high-performance blend of natural minerals and pure acrylic resin created by DuPont that has earned trust and respect as a proven material that brings design versatility, long-term performance and value to any environment. Much more than a countertop, Corian® lends itself to imaginative uses, innovative interpretations and enduring applications. It can be cut, routed, drilled, sculpted, bent, or worked like a fine wood. The ever-evolving color palette now extends to more than 100 colors. If you can envision it, chances are you can create it with Corian®." With virtually unlimited design possibilities, Corian® has a distinct advantage over other materials: Over 98% of the people who have purchased Corian® are very satisfied and recommend it to their friends and family. Corian® has a worldwide distribution network that offers consistent product quality and professional customer service. Design possibilities are multiplied with the ever-evolving color palette, currently exceeding 100 colors. Custom and versatile designs can be achieved by combining Corian® with countless other materials, such as brass, tile, granite, or another Color of Corian®. Corian® can be formed, shaped or molded to fit any design and has a seamless appearance. The nonporous surface of Corian® is safe, easy to clean and requires no sealing. DuPont stands behind every purchase of Corian® to ensure customer satisfaction. Courtesy of Dupont Corian® RETURN TO TOP Silestone® What is Silestone? Silestone® is a man made product, combining resins and quartz particules to give a look and feel more like that of Stone. Where stone slabs are never the same, Silestone is a very colour consistent product and does not have the veining or faultlines of Granite. Silestone, like Corian® also gives their product a warranty. While it also has various pricing levels, it should be considered to be as expensive as Granite and sometimes even more. Expect about a 2 - 3 week waiting time from time of templating to time of installation. Natural Beauty Silestone has the sophisticated elegance and timeless beauty of stone. The natural quartz in Silestone delivers a distinctive depth, brilliant clarity, glimmering radiance and cool, solid feel unique to natural stones. Versatility Silestone can be used in virtually any indoor surfacing application, including kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, tub and shower surrounds, backsplashes, floors, walls, wet bars, tabletops, desktops, fireplace surrounds, and more. Widespread Availability Cosentino has built a reliable network of dedicated distributors who deliver Silestone and service customers throughout North America, including all metropolitan areas in the United States, several regions in Canada, and now even is expanding into Mexico and Puerto Rico. In North America, Silestone is available through approximately 3,500 retailers including a variety of kitchen and bath retailers, cabinet shops, tile/flooring outlets, designers’ showrooms, architectural firms, builders, and more. Scratch-Resistance Only three other natural minerals — diamond, sapphire and topaz – are harder than quartz, making Silestone naturally scratch-resistant. Quartz is a seven in strength on Mohs Hardness Scale (diamond is a 10). So, while a careless slip of the knife will scratch most other countertops such as laminates and some granites, it won’t leave a mark on Silestone. Silestone is not scratch-proof, however, and can therefore be damaged with excessive force or pressure. Stain-Resistance Silestone’s polished surface is non-porous and thus highly resistant to stains from coffee, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, makeup, and many other common household products. Unlike granite, Silestone does not need to be sealed to keep its lustrous shine. Heat- And Scorch-Resistance Unlike solid surfaces and laminates, Silestone is heat- and scorch-resistant. It will withstand limited exposure to heat without burning or scorching. The fire of a lit match will not mar the Silestone countertop. However, as advised by crockpot and electric skillet manufacturers, do not place these items directly on any countertop. Always use of trivets when placing hot items on a Silestone surface to avoid thermal shock. Strength Silestone has four times the flexural strength of granite, making it less susceptible to chipping and cracking than granite during transportation and installation. Maintenance-Free Because it is non-porous, Silestone’s polished surface doesn’t need to be sealed. Granite, marble and limestone, on the other hand, must be sealed on installation and resealed regularly to prevent staining. Courtesy of Silestone® RETURN TO TOP CONTINUE TO PAGE 2 Copyright 2004 Younique Designs and Distrbution. All rights reserved.