House hunters have long understood the blot out meaning in the granite countertop . It ’s not just a slab of stone you chop up vegetable on . It ’s luxury and status . It ’s often the central element in an " update kitchen " – a kitchen that can cost $ 30,000 and tack at least that onto the sales event ( and resale ) price of a home base . Granite , to most citizenry , mean " top of the cable . "
But is it ? It ’s expensive , yes , and it ’s beautiful and unequaled and quite hard to damage . But to say granite is the best countertop cloth , you ’d have to equate it to a material that has been gain impulse for the last 10 or so and is as edgy as it is epicurean –concrete . " grand " is perhaps not the most common word used to describe a concrete ware . " Industrial " or " sordid " might be more familiar . But the concrete countertop has small in common with the concrete slab that is a sidewalk .
Concrete and granite countertop typically cost about the same ( more on prices later on ) , but that ’s really where the similarity end .
Concrete is essentially a mixing of cement and an sum . An aggregate is something like guts or crushed limestone that is added to the cementum mix to impart specific qualities , like increased strength or a sure colour or texture . In countertop , the leaning of potential concrete congeries thrive almost indefinitely , take into account homeowner to custom-make their countertops to a whole Modern level we ’ve never seen before .
Granite may not have all the integral customization of concrete , but there ’s a cause why it ’s often the raise of pick . Polished granite has a very luxurious look , with mysterious chromaticity and all sort of lifelike variations . And the fact that it ’s natural Harlan F. Stone , draw from quarries jab deep into the Earth , has a sure je ne sais quoi that many people come up severe to balk .
So when you ’re looking to elevate your kitchen , how do you decide on the countertop material ? Since granite and concrete are all the madness in good order now , we ’ll focus on those . In this clause , we ’ll find out which stool the good counter . There are lots of factors to deal , including durability , weight , aesthetics and even wellness vexation . We ’ll commence with the first matter we notice about a countertop : the esthetic .
A Granite Countertop or Concrete: Looks and Curves
When it comes to appearance , there ’s just no matchingconcretein term of image . you could do anything with it . Mixing blue pigment and broken meth into the concrete can create a luminescent , sealike look . Neutral pigments and river gemstone can turn a kitchen counter into a sleek dry riverbed . unorthodox paint commixture can mimic granite , marble or any other type of pit . The hypothesis are endless , especially when you study that since concrete is pour into the countertop mould as a fluid , it can take on any shape at all . A concrete countertop can have all sorts of curves and all sorts of built - ins and plant objects : drain board , sink , trivets , knife slot , your erstwhile coin collection or even a water feature die hard along the backsplash .
Granite has its own aesthetic draws . While it does n’t boast the malleability of concrete , granite does have the depth and beauty that come with natural gemstone . There ’s tremendous colouration and pattern variation both within a individual art object of granite and between granite quarried from different role of the world . you’re able to find downcast granite from Brazil , gold granite from Italy and shimmering disastrous from Norway .
And what about that shimmering black – is it going to show every loot ? In term of military posture , lastingness and criminal maintenance , there ’s no clear achiever . Yes , that fatal granite might show scratches , but so might black concrete . Acidic merchandise like lemon juice might run through through a concrete sealant over metre . It can also damage a granite finish . Both product are strong enough and hard enough to manage whatever culinary activity you’re able to throw at them . The main utility issue distinguishing the two material has to do with maintenance . Concrete is a poriferous material , so it tends to be more susceptible to stain than granite . The sealer used on concrete countertops have not yet completely solved that issue , so concrete will probably need to be resealed more often than granite .
Besides staining , the concrete countertop has been also been plagued by weight hearsay . Some take that concrete is grievous than granite , and that even cabinets that are strong enough to patronage a granite countertop might clasp under the weight unit of concrete . But this is likely untrue . They consider about the same [ source : BobVila.com ] . At 1.5 inches ( 3.81 cm ) thick , a satisfying foot of concrete and a straight substructure of granite both weigh in the area of 20 pounds per straight animal foot [ author : Brimo - Cox , NSI ] . If your cabinet can plump for granite , they ’ll probably survive concrete just ok .
The question is , will you survive ?
A Concrete Countertop or Granite: Carbon Dioxide and Radiation
As with so many construction and decorate materials ( think asbestos insulations and lead paint ) , certain wellness concerns have surfaced with the economic consumption ofconcreteand granite as food for thought - preparation services . The concerns are not considered to be dire , and both material have made the news – granite for emitting possibly insalubrious levels of radon , and concrete for the heavy metals present in some pigment and eat up stuff [ sources : CBS , Kolich ] . And neither one pulls ahead in term of environmental health . Both intersection have to be dug out of the priming coat , and both have the potential to give off polluting particles into the air and body of water through the grinding and the sealing processes . Producing the cement for concrete produces a lot of greenhouse gasses . enthral concrete from , say , Italy to New York produces lots of greenhouse flatulency , too . ( If you ’re look for a in truth green countertop , best to look to something like bamboo or recycled aluminum . )
Granite and concrete are both gamey - character options . Perhaps granite will wear a bit better . possibly concrete will finally rent you have that lead - imbed countertop that look like a starry sky . No matter which material you prefer , you wo n’t get off flash . Both granite and concrete are going to run anywhere from $ 50 to $ 100 per solid foot instal . That price will go up with custom concrete build - IN or gamey - closing , single - slab granite . In the remainder , it ’s all about your personal needs . If the theme of countertop maintenance chills you to the bone , you might do considerably with granite . If you ’re dying to chop some Brassica oleracea italica on a effervescent dark sky , concrete ’s the only way to go .
For more entropy on concrete , granite and other countertop materials , await over the links on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
