The dinner political party scene is all coiffe . You work hard to create the complete bill of fare and set a sensational table , all in a bid to showcase the expensive raw picture hanging in the sustenance room . Red vino is pour and place at strategical location to lure node in the right centering . The hearth is ignite , the path inflammation is aspire at your booty artwork and the umber mesa is stretch with Hors D’oeuvres . Everyone arrives , seacoast through the living room and soon you see your 10 closest friends hanging out in … the kitchen . After your urge falls on indifferent ear , you give up and transfer the wine and snacks to your island . The painting remains sadly ignored .
Do n’t feel bad . inquire anyone who ’s ever host a dinner party , cocktail gather or keg party – the kitchen is where all the activeness is . Maybe kitchens make hoi polloi feel well-off – the heat of a stove , the olfactory modality of something pleasant-tasting filling every corner . Maybe it ’s because the kitchen is where you pass a flock of time . No matter the intellect , do n’t plan a party unless you ’re prepared to accept the reality that the kitchen may end up as the hub .
Another intellect masses herd to the kitchen is that it ’s often one of the overnice rooms in the house . People love their kitchens , and they ’re often one of the first room to undergo major changes after someone moves in . They ’re a good investing , but a kitchen renovation comes at a high initial cost . In 2006 , the median kitchen remodel cost Americans more than $ 54,000 [ source : CNN ] . A halfway - of - the - road renovation had a return key of about 91 pct for every dollar drop . With that variety of vengeance , it ’s no wonder people sink money into their culinary home base .
There are a few way to drastically change your kitchen , but maybe none have quite the impact of new countertop . Just in straight footage alone , you ’ll see more of your countertops than anything else away from your floor and wall . When it come to settle your smell you have several materials to pick out from . Some of the more popular choice include :
Another alternative that ’s been around since the other nineties has recently gained a lot of attention . It ’s a variety of engineered Isidor Feinstein Stone countertop made from quartz glass – 93 percent quartz glass to be accurate . Quartz is an abundant and inexpensive gemstone , and it makes an ideal countertop in many ways . Combine base lechatelierite with color pigment and a binding factor , and you have one of the most durable manufacture countertops on the grocery . And it ’s green , to boot . They come in many different coloring as well certain to match your kitchen like tan , black , brown , androse quartzto name a few .
Silestone and Zodiaq
It may sound like a professional wrestling tandom , but Silestone and Zodiaq are actually the two brand gens of manufactured quartz countertop . Silestone has made the biggest splash in an attempt to make the name synonymous with crystal countertop , like Formica is for laminate tops . How ? By invest in a Super Bowl commercial message in 2005 . It cost them two and half million bucks , but their products are now available in 3,500 stores . So it appears to have been money well spent .
Quartz countertops are made from a mixture of 93 percent pulverized quartz and what the Silestone manufacturer refers to as " sweetening material . " This includes a rosin binder that hardens with the quartz into a unflawed countertop aerofoil . Resin in this case is a highly mucilaginous semisynthetic chemical compound – a fancy way of aver goopy , unenviable clobber . Resin also come by nature in plants and trees . The result of the combination of the rosin and quartz is a nonporous ruined intersection unlike any other countertop surface .
One thing that drives customers to quartz countertops is the diverseness of colors that Silestone and Zodiaq manufacture . If a traditional deep gray is your affair , then easy enough . But if you require candy orchard apple tree red or 1960s orange tree , then a bland quartz countertop is the ticket . Silestone also has a " leather " textured Earth’s surface that mimics animal hide .
The monetary value of quartz countertop is comparable to granite , another popular option these days . Silestone and Zodiaq both require that a certified professional deploy the countertop , so pricing is all - inclusive . crystal costs between $ 42 and $ 66 per substantial foot , installed . The average kitchen has about 25 square feet ( 2.3 measure ) of countertop space , so with a middle - of - the - road $ 50 variety you ’re wait at about $ 1,250 with installation . Once you ’ve picked out your color , you may choose from many unlike wrought edges like pate molded and rounded . You do n’t have to go with a firm color either , there are marble and granite patterns at the higher conclusion of the price spectrum to pick out from .
Quartz counters are idealistic in kitchen for reason we ’ll discourse on the following page , but are also used as desktops , stairs , flooring and hearth mantles . The material is sluttish to keep clean and very durable , so it ’s an attractive choice to tile in bathrooms too .
What makes the quartz countertop so special?
We’ve learned what quartz countertop are made of , how much they cost and that they come in a superfluity of colors and styles . But why go with quartz when granite cost the same and is a criterion in the kitchen ? One intellect is that quartz is highly durable with a scratch sand singe resistant airfoil that rank No . 7 on the Mohs hardness scurf . This make your crystal countertop very difficult to rub or microchip .
Another advantage is that it ’s nearly stain - trial impression as well . This is because it ’s a nonporous surface . Your coffee berry , cabernet and European olive tree fossil oil will sit down on top of the surface instead of soaking in , quick for the parasite . Because it ’s nonporous it also does n’t require to be sealed or treated . Many kitchen surfaces like granite , marble and limestone require veritable waterproofing . Quartz is quick to go right out of the logic gate , making it maintenance - free .
Its nonporous nature also makes it more unmanageable for bacterium , mold and mould to grow , which makes it an ideal choice for the kitchen and bath . The clean cistron does n’t just barricade there . Silestone also has something called Microban built into the surface of the countertop . Microban is a trademarked antimicrobial compound that ’s mixed into the quartz glass and resin goop , in reality work it part of the social system . Microban help to fight the buildup of tiny morbific microorganisms , like bacteria . It wo n’t protect you from a intellectual nourishment - borne sickness and you still have to clean it , but it does ply an extra measure of protection and make the surface easy to strip and keep it that way .
Besides the cleanliness , lastingness and lack of maintenance , there ’s one more dear reason to go with a quartz countertop – it ’s green . Radon is a colorless and inodorous natural gas determine in dissimilar levels all over the world . Many manufactured household materials , like granite countertops , pass off small level of radon . The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) has stated that indoor pollution can be up to 100 times higher than outdoor pollution . Silestone quartz glass countertop have been essay and show small to no radon emission .
Because of the Microban and radon testing , Silestone has been certified by the National Sanitation Foundation and the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute as a low - give off product , signify that it ’s safe for indoor applications and apotheosis for use where food formulation film spot . It ’s so clean , safe and durable that it ’s been the countertop of pick for the last three HGTV Dream Homes . These are large , green - concept home that the Home and Garden Television connection sacrifice away each year to one lucky viewer . Only the latest , top - of - the - line products go into the dream home . Check the cyberspace to find out where you could get some crystal countertop samples . You could be doing yourself and the environment a favor .
