Countertops

Marble and soapstone countertops are hot, hot, hot now; and they are lovely. Many who have them think the staining (marble is porous) and scratches (soapstone is soft) merely add patina. I knew I wasn't one of those people and I would hate the imperfections that came from daily use. I'm also not a fan of a busy, colorful patterned stone (except for a brief love affair), which is the issue I have with most granites. Busy stone screams, "Look at me, look at me," and demands to be the star of the show. It's a design bully.

Amazonite quartzite; courtesy of Distinctive Granite and Marble

In our kitchen the backsplash tile is the star so the countertops needed to be quiet and understated. We chose Cambria's Fairbourne quartz, an engineered stone. We're also using it in the Master Bath as tile is also the star.

Fairbourne quartz; courtesy of Cambria

Our contract included granite counters in the Kitchen and Master Bath. We added them to Bath 2 and the Laundry Room during contract negotiations.  In the end, though, we decided to go with the standard cultured marble in Bath 2 and formica counters in the Laundry Room as a cost savings measure.

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