You might have heard of different countertops being raved up and down. But there are also some materials that you need to keep at bay because of their qualities that don’t make them a good choice for kitchen countertops. Some mentioned here have a few great qualities but also have one or more flaws that make them a bad choice. For example, marble is one of the most beautiful stones but it’s a fragile one. This means it chips, scratches, and cracks easily. So, a better choice in place of marble would be granite countertops. Let’s know more!

Kitchen Countertop Materials You Should Avoid

Glass Countertops

When it comes to countertop materials, you want to choose something that won’t break, at least not at the slightest of impact. Well, this is where glass will disappoint you. Even though it is an amazing material, made out of recycled glass and is very sustainable for the environment, glass is still very much a fragile material that doesn’t do well in the kitchen.

Glass is not entirely heat resistant. It doesn’t prevent scratches and dropping anything heavy from a reasonable height will shatter or crack the glass before you know it. So, if you want to go for a material that will last long, then natural stones or even other man-made options are better.

Something like glass will be treated with kid’s gloves in the kitchen and that is the last thing you want to do when it comes to working in the kitchen to get things done.

Marble Countertops

Marble is a beautiful, elegant, and exceptional natural stone when it comes to kitchen countertops and it is also used in bathrooms, vanities and even making sculptures. Well, marble is also really heavy on the maintenance side of things.

When it comes to maintaining marble, the steps are just too many to keep count. First of all, marble is a non-porous material, so it needs to be sealed. Not only this, the material has to be sealed every now and then to ensure that it doesn’t get damaged by water.

Next comes the actual cleaning, which is very tedious. Marble, being a fragile stone, had to be cleaned gently, otherwise you can turn a cleaning session into something terrifying. Also, you can’t use sharp knives on the surface of marble, otherwise, it will leave deep scratches on the surface and that is not what you want.

Stainless Steel Countertops

Stainless steel is an amazing material when it comes to getting something really easy to clean and manage in the kitchen. If you love industrial looks, then stainless steel should be the option to go for. So, what makes it so bad that you have to avoid it? Well, stainless steel can show fingerprints on the surface like it’s getting paid to highlight them.

There is just no way that you can properly clean a stainless steel countertop without leaving fingerprint smudges all over the surface. This is very frustrating about it and cleaning a stainless steel countertop will seem like going in circles and that is not what you want to do.

Travertine Countertops

Travertine is a beautiful stone that is derived from limestone itself. It is a wonderful material that has patterns similar to a cross between limestone and marble itself. However, it can also stain over time and it doesn’t lead to the best of results.

Similar to patina on marble, travertine can turn yellow as the years go by, but it won’t be pleasant. It will make the stone look old and that is not what you want. This is why you need to choose something else that won’t lose its original color as time passes by.

Wood Countertops

Wood is a beautiful and classic option and even though it is highly expensive, it is still something that people rave about. The higher cost is not the only concern for many people because you need to spend even more money to maintain wood countertops.

You need to seal it, tint it, polish it, and do countless other things to ensure that it stays in amazing condition. Well, that can be impossible at times and not everyone has time on their hands to do things like these, regularly.

Concrete Countertops

Concrete countertops are amazing. They’re heat resistant and they have a very rustic look to them. But what makes concrete a thumbs-down? Well, it’s the fact that it stains like there’s no tomorrow.

If you know anything about concrete, then you would know that it absorbs moisture and water like a sponge. So, you better believe that concrete will suck in all of the water available on the surface and then it will lead to stains. This is why it’s recommended that you go for something else.

Tiles

When it comes to tile, the look is sleek and effortless, but the main concerning factor is are grout lines. Even though you can hire the best of the best contractors for the job, you will still feel like making the grout look clean is harder than you can imagine.

This is why you need to skip tiles, because not only is grout a problem, but it can also get very dirty and the once-white grout can turn murky and black in no time, which sounds disgusting.

Laminate Countertops

Laminate is a material that is everyone’s dream. It is a reasonably priced material that can mimic almost all looks of stones, materials, and man-made things on Earth. So, why is laminate such a bad choice? Well, because it’s not the best quality. See, laminate is prone to discolor and fade over time and that is something that bothers a lot of people.

Also, it’s not the most durable when it comes to heat and it will lead to heat stains, which is very unfortunate because removing them is almost impossible. So, laminate might be easy on the wallet, but not so much on the eyes.

Limestone Countertops

Limestone is also a very good material for the kitchen, but there are a handful of things that don’t sit well with a lot of people. First of all, it is very high maintenance. It needs almost as much maintenance as any other natural stone.

If that wasn’t enough, then limestone also doesn’t do well with heat and it can lead to blisters on the surface that look very hideous. Lastly, limestone is a soft stone, so using sharp knives won’t be the best of decisions, if you don’t want scratches to become a permanent thing.

Bamboo Countertops

Bamboo is an amazing material on the surface, but not so much when it comes to design and creativity. It is a serious bummer for people who love wooden countertops because bamboo isn’t as versatile when it comes to design options.

There are a couple of options that you can choose from and that’s pretty much it. Also, bamboo needs regular sealing and maintenance because at the end of the day, it is a wooden countertop and it needs to be treated like one too. So, bamboo isn’t the greatest of materials.

Conclusion

These countertops are amazing, but there are certain things like fragility, price, maintenance, and other things that need to be considered and they don’t do so well in these departments.

Still, if you love a quality of a certain material like the beauty of marble, the durability of stainless steel/concrete, the cost-effectiveness of laminate, or the sustainability of wood/bamboo/glass, then you can choose that material but beware of the disadvantages as well. If you want an indoor kitchen countertop material with the least downsides, take a look at granite and quartz countertops or consult countertop replacement services Potomac.