What Are The Best Materials For Bathroom Vanity Countertops?
Explore Four Popular Bathroom Vanity Countertops and Review the Pros and Cons
Whether you're choosing a vanity top as part of a complete bathroom remodel or just looking for a way to spruce up your existing space, you have more beautiful, functional choices than ever before available at every price point.
Your vanity top choice needs to be able to stand up to water, soap, toothpaste, cosmetics and alcohol, and acetone-based liquids. Fortunately, most surfaces that work in the kitchen will also work in the bath. Top choices include granite, marble, cultured marble (a man-made surface made of real marble chips and resin), solid surfaces, tile, and wood.
Although bathroom vanity tops see less wear and tear than kitchens, you may want to consider low-scoring materials as there are many risks for scratching in a bathroom. Let's explore several of the most popular bathroom vanity materials and look at the pros and cons of each.
The Best Choices for Bathroom Vanity Tops
Today, have a wide variety of materials to choose from, including natural stone, solid surfaces, laminates, tile, and glass. All have pros and cons, all come in a variety of colors and textures, and prices can range widely. Here's a quick look at the top five surfaces homeowners choose for their bathroom vanity tops.
Granite
Granite is a beautiful natural stone that is a popular choice offering homeowners great value. It comes in a wide variety of colors, and each slab is unique. With patterns from subtle to bold, with just a little searching, you'll find the perfect slab for your needs. Another plus is that granite is hard, scratch-resistant, and with minimal upkeep will last practically forever. Granite is so popular, it could actually add to the resale value of your home! Today, granite is one of the more economical choices among natural stone with prices ranging from $40 to $100 per square foot.
Quartz
For many years, granite was the most popular choice for countertops with both homeowners and designers. Today, we're seeing more and more homeowners and designers opting for beautiful quartz countertops, and in fact, quartz has replaced granite as the number one choice. Quartz is one of nature's hardest and most abundant minerals on the planet. Quartz countertops are a man-made material that uses about 95% natural quartz dust and chips bonded together using resins, and the pigment is then added to create color throughout the stone. Popular brand names include Caesarstone, Cambria, and Silestone. Quartz is tougher than granite, does not require sealing, and is naturally resistant to moisture, stains, and bacteria. The downside, at $60 to $100 per square foot, quartz can rival high-end granite and marble in price. Also, honed or textured surfaces can show fingerprints, so you'll need to wipe it down more often.
Marble
For centuries marble has been seen as a symbol of luxury and good taste. Marble is a hard, crystalline form of limestone and comes in a wide choice of color variations, the most common being white with streaks of gray. It's a long-lasting, strong material that can be polished to a bright shine, or honed to a more causal matte finish. The downside, marble is expensive at $125 - $150 per square foot, needs to be periodically re-sealed, and it's porosity makes it prone to stains, scratching, and etching. Here at Toulmin, we love the beauty of marble and have tested several sealers. We've found that DryTreat sealer (now known as Stain-Proof) is the best product for creating a strong, durable, semi-permanent surface for marble. DryTreat is an impregnating sealer, which means it penetrates deep into the stone to create an impenetrable protective barrier. DryTreat is so effective that it warranties stone that has been appropriately treated for 15 years.
Quartzite
Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that started its life as sandstone and, through a process of heat and pressurization and time, is transformed into Quartzite a strong, beautiful, natural stone. When heated, the individual quartz pieces recrystallize, creating a beautiful, extremely strong, and durable natural stone with a sparkling decorative pattern. Quartzite is growing in popularity as a countertop material. And for a good reason. It's an ideal countertop material thanks to its strength and long-lasting composition. If you're looking for a beautiful lasting material for your bathroom vanity countertop, consider Quartzite for its strength, beauty, and overall durability!
These are just the top four choices of today's homeowners. If you'd like to know more, or have questions, speak with a design expert at Toulmin Kitchen and Bath. They can help you make the perfect choice for your lifestyle, décor, and budget.
About Toulmin Kitchen & Bath Design - We're West Alabama's award-winning, premier kitchen and bath showroom. We're experts who are known for a design-build process that makes the construction process stress-free. Contact us to schedule an appointment for a design consultation.
