When homeowner’s today want to upgrade their homes, most remodels take place in the kitchen. This one room in a house will give the best return on any investment as well as offer the most enjoyment of any upgrade. Homeowners looking to increase equity, sell a house, or better enjoy their living space all look to kitchen remodeling jobs.
Today’s most popular kitchen remodeling projects are either floor upgrades or the addition of new kitchen countertops. New flooring makes any room look new again and can immediately add value. When it comes to beauty and a large value addition, kitchen countertops are the best investments one can make.
Kitchen Flooring Choices
The biggest concerns for flooring in the kitchen are moisture and stains. Nothing will damage or destroy flooring like water in addition to breeding mold and mildew. Any flooring choice made in the kitchen has to be water resistant and form a good seal to prevent water seepage to the sub floor.
Popular kitchen flooring choices include laminate, tiles, and even hardwood. Laminates combine low cost with an easy installation to provide a good water seal. Laminate also comes in many colors, sizes, shapes, and can mimic nearly any other flooring type in appearance. Tiles are the elegant choice for kitchens and can be sealed against moisture. Hardwoods are even gaining popularity with open floor plans that extend from the living and dining rooms into the kitchen. With extra precautions, hardwoods can withstand kitchen moisture as well.
Counters
When it comes to elegance in the kitchen, however, granite and quartz countertops are high class. With bold, glossy colors and a material that feels great to the touch, granite kitchen countertops will both add value and increase the enjoyment of the kitchen space. Quartz, which is an engineered stone, will resist stains and require less maintenance than granite. Less expensive countertop materials include laminate and ceramic tile, both of which are still excellent choices for a remodeling project and can be used as a stepping stone to further upgrades.
There are also manufactured products for use on counters. By combining natural minerals, resins, acrylics and pigments, man-made surfaces offer a wide variety of design choices combined with good durability. Heat treated surfaces are extremely durable and will remain in excellent condition for many years. Anti-microbial surfaces are nationally certified as safe for food and hospital service due to their sanitary properties. If a manufactured stone is selected, each piece is cut and fused together in the kitchen for a seamless look and water proof seal.
If home is where the heart is, then the kitchen is the soul of the home. Homeowners and entrepreneurs alike appreciate the value of a kitchen remodel, whether it is new flooring or a fresh countertop. Both options will increase the sentimental and monetary value of a home. That is why most home projects, on both new and old structures, start and end in the kitchen.