Wet Zone

Indian cooking involves a whole lot of water... not to forget all the splashing while washing vessels. So choose a kitchen counter that doesn't absorb liquids easily. The ideal material is granite. Corian, manufactured by DuPont, laminates and stainless steel are also non porous.

Kadappa (black limestone) is semi absorbent. Since it is used as the base material for granite and marble counters it doesn't matter.

Avoid marble counters, as they are the most porous.

Scratches and Stains

The strongest material available for kitchen counters is granite. Its hardness is second to that of a diamond. So you don't have to worry about cracks and scratches.

Stainless steel, on the other hand, gets scratched very easily.

Corian and laminate too get scratched with rough use. However, Corian can be scraped and repolished. Corian also comes with a ten-year product warranty against manufacturing defects.

When it comes to stains, you need to be very careful with laminates, marble and Corian. If you happen to spill food colouring onto the counters make sure you clean it up quickly.

Granite however doesn't stain.

Design Element

Corian by DuPont has a range of almost one hundred colours. What is more, Corian is bendable and mouldable. The counters could have curves and patterns too.

If you find Corian too expensive, try laminated counter tops instead. They cost about one- twentieth of the price and are available in over 150 colours and textures.

Stones like granite and marble have about four or five varieties. While stainless steel and kadappa options only vary in thickness.

Fits Fine

All stone counters like granite, marble and kadappa have visible joints unless cut out from a single sheet of stone. But if grouted well, the joints won't look shabby.

There is no such problem with Corian. Similarly with laminates... if stuck with a good quality adhesive they can look seamless.

Stainless steel cannot be welded and the seams are not very discreet.

You can have your sink fitted into any of these counter materials except laminates. Since laminates are fitted on wood or compressed wood, these are not recommended for wet counters.

Handy Tips

• Avoid the grey and white quality of granite as it absorbs liquids and gets stained easily.
  
  
• The sandstone and travertine quality of marble cannot be used for kitchen counters.
  
  
• White marble is less scratch resistant than green marble.
  
  
• Choose darker coloured laminates so you don't have to worry too much about stains.

Click Here to View the Kitchen Counter Comparison