The Classic’s Back – Why Granite Kitchen Worktops Should Never Go Out Of Fashion in Windsor

Granite kitchen worktops are back in a big way. Why? Because people finally woke up to the fact that flat plastic kitchen worktops are not only ugly but impractical. It’s true, of course, that an MDF (Medium Density Fibre Board) work surface covered with that horrible rubberised vinyl kind of marble effect stuff is a lot cheaper than granite – but it also lasts a few years at most before all the water in the kitchen starts getting inside it and rotting out the chip board. Granite is impervious to pretty much everything, up to and including being hit with a hammer (well, a small hammer anyway) – it cleans easily and well; it looks amazing; and it goes with virtually every kitchen decor.

Put like that, one wonders why granite kitchen worktops aren’t in every home. There are of course cost limitations – not everyone can afford to pay the amount of money required for a stone work surface, even though that total price, when averaged out over the years of unending good service the granite will give, costs less than the cumulative cost of replacing MDF every few years. There are also limitations according to the quality of the rest of the fittings in a kitchen. It’s not just about looks – low cost cabinets simply won’t support the weight of granite kitchen worktops, so installing them in a budget range kitchen simply isn’t practical.

What we are talking about here, of course, is two different types of investment. The kitchen with the quality and longevity of granite work tops and mid to high range cabinets and so on, represents a large single sum in terms of initial outlay – followed by absolutely no maintenance costs. Good quality kitchen fittings pretty much last forever – so it’s only a change of style that warrants a change of kitchen. Your other kind of kitchen, with low mid to budget range fittings, represents a significantly lower single sum to outlay. However, its absence of granite kitchen worktops and good quality cabinets means that it is extremely susceptible to wear and tear – which, in turn, means that it will need replacing on a regular basis. That makes a whole series of lower cost single sum outlays, which add up, as a whole, to the same or even more than the cost of just having a high quality kitchen installed in the first place.

The return to popularity of the granite worktop, and its associated quality items, is as much a reflection of the shift in attitudes towards homes as it is a simple change in tastes. The average Canadian is now spending an average of just over 20 years of his or her life in the same property. That means that he or she is buying, building and extending to last. New kitchen fittings need to be of high quality to last 20 years. Granite kitchen worktops, and all the associated bits and pieces, are that, and will do that. And that’s why they will always be in style.


This article was published by:
Keith McGorlick,
Author, Blogger,
Home Improvement Expert &
President of, Lakeside Interiors
Windsor, Kitchener & Barrie Ontario
In Windsor, call 226-787-5835 or,
lakesidewindsor@gmail.com
lakesidebarrie@gmail.com
lakesidekitchener@gmail.com