Laminate countertops are a very widely known material for kitchen countertops. They are sturdy, they are reliable and they are durable. Here are some good and bad things about laminate countertops before you consider them in your countertop replacement plan.
Pros Of Laminate Countertops
They Are Inexpensive
Laminate countertops are not something new. They have been around since the sixties. They are a good material choice for kitchen countertops. The first and the very prominent reason being its price. It is a very reasonably priced material, which is why a lot of people gravitate towards laminate as their kitchen countertop material. It is very cheap and it makes for the perfect kitchen remodeling project on a budget. It adds instant newness to the kitchen and you don’t have to break the bank to achieve this.
They Are Low Maintenance
Laminate countertops are probably one of those countertops which require the least amount of care. It is a very durable and solid material, it needs no sealing, it needs no special cleaners and it certainly does not need to be polished. All it needs is a regular cleaning with a simple wet washcloth. It doesn’t scratch easily either because it is quite rugged. If there are any dried up stains on the surface of laminate, then you can use a small scraper or a metal spoon to scratch off the remnants and then clean it off with a damp washcloth. Your countertops will be good as new.
You Can Install Them Yourself
This is also another reason why laminate countertops are popular among people. It can be installed by yourself if you can buy precut slabs of it. If the measurements are right and they don’t need any tweaks or corrections, then you can easily install them yourself as well. All you need is a good adhesive and a brush. You need to be precise and patient with the process though, because once the adhesive dries, there’s no going back. So, you have to make sure that you are placing the laminate planks or slabs correctly before securing them with glue.
Cons Of Laminate Countertops
They Can Burn
Talking about some of the not-so-great things, laminate countertops are not heat resistant. They can’t and don’t handle heat and hot surfaces very well. If you put a hot pan on top of the laminate countertop, you can expect a black smear to appear on your countertop. This is where you need to consider getting trivets or heat resistant pads for laminate countertops. This will protect your laminate countertops from getting burnt. The black dots and smears may sound insignificant, but they can look very bad against lighter colored laminate countertops, so you need to protect them at all costs, either with trivets or by not handling hot pots and pans on the surface directly.
They Need To Be Changed Regularly
The lifespan of laminate countertops is not much. Laminate countertops can last for about a few months and up to a year, but after this time is up, you need to change them. The reason being is that it can chip and crack along the edges. It is inevitable since laminate countertops are very fragile along the edges. Once chipped slightly, it will only deteriorate more until the crack gets larger and larger in size.
They Are Beyond Repair
Some countertops can be repaired if they get slightly damaged; they don’t need to be replaced immediately. Well, laminate countertops are not one of those. Once they get damaged, either burned, cracked or chipped, they need to be replaced with new laminate planks. There is nothing you can do to salvage the damaged countertops, they need to be replaced. This can be quite troublesome for a lot of people, since the shelf life of laminate countertops is so small, the replacement sounds like a huge task, which it is, to be honest.
There you have it! With this comparison, you will know exactly whether you need to install laminate countertops in your kitchen or not. You can easily determine whether this material is good for you or not, based on its pros and cons. Get in touch with a granite company NC to show you different countertop options including laminate countertops.