Natural stone has been having a heyday since the mid-1980s in kitchen and bathroom countertops in America, and it appears to still be going strong. Everyone wants natural stone countertops, it seems, and most desirable amongst the natural options is granite. Durable, beautiful, strong…what’s not to like? Granite countertops are so sought after these days that the number two question buyers ask when viewing a home pertains to the types of countertops in the kitchen.
Granite countertops, it seems, truly can make or break a home sale for some. At A Polished Finish, we invite you to take a closer look at granite countertops. Here’s why:
- Granite gives a high return on investment. Any realtor will tell you: kitchens sell homes. An updated kitchen is the most common item homebuyers request, but that doesn’t mean you have to do an all-out remodel of your kitchen. Often, simply replacing your old laminate countertops with granite ones is enough of an update to satisfy any incoming buyers.
- Granite is extremely low maintenance, requiring little more than routine cleaning, sealing, and polishing, all of which can be performed by the homeowners themselves using commercially available materials. Sealing your granite countertops may sound like an arduous task, but it’s little more than spraying a sealer on top of it and wiping it away. And low maintenance is a major selling point for younger buyers.
- Granite has strength and longevity. You won’t need to replace your granite countertops anytime soon, or, probably, ever. They might even outlast the home they’re installed in. Granite is one of the hardest stones on Earth, so it’s incredibly difficult to scratch, and it also offers extremely high heat resistance, so it isn’t likely to scorch, either. While it isn’t advisable to place a scorching pan on top of your granite countertop, it’ll probably be fine for a few seconds.
- Granite is environmentally friendly, also a major selling point amongst a younger, more climate-conscious generation of buyers. Granite is quarried from the Earth with little processing. The chemicals and bonding agents, woods, pulps, and dyes that go into laminate countertops simply aren’t present. It doesn’t require chemicals to be taken from the Earth, and while it can be honed or polished before installation, there is no actual manufacturing process involved.
- Granite has essentially timeless appeal. There is a reason that demand for it is going strong almost 4 decades later. The coloring and veining within each slab are naturally occurring, and no two slabs are exactly alike, so every countertop hewn from it is unique. With very little maintenance, it looks absolutely gorgeous, and makes the kitchen easily the centerpiece of the home.
There we have it: five ways that your kitchen countertops can actually sell your home. Before you begin ripping out your laminate countertops, however, consult a real estate agent who knows the area well. If many of the other homes in your area have granite countertops, it is probably worth replacing yours to sell your home. If most of the other homes have laminate or butcher block or something similar, however, you can probably leave the replacement of your countertops to the new owners.
