We expect customers visiting our Utah showrooms to think about long-term costs. After all, new stone countertops represent a significant financial investment. Our customers want to know what today’s investment will mean for the bottom line 10 or 20 years down the road.
Obviously, none of us can predict what will happen decades in the future. But as a general rule, there are some guidelines that can help homeowners understand the financial ramifications of the choices they make with new countertops. Knowing the ramifications makes for more informed decisions.
Consider countertop materials. Granite, marble, and quartzite all require more maintenance than quartz and laminates. But there are other materials that require even more maintenance than natural stone. We would consider these high-maintenance materials. How do they affect long-term costs?
Regular Care and Upkeep
High-maintenance countertops require more regular care and upkeep. For the sake of this post, let us assume you’re not assigning a dollar value to your time. As long as you keep up with routine care, a high-maintenance countertop should last for decades. It will not have a greater impact on your finances than a lower-maintenance product, assuming they both last the same length of time.
As always, there is a catch. If you don’t put effort into regular care and upkeep, that high-maintenance countertop may not last long. You end up with more repairs the longer you own it. You might also have to replace it earlier than anticipated. Now you are spending more money.
Potentially More Costly Repairs
High-maintenance countertops tend to be more susceptible to damage. And unfortunately, repairing high-maintenance surfaces can be an expensive proposition. So it is possible that you could spend more over the lifetime of a countertop if it needs regular repairs.
The need for repairs could be exacerbated if your kitchen is a high traffic kitchen. Maybe it is the hub of your family’s activity. Not only do you cook in the kitchen, but it is also where the kids do their homework and you gather with friends for social activities. The more active your kitchen, the greater the potential for costly repairs.
Long Term Maintenance Needs
Countertops need two kinds of care: regular, daily care and long-term maintenance. Regular care involves things like immediately cleaning up spills and washing countertops daily with mild soap and water. Long-term maintenance involves things like sealing. It is these long-term maintenance tasks that are often forgotten or neglected.
Like regular care and upkeep, addressing long-term maintenance tasks on schedule will guarantee that your countertops last as long as they should. You will spend some money on maintenance, but it will not be as much as you would spend on complete countertop replacement. So you could make the case that keeping up with maintenance pays for itself.
Countertops and Resale Value
The last consideration, how high-maintenance countertops impact resale value, could go either way. A high-maintenance material could work in your favor by offering the kind of aesthetic beauty that appeals to buyers. It could make the difference between getting what you want and accepting a lower price.
On the other hand, a high-maintenance countertop could work against you. Buyers might be reluctant to make an offer on your house because they do not want to deal with the maintenance your kitchen requires.
There is no way to know for sure how a high-maintenance material will affect your long-term finances. What we can say is this: regardless of your material choice, the key to making the most of your new countertops is to take care of them as experts recommend.
