The kitchen is the heart of the home when it comes to eating, socialising and cooking your favourite dishes. So when renovating the space, you need attractive and durable elements, especially for the benchtop. One substance to consider is natural stone. Here are several reasons this is a great option.

Natural Variation

The colours in a piece of rock come from the minerals dispersed inside and how they intermingle and settle over eons. Because of this, each slab naturally varies in terms of its patterns, streaks, veins and dappling. Your kitchen benchtop will be unique, and you won't find a replica in a friend's home or see it on a store shelf. For that reason, remember that if you look at a general sample online, your specific bench won't look exactly the same. You should look at your proposed countertop in person to get an exact idea.

Natural Origin

Incorporating nature into a room's design is termed biophilia. Organic substances give a calming ambience to a home. Natural stone benchtops offer a method to do this. Rock unmistakably gives a sense of originating from the earth, and it evokes a timeless feel. You won't get the same feeling from laminate, for instance.

Plus, stone is more colourful than natural timber, so it will add decorative appeal. While wood comes in different shades of pinks, tans, yellows, browns and so on, rock is more vibrant and varied. Stone comes in virtually every colour you'll see in a rainbow, including blue, green, pink, yellow, orange and cream.

Tough

The benchtop is constantly having plates, cups and other things put on its surface. So it endures constant wear and needs to be tough and durable. Natural stone has already lasted for thousands of years within the earth, so it has already stood the test of time and will often last for decades in a kitchen. But you need to protect it against acidic foods and drinks by getting it sealed regularly, which will block the tiny pores and stop them from absorbing stains.

Additionally, take care and use cutting boards and trivets for hot pots. Some rock types are more durable than others. For example, granite and soapstone are more resilient than marble to etching. Even the colour of the stone can make a difference. A darker granite chunk may be harder and denser than a lighter granite, for instance, and thus more hardwearing.

Contact a local remodelling contractor to learn more about stone benchtops.