Perhaps the hardest working tool in the kitchen is one most would never even think of as a tool; the kitchen countertop. Here you place all the ingredients, all the other tools; everything you need to work with to cook and clean and prep in your kitchen goes on the countertops. Countertops need to be durable, easy to clean, and lets face it, they have to look good.

How hard do you hit?

Picking the right kind and style of countertop for your kitchen depends mostly on what you do in there. For many, the kitchen is the social hub of the house, with the cook parceling out morsels throughout the day as the main meal is prepared, or entertaining guests while putting the finishing touches on the flambé. For others, the kitchen is a room they hardly visit, unless they want to retrieve a Red Bull from the refrigerator or microwave some popcorn for movie night.

Determine how hard you will be on your countertops. Other factors that come into play is how much time you are willing to spend on cleaning and maintaining them, the look that you are going for with your kitchen, and how much money you are willing to spend.

Material

There are a lot of choices for countertop material, including Soapstone, Marble, Stainless Steel, Wood or Butcher Block, Laminates, Ceramic, Engineered Stone, Granite, and Solid Surfaces.

Solid surfaces are man made materials, such as Corian or Corinthian. They are just what they sound like, countertops made from a solid material, and scratches and chips can often be sanded out.

Porcelain tile has a consistent color and substance throughout, so chips are hardly noticeable, but they can be more expensive than other choices. For modern, sleek looks, stainless steel is a great choice, but make sure you use a cutting board to avoid scratches, which will show up readily.

Ceramic tiles are great around the cook top, as they are heat resistant, but never use them as a cutting board, and watch out when sliding heavy objects across them. Granite is often the top choice when it comes to countertops as long as money isn't an option; not only are they very beautiful but they are expensive to buy and to replace if they become cracked.

There are many surface types to choose from, and among them many choices of color and style. The best plan of attack is to decide how you will use the ultimate kitchen tool, the countertop, and plan accordingly.

Liz Smith writes about kitchen countertops and kitchen remodeling for homedoctor.net kitchens