The Benefits of a Natural Stone Countertop

Kitchen remodeling is always a bear of a project, and like any significant change, it’s easy to second-guess your decisions. However, one thing that you shouldn’t have to think twice about when you buy a soapstone countertop in Philadelphia, PA, is whether you should have gone with a synthetic alternative.

Manufactured stone counters vs. natural ones can often come down to an aesthetic difference of opinion, and in some circles, it can stop there. However, there are real differences between natural stone and synthetic that you should consider because it will impact your kitchen’s life for years to come.

Here’s what you should know about the benefits of natural stone:

Durability

Naturally-mined stone like soapstone is formed in the earth under immense pressure and heat. Due to this process, natural stone is often far more durable than fabricated stone. Many of the weaknesses and impurities that can occur in stone end up being pressed out, as the earth can bring far more force to bear on the material than the human-made methods used to fabricate countertops.

Furthermore, the stones that are mined out of the earth have, in all likelihood, existed for centuries. This longevity is often carried throughout the stone’s life, which means your natural stone countertops will frequently outlast their fabricated counterparts.

Return on Investment

Some like the look of synthetic stone, and that is a perfectly fine preference. However, most people prefer the look of natural stone in their homes and often pay more for a home with natural stone countertops than a house with synthetic stone counters. As a consequence of this trend, investing in natural stone counters has a pretty good return on investment, because it often leads to better chances of selling your home for a profit if you ever choose to do so.

In addition to this fact, there’s also the possibility that natural stone can be cheaper than their synthetic counterparts. While most believe the reverse to be true, it largely depends on where you buy the stones from and what kind of dealer that determines how much you’re going to pay for your counters.

More Environmentally-Friendly

Natural stone counters have a smaller carbon footprint than fabricated stones because they have less of a refining process and can actually be recycled at the end of their life cycle. Fabricated stones require manufacturing processes that consume a lot of energy, and they frequently can’t be used again because of their brittleness. Natural stones do require energy to pull out of the ground and polish, but these processes don’t need the same level of energy that creating a stone from scratch does.

If you want to find out more about the benefits of natural stone countertops or are interested in finding soapstone kitchen countertops in King of Prussia PA, give BC Soapstone a call today!