Once the place where food was prepared but not served, the kitchen now is not only the busiest room in the home, but where guests gather.
"People are really living in their kitchens now," said Lena Palmer, a kitchen designer with Cox Kitchens & Baths in Baltimore.
That means the countertops come in for extra scrutiny and greater use. Their appearance, durability, ease of cleaning and maintenance are always on display. The more expensive countertops - granite being the most popular - can increase a home's value.
"Nothing looks like granite," said Karen Sorrell, who owns Simply Stone in Finksburg. "You will never replace the depth you see, the colors."
Granite and laminates have the lion's share of the market as they compete for the top spot, but other products - stone as well as fabricated - are piquing buyer interest. Some manufacturers have been trying to mimic granite's unique look as they create alternatives to the stone.
Laminate-makers have added lines of faux-stone looks with textured surfaces. Newer solid surfaces show some depth; engineered stones come in bright colors that don't exist in nature. And there are custom concrete, thick glass, stainless-steel eco-products and wood.
Some products carry a smaller price tag. Others require less care. Some don't look at all like granite.
The countertop has to match a family's lifestyle and wallet, kitchen designers say.
"It comes down to educating the customers as to what the qualities are," said Scott Waldhauser, owner of Kenwood Kitchens in Lutherville.
From all the choices, two trends are growing, Waldhauser said. Butcher blocks - an upscale version showing the end-grain of the wood or made of eco-friendly bamboo - are drawing customers' interest. And combining surfacing material in a kitchen is on the rise: the counters atop the cabinets in one material, and a different material for the breakfast bar, island or pass-through.
News reports a few months ago about possible health risks from some granites emitting low levels of radon was a short-lived revival of past allegations. Kitchen designers and countertop fabricators locally say they haven't had many questions about it. Granite remains the most popular kitchen countertop for Baltimore-area homeowners who seek an upgrade. Inquiries about it focus on newer finishes - honed, which isn't glossy, a leatherlike look - and exotic granites. Customers are eyeing other stones as well.
"We are finding that more are going for more natural stones," Sorrell said.
"Soapstone never needs to be sealed. It is very, very dense," Sorrell said of the gray-toned velvety stone. "It scratches easily but can be sanded."
And some people take to slate, which is quarried domestically and also needs no sealing, she said.
"Everyone wants marble when they see this," Cox's Palmer said, pointing to milky-white Carrara marble.
The first thing she tells customers is that if they'd be devastated by every stain, chip and etching of the surface, forget marble. Soft and porous, it is marred by spills that are not immediately cleaned up and must be sealed twice a year. Some people get it for an island only, and others like the look of worn marble. Its cousin, limestone, is even less durable, Palmer said.
In redoing the kitchen of their Baltimore home with Cox, Tom and Pat LeCompte decided they wanted a carefree surface and didn't want to think about the occasional sealing that granite requires or the possibility of marring natural stone. They chose Silestone, which is in the same price range as many granites.
The quartz product has captured the bulk of the U.S. market in engineered stone and needs no sealing. The LeComptes' pattern has small swirls of beiges, greens and flecks of ivory and charcoal - a warm palette without the variation of granite.
"It's called Tea Leaf - tan with a lot of colors in it. It just appealed to us right off," Tom LeCompte said.
"We put it in a month ago. I love it," he said.
A new line features bright solids. Among other engineered surfaces, CaesarStone added the Concetto line, made with semiprecious stones; Zodiaq created a Terra Collection, which features recycled glass; and Cambria fashioned the Desert Collection, which has a sandlike look.
Gaining popularity locally for its price and customization is concrete.
Steve Eyler, owner of the concrete fabricator Eycon in Myersville, uses recycled glass fibers and aggregates to give his product strength and provide customization.
He's inlaid everything from bits of copper that develop a patina with age to chunks of glass. He's molded in duck footprints creating a path across the counter and blended countertop colors to match the kitchen.
"You can get original work," he said. But concrete is porous, so he applies a penetrating sealer.
Angela and Bill Class wanted an earthy but sophisticated look for their neutral-toned kitchen counters, which had to take a beating from four children.
Having decided granite was getting too popular, Angela Class turned to concrete with glass chips in its mix and a drainboard cast into it.
"It doesn't look like concrete on your sidewalk. It's very smooth," said Class, who worked with Kenwood Kitchens on other aspects of the kitchen.
A bar is topped with thick glass, its underside frosted. The high surface is ideal for grown-ups who dally in the kitchen. The rough-edge look complements the concrete.
Rosemary and Dean Hoover of Towson worked with Cox, but chose a recycled black-glass-and-concrete countertop, Granicrete, obtained through family.
Rosemary Hoover said the depth is provided by the glass, variation by cream and white aggregate in the mix. "It's very sturdy."
All products green, such as PaperStone and Ice-Stone, are getting more notice locally, though they make up a sliver of the market.
Justin Shelby, principal of UrbanEx Development, installed PaperStone, a compacted paper and resin product made of 50 percent recycled paper, in two historic buildings he rehabbed as condos in Mount Vernon and Charles Village.
The number of colors available is small, but PaperStone is impervious to water. It needs occasional sealing.
"It has a very warm look to it," Shelby said.
A 100 percent recycled version is among products available.
IceStone gets a random-flecked look from bits of recycled glass in concrete. Take note: Most recently, the blue glass is vodka bottles and the brown, beer bottles. Two items right at home in the kitchen.
counter conscious
Here are a few guidelines on kitchen counters:
Granite
Pro: Heat-, cut-, bacteria-resistant; showplace element; huge variety of colors and patterns.
Con: Needs resealing every one to five years, depending on product and use. Everybody has it.
Price: $45 and up per square foot.
Engineered stone
Pro: No sealing; durable; can take heat, scratching, spills. Unusual colors available.
Con: Uniform look, but quartz can provide depth and added color.
Price: $45 and up per square foot. Brands include Silestone and Zodiaq.
Marble
Pro: Classic; eye-catching.
Con: Soft stone stains, scratches, chips and etches; requires cleaning spills immediately and regular resealing.
Price: $65 and up per square foot
Concrete
Pro: Custom-stamped, tinted, textured; mixes can be plain or include recycled glass, metal and aggregate.
Con: Can scratch, etch; some require sealing every one to five years.
Price: $40 and up per square foot; IceStone, $75 and up. Besides locally fabricated concrete, products include the eco-chic IceStone, which is recycled glass bonded with concrete, and Granicrete.
Solid surface
Pro: Can include integrated sink; light damage can be polished.
Con: Scratches, stains; uniform look.
Price: $40 to $100 per square foot. Brands include Corian.
Laminate
Pro: Large color selection; stain-resistant; newest have texture and show a bit of depth.
Con: Seams visible; scorches, scratches can't be repaired.
Price: $12 to $22 per square foot. Brands include Formica and Wilsonart.
Andrea F. Siegel
counters by the numbers
A National Association of Home Builders survey in 2006 broke new countertop installation down this way:
Granite: 40 percent
Laminate: 36 percent
Solid surfaces: 13 percent
Ceramic tile: 4 percent
Marble or slate: 3 percent
Other: 4 percent