Skip The Natural Stone: Jasmine Roth Has A Better Idea For Beautiful Countertops

Picking your kitchen countertop material comes down to a lot of different factors, like aesthetic, maintenance requirements, and durability. For a while now, natural stone has been the preferred choice for many homeowners and experts alike. After all, this naturally occurring material stands out for its organic beauty and variations, sense of luxury, and durability. Natural stone countertops haven't necessarily fallen off, but designers are now touting a worthy alternative. According to designer and builder Jasmine Roth, who hosts HGTV's "Help! I Wrecked My House", porcelain is an excellent countertop choice. "Why, you ask? Because porcelain is beautiful and WAY more durable than natural stone options," Roth says via her personal blog.

Though natural stone countertops have been highly valued, they've also got drawbacks. They can be quite expensive, require regular sealing and maintenance, and can end up with costly chips. In fact, materials like granite and marble can cost anywhere from $200 to $1,200 to fix, according to Angi. These factors are likely part of the reason people like Roth are now recommending alternatives like porcelain. Porcelain countertops share many of the same benefits as natural stone countertops but alleviate some of those drawbacks, making them great (and trending!) kitchen surfaces.

Unlike natural stone, porcelain is man-made, but that doesn't mean it looks cheap. It can come in either slabs or tiles and is popular for its ability to visually mimic materials like marble, quartz, concrete, and wood – not to mention, it's also available in bold colors. "One of my go-to moves is to find a beautiful porcelain countertop material that's printed to look like Calacatta marble," Jasmine Roth shared on her blog. Her own kitchen designs demonstrate how realistic and elegant porcelain can be.

For maintenance, porcelain typically only needs a light daily wipe down and requires no regular sealing. It's also very heat-resistant and non-porous, so it'll hold up well for your cooking needs. Another plus for porcelain versus natural stone is the cost of countertops. "Porcelain is way more affordable than actual marble or even some quartz options," Roth noted. While porcelain usually costs $50 to $120 per square foot with installation, marble, for instance, runs at least $100 per square foot installed.

If you're looking for porcelain kitchen countertop ideas, Roth suggests making them stand out by extending them. "For a high-end look, run the porcelain slab up the wall to serve as the backsplash," she wrote. Roth likes to opt for porcelain with a standard square mitered edge, but you have a variety of options, so get with an expert in porcelain and see if something like an eased, sharknose, or bullnose edge might fit your desired look better.