Personalized Kitchen Countertops

Countertop Inlays Inlays can be anything from lettering in concrete to deer tracks, Jalapeno peppers, or flowers scattered across solid-surface tops. Inlays can be used to create bold designs or elegant flourishes like this trellis inlay in a granite countertop. Photo Credit: Surface Source An inlay may have sentimental value or simply be a cool design. In Ohio, Brutus Buckeye and the Ohio State logo were cut into a solid-surface top for homeowners who are big Buckeye fans. The designs were created with liquid inlay, says Todd Werstler, CEO of Tower Industries in Massillon, Ohio. "When people find out they can do these inlays, they tend to jump all over it." Properly done, a countertop with inlays is one homogenous surface. For solid surface, inlay designs are typically cut into the material by a computerized CNC machine programmed with the design. The inlays themselves can be of hard material or liquid resin. One method requires creating the inlay and recessing it into the space routed out--like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle. The other uses a liquid fill that is sealed, planed, and leveled with the top. Countertops that Glow Counters can be personalized to glow or light-up. Mory Ludwick of Premier Countertops in Omaha , Neb., describes how a pocket can be created in a translucent countertop backsplash and fitted with rope lighting. "The whole backsplash will glow," he says. Lumistone photoluminescent acrylic can be used as a solid surface, an inlay, or an edging. It has long-lasting photoluminescence when recharged by natural daylight or artificial lighting, so when the lights go out, the neutral white surface lights up as a cool blue. No electricity, wiring, or bulbs are required. Customized Countertop Costs Personalized countertops are most commonly found in high-end kitchens, where designers and fabricators can create personalized looks with special crafting and unusual materials. Caesarstone Concetto, for example, costs from $400 to $500 per square foot. Such a unique surface treatment is well suited to use as a visual centerpiece, like a center island, bar, or backsplash. For homeowners sticking to a modest budget, custom touches work well when incorporated with unusual off-the-shelf products. A stripe of contrasting material fabricated into a solid surface top might only add five percent to a project. A one-color inlay might cost a few hundred dollars, while a multicolor inlay project could run to $1,200. A marble backsplash at $100 a foot may become a strong vertical focal point for the kitchen while the rest is completed with standard materials.

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