Countertops

Your countertops are one of the major workhorses in your kitchen--no matter the amount. Depending upon the size of your kitchen and your floor plan, you may have one continuous length of countertop or several lengths of countertops that are broken up by cabinets and appliances. Either way, they act as a work and eating surface, serving area, cutting board, dish drainer, desk, drop-off location, and storage area.

The standard depth of kitchen countertops is from 25 to 26 inches deep. That usually includes a 1-inch overhang in front of the cabinet doors. Depending upon the material, the thickness of a standard countertop ranges between 1 - 1˝ inches. Countertop backsplashes can be part of the countertop surface or a separate piece (See our Backsplash page). If you need to keep a lot of items at the back of the counters due to limited cabinet storage, another option would be to make your countertop 30" deep. This gives you extra working space. To allow for this feature you can install your base cabinetry about 4 ˝ inches from the wall and often the depth of the upper cabinetry is increased from 12 to 15 inches for easier access.

When shopping for countertops, ask your countertop fabricator if an underlayment is required and what thickness would be needed to support the material. If you are installing solid surface countertops, find a qualified ISSFA fabricator member in your area by visiting the ISSFA Fabricator Member Directory or "log in" on our web site and click our "Local Resources" box (bottom right corner).

See our Counter, Surface, & Landing Space page for more countertop design guidelines. Homestore.com has a "Kitchen Details: Countertops…" that reviews countertop advantages, disadvantages and costs. Homeportfolio has a vast array of countertop information, pictures, and pricing options which include butcher block, ceramic tile, concrete, metal countertops, solid surface, stone, and stone tile.