Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

Whether it’s for the kitchen or the bathroom, there are a lot of things to consider when choosing the best countertop for your home.

At Deslaurier Custom Cabinets, we have over 40 years of experience providing our customers with custom cabinets and kitchen & bathroom design services. While we don’t manufacture stone countertops, we partner with reputable local fabricators such as Urban Quarry to ensure our clients have the perfect countertop surfaces for their projects.

Join us, as Deslaurier designer Adele Jacobs provides her expertise on what you should consider when selecting countertops for your bathroom! 

Let’s get started!

1. Durability

When it comes to a bathroom countertop, durability is at the top of the list. Aside from your kitchen work station, no surface in your house will experience as much daily use as the bathroom countertops. 

“[You'll want] something that’s able to stand up to common bathroom products” - Deslaurier designer, Adele Jacobs 

A bathroom surface can find itself covered in a number of different spills. From toothpaste to make-up products to pools of excess water, you’ll want a countertop that is resilient to liquids and chemicals. 

If you have an extensive skin-care routine, or plan on using your bathroom vanity as a make-up station, you’ll want to lean towards quartz and solid surface as opposed to granite. 

While granite certainly isn’t a vulnerable material, it’s primary weakness is excessive water. Because it is slightly porous, granite requires resealing—and even with routine sealing, it can still be susceptible to water stains.

2. Smooth Surface for Easy Cleaning

Not only should your bathroom countertop be durable and resilient to liquids and chemicals, it should also be easy to clean those products as well! 

The simplest way to ensure an easy-to-clean surface is by avoiding textured countertops. 

“I wouldn’t recommend anything in a bathroom countertop that has texture to it” - Adele Jacobs

If you’ve every owned a countertop with a textured finish, be it in your kitchen or a bathroom, you’ll know all too well that one of the primary downsides to these surfaces is that they are notoriously difficult to clean. 

The textured grooves collect dirt and buildup from bathroom products and can make for a difficult surface to clean properly. Thus, the ideal bathroom countertop should have a smooth surface that makes cleaning a breeze. 

3. It Matches the Rest of the Room

When it comes to visual design, aesthetic style always comes down to each individual homeowner’s personal preference. Whether you want a countertop that’s solid white or one with intricate veining, that’s a des

However, one thing you should focus on is how your bathroom countertop selection will accompany the rest of the space. 

“Bathrooms have a lot of hard surfaces – they’ve got flooring, plumbing fixtures, shower wall tiles – you want something that meshes well with all of those finishes.” - Adele Jacobs

Quartz and solid surface are two extremely versatile materials with regards to the number of visual options they can come in. Both countertops owe that to their manufacturing process that can incorporate different resins, pigments and minerals.

Solid surface countertops have the ability to come in a variety of solid colours; replicate stone surfaces like marble, quartz, granite, and slate; and can even mimic wood tones.

4. It Can Hold Under-Mounted Sinks

When choosing your bathroom countertop, it’s highly recommended that you go with a material that can hold an under-mounted sink.

Under-mounted sinks are when the sink is installed from underneath the countertop. This sink configuration eliminates the rim or lip of the sink and can provide a sleek, integrated look when combined with solid-surface countertops like granite or quartz. 

Because countertop debris can easily be brushed into the sink, under-mount sinks look sleeker and are easier to clean. 

However, not every countertop material can withhold the added weight of an under-mount sink installation. For example, laminate can be an extremely difficult countertop material for an under-mounted sink installation. 

Rather, if you’re going with an under-mount sink in your bathroom – which we recommend – you’ll have a much easier time with quartz, granite, or solid surface countertops. 

5. Consider Your Budget 

No matter the room or feature, working within your budget is always a primary factor when dealing with home improvement projects. Choosing your bathroom countertop is no different. 

Outfitting an entire home’s worth of surfaces with high-end countertops can be incredibly expensive. If you’ve splurged for top-of-the-line quartz countertops in your kitchen, it’s understandable to focus on a more budget-friendly option for your bathrooms. 

Thankfully, countertops like quartz, granite, or solid surface come in many different styles and price ranges. While most people hear stones like quartz and granite and immediately think of dollar signs, many countertop fabricators will have selections in those materials at cost-effective price points. 

Take the cost of quartz countertops, for example. According to Ottawa supplier Urban Quarry, the average cost of a quartz countertop falls between $80-$180 per sq. ft., not including installation fees.

If solid surface or quartz is too expensive, laminate is certainly still an option you can consider, particularly in a bathroom that doesn’t receive consistent daily use: maybe a guest or basement bathroom. 

While they lack the resiliency of a stone surface, laminate’s price point is extremely appealing. As we mentioned earlier, just make sure you avoid any laminate countertop with a textured surface.

6. Should You Add a Backsplash?

A backsplash is a great way to protect your walls from water and other liquids that are common in the bathroom. 

While a backsplash certainly isn’t a mandatory component of a bathroom design, it’s a practical way to safeguard your walls, particularly behind the bathroom sink. 

However, not everyone – including designers – likes the idea of a backsplash in the bathroom. They can be viewed as another opportunity for spills and debris to build up and just another seam to clean. 

If you’re not interested in a bathroom backsplash, there are other alternatives you can choose to pair with your countertop. At the end of the day, the goal is to protect your wall from potential water damage.

“You can bring a mirror right down to the countertop, or even have a complementary accent tile” - Adele Jacobs 

You can bring your wall mirror down to the countertop as an alternative, or have fun with some decorative accent tiling.

Whatever you choose, it’s always best to lean away from exposed dry-wall and have something protecting your walls from potential water damage. 

Design with Deslaurier Custom Cabinets 

If you have your eye on custom cabinetry and a personalized bathroom design, Deslaurier Custom Cabinets has everything you need. 

With over 40 years of experience to our name, and partnerships with local countertop fabricators, we provide our clients with a fully customized design process with our talented team of designers. 

Book a free consultation with a Deslaurier design expert at our Ottawa showroom today! 

Interested in becoming an authorized Deslaurier dealer? Visit our Become a Dealer page to learn more! Live outside the area? Find a Dealer to connect with a Deslaurier dealer near you!