Are waterfall countertops worth it?

Waterfall countertops are a common style and design that can be found in kitchens of all designs and dimensions, whilst they are specially popular as element of a more deluxe kitchen area style and design.

So, ‘Are waterfall countertops well worth it?’ is a query you could be inquiring your self if you are undertaking a kitchen rework, or, in some circumstances, a toilet remodel…

Eugene H. Sakai, AIA, LEED AP

Eugene is a partner and CEO at the San Jose-based Studio S Squared Architecture.

When it arrives to acquiring the finest kitchen area counter tops, there are tons of variables, like type and content, to contemplate ahead of generating a closing choice for your dwelling. Here is what you need to know about this countertop sort, in accordance to kitchen style and design experts.

What are waterfall counter tops?

A waterfall countertop is a sort of countertop wherever the countertop content carries on more than the edge and falls all the way to the flooring on equally sides. Eugene H. Sakai, CEO at Studio S Squared Architecture (opens in new tab) claims that waterfall counter tops are normally utilized as element of kitchen island tips, but they ‘can be carried out any place that has an edge like in the cabinetry wall pictured under the place we utilized wood as a substitute of stone to develop the result. The corners are mitered on the preferred floor producing a continuous line that appears to drop off the stop, like a waterfall.’

Megan Dufresne, the founder of LA-based inside layout business MC Style and design (opens in new tab) provides that ‘this technique necessitates double the slab materials if working with stone, so that does want to be viewed as when choosing this appear for your property. These counter tops are contemporary, dramatic, and offer a clear, aesthetically satisfying look.’

Waterfall counter tops are flexible and will go well with a amount of kitchen designs, from modern kitchens to coastal, though we probably would not suggest them pretty so a great deal for classic kitchen styles.

A modern kitchen with a dark waterfall countertop

(Picture credit: Studio S Squared Architecture)

How are waterfall countertops mounted?

In accordance to Sakai, waterfall countertops ‘are mounted by gluing slab material (genuine stone, quartz, porcelain) over plywood and wrapping that same content more than the edges of the plywood with an angled miter joint.’

Of study course, mainly because this countertop structure will involve equally added product and extra labor, it will set you again additional than the conventional charge of quartz counter tops, for illustration, that end at the edges. You do have to have to bear this thoughts if you are contemplating a waterfall countertop. According to Ceasarstone (opens in new tab), ‘Stone slabs (like quartz) for a waterfall countertop charge from $40 to $100 and past per square foot. Installation will run you as much as $100 for every sq. foot.’

A modern neutral kitchen with a waterfall countertop

(Picture credit: MC Design)

Are waterfall counter tops really worth it?

At this level, you are possibly asking yourself, ‘are waterfall counter tops worth it?’ Understandably, the larger charge and for a longer time build may well have produced you pause for imagined.

Nicely, our kitchen area style and design professionals are unanimous for waterfall counter tops. Sakai explains that the principal benefit of waterfall countertops ‘is aesthetic as the richer slab materials can grow to be more impactful when employed equally horizontally and vertically.’

On the other hand, that is not the only advantage of this design and style. ‘As a secondary benefit, the waterfall product is much more tough than a usual cabinet panel, so this can be a fantastic answer for a high-site visitors space, which let’s confront it, most kitchens inherently are!’

So, when it is really legitimate that a waterfall countertop will cost you a couple hundred bucks extra in the beginning, it will make the in general layout of your countertop more robust, and insert a lot more layout impression. It can be a worthwhile financial investment – in particular for luxurious kitchens.

Are waterfall countertops heading out of model?

If you are upgrading your kitchen with a resale in intellect, you could be questioning regardless of whether waterfall counter tops are heading out of design and style and hence could set off a prospective customer. You needn’t worry. Dufresne tells us that she won’t see waterfall counter tops likely out of style ‘any time soon’, thanks to their modern-day and functional search.

Sakai provides that watefall countertops ‘are a lot more well-known than ever! If everything, the wow element of a waterfall counter is a little bit diminished by the fact that you see these a lot more usually than not in a substantial-top quality kitchen.’ Waterfall counter tops are a staple attribute of superior-end kitchen style and design.

They might effectively go out of trend in a couple years’ time, as tends to be the circumstance with lots of ultra-well-liked kitchen trends. But this will not be whenever also quickly, so if you want to impress discerning purchasers and insert value to your kitchen area, then a waterfall countertop is definitely the variety of feature that will do the trick.

With all of this claimed, luxury kitchen area style things make the most feeling in kitchens that are if not intended and preserved to a high typical. They may perhaps make fewer sense in a small kitchen area that needs an total improve. A waterfall countertop is more of a cherry on the cake of your kitchen prepare or layout, so target on an important remodel to start with.

Tags: countertops, waterfall, worth