Because bathrooms are prone to such high humidity and excessive moisture, certain materials used for bathroom remodels will not yield the best results in the long run. A prime example of a poor application would be the installation of laminate vanities or a laminate countertop. While commonly found installed in bathrooms, these materials are not the best of choices.
The disadvantage of laminate cabinetry and countertops is that they are layered. Over a brief time of just a few years, laminates can and most likely will de-laminate (peel apart). As the humidity levels and temperature rise and fall through the cycle of bathing and showering, laminated wood is constantly expanding and contracting. These frequent changes greatly accelerates the separation of the laminate from the compress board subsurface which it is glued. Instead of getting 10 to 15 years or more of a perfect looking bathroom, a homeowner will likely experience warping and a bubbling up of the laminated vanity top or laminated vanity itself, leading to chips and cracks..
Remodeling a bathroom is the perfect time to not just replace the existing vanity top with the same inferior laminate material, but upgrade to much more durable and beautiful natural materials such as granite, soapstone, or limestone. Marble and onyx are also favorites of custom builders and homeowners. Natural stone countertops and even flooring can create a warm and serene atmosphere to an antiseptically efficient environment depending upon the color and stone right down to the custom edge profile of the countertop.
Very few other building materials are as versatile or as widely desired as natural stone. In the hands of expertly skilled craftsmen and machinists, the range of application and shapes are almost limitless. Looking at the past Mediterranean cultures and what their craftsmen were able to create with marble, which is more delicate than granite, is astounding. Today, stone fabricators have the benefit of machines to accelerate the results with even more precision.
All of this potential beauty does not come cheap though. There is a trade off of increased cost for increased quality and material. Even though stone fabricators have additional hardware to assist them, which the ancients did not possess, it is still a very difficult and costly medium with which to work and the primary reason for a higher price point when compared to inferior grades of materials.
