We asked Nicholas Powers, partner for Metro Stone Works, a family-owned and operated fabricator in Northern Virginia, what they are seeing in laundry rooms today and how fabrication is trending in this design space.
Are laundry rooms trending for you?
We have noticed that laundry room countertops are trending and this seems to be the case in both the remodel and the new home construction segment as well. Some builders are including the laundry room top as a standard granite top now.
What counter surfaces are most popular in laundry room? (Quartz, Granite, Porcelain, etc.)
For us, granite countertops have been the majority for laundry room tops, but engineered quartz has steadily increased over the last few years and is getting closer to 50/50 in terms of sales in comparison to granite for laundry room tops.
What finishes/colors are trending for you? (White, Dark, Gloss, Matte, Pattern?)
Whites and greys, of course, are dominating in sales in terms of countertops currently. The majority of our sales are still “gloss finish” but both honed and even leathered finish sales have seen an increase within the past two years. The current trend for pattern is still the marble White Carrera or Statuary look. This has been the case and continues to be the strong demand as far as the pattern goes.
What do you recommend to designers/consumers for laundry and why?
In a laundry room where detergents and bleach would be around, it’s hard to say one material is “better” than the other in that scenario. While engineered quartz is more “stain resistant” than most natural stones, both products can still be penetrated and etching and/or staining is still possible. With that said, both products are very durable and make for a beautiful and sustainable countertop for a laundry application.
Another material to think about in a laundry application would be Soapstone. Although Soapstone is a soft material that will scratch, it gives it a patina or in other words a lived-in finish. Soapstone is a good material and it is non-porous so it will not stain.
What makes for a good laundry sink?
Most sinks we sell in laundry countertops are either stainless steel, cast iron, or a stone composite sinks (such as BLANCO’s SILGRANIT® ) The majority of the sinks we sell in a laundry room top are undermount sinks. In discussions we have had, most customers look for a deep single bowl sink that they can rinse/clean items in. It’s also a nice option to have a small “ledge” within the sink for placing sponges, brushes, etc.
What edge is best for laundry work? (Surface edge)
We consider the decorative edge details to be more of a personal preference as opposed to being “suitable” for a certain type of room. All edges we offer are suitable for a laundry room top.