Erin Napier's Beautiful Alternative For Marble And Granite Countertops Is Also Affordable

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Erin Napier of HGTV's beloved "Home Town" program may have discovered the answer to your kitchen reno countertop drama. If you're knee-deep in a remodel but are plagued with ennui when it comes to ubiquitous marble and granite options, take heart! There's another choice that's both beautiful, affordable, and able to go toe-to-toe with other stone materials. Consider limestone countertops. In a clip from "Home Town" available on the HGTV YouTube channel, Napier's plans for a Provençal kitchen facelift in her own stomping grounds of Laurel, Mississippi, are torpedoed when the marble slab she selected shows up with a deep, end-to-end crack. The stone company representative shows Napier a beautiful piece of matte beige limestone, and she's instantly in love ... and wowed with the price.

We've discussed why you should skip laminate countertops in your kitchen design, but even those looking for low-maintenance stone in their kitchens might have qualms with limestone. It scratches easily, being much lower than granite or marble on the Mohs hardness scale, and it's prone to etching (which is different and more permanent than staining) if it comes into sustained contact with acidic materials. Luckily, some of the best pantry staples for cleaning can come in handy, like an overnight baking soda poultice to combat red wine or marinara spills, and you can keep a dedicated limestone cleaner like this high-rated Black Diamond solution on hand. Use trivets with drink glasses, and avoid hot pans on the surface. With a little TLC, your limestone counters will stand the test of time and dazzle you with their natural, understated beauty.

According to HomeAdvisor, there's a wide range of potential costs for limestone kitchen countertops, going from $3,500 on the low end to north of $6k on the high end. Prices vary drastically based on what type of limestone you prefer — polished limestone costs less, while matte limestone options are pricier — and how many cut-outs you need in your slab. This is, of course, to say nothing of your square footage. Installed, limestone ranges from $70 to $200 per square foot (per Marble.com). You need to factor into your budget the cost of resealing your countertops at least annually and possibly twice a year if your kitchen sees heavy use. Limestone may or may not match granite countertops for a long lifespan if you take excellent care of them and are willing to commit to regular maintenance and quick attention to problems.

In return, limestone countertops will repay you with a high-end appearance that doesn't have to land an explosive budgetary hit. Like marble and granite, limestone is available in many different colors and finishes, sometimes even containing the tiny fossils that contributed to its natural rock formation! Like Erin Napier, you just might be surprised by how limestone stacks up to more popular countertop stones when it comes to beauty and appeal, just so long as you don't mind babying it a bit. Want to enjoy the appearance of limestone in your kitchen, but can't commit to the care? You might want to isolate its use to an island or command center that doesn't see as much food prep.