Home renovation has become something of cultural phenomenon in today's society. With more and more television shows and magazine features focusing on rejuvenating the decor and design in our homes, owners have followed suit, looking for new and affordable ways to maximize the value of their home through design changes. When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to design and renovation, changing countertops leads the pack.

A countertop can set the visual tone for the room - and often at a very affordable price. Normally when we think of countertops we think of those surfaces that are found in the kitchen or bathroom. But there is another type of countertop that sets a visual and social tone for an entire room – the bar countertop.

An in-home bar space is the modern world's answer to entertaining; a place over which to serve cocktails or coffee and gather with friends and family. A bar such as this sets a mood for a room - warm and earthy or cool and sophisticated; no matter what we choose our bar area to be chances are that it will set the tone for the much of the home. A bar countertop is the material that we use to dictate this tone.

There are essentially two options when it comes to building a bar countertop. Some people prefer to construct a whole new bar countertop starting from the ground up; while there are others who choose to build the countertop on top of an existing structure such as a cabinet, table, and the like.

This alternative option is typically much cheaper because you only need to buy the top layer, which can be found in a variety of materials and in a wide range of prices. Some of the more popular materials used to construct the bar countertop include Formica, ceramic tiles, Corian, wood, granite, marble, limestone, and metals.

Deciding which material to use depends on the type of tone that you wish to set. Wood and stone tend to suit a more traditional home while metal and Formica complement a more contemporary decor. Of course, budget always enters into this decision; materials differ drastically in price; granite is a much pricier choice than metal, while limestone is more affordable than ceramic.

Functionality should also come into play when deciding what type of bar countertop to install. If you are looking for low maintenance and easy clean-up then you may decide to pay the higher price for ceramic tile; if you are in the market for durability then granite may be the material you need.

Finally, the countertop you choose should fit within and complement the existing decor in the home as well as furthering the design ideas that you have in mind. Be sure to shop around before purchasing and do so with the larger picture in mind; bring pictures of the room in which the bar will sit and paint samples if you have them. The more information you bring to the table when deciding on a bar countertop the more successfully you will ultimately be in choosing a material that works best for your needs.