Graceful and chic are the words that you will hear when you ask any home renovators what kind of look they want for the kitchen. Surfaces, including countertops, influence to a large degree the look of a kitchen. That is why chic graceful looking countertops are in demand. There are actually many home renovators who are designing and making their own countertops. One way to add a modern highlight to a traditional countertop is to create beveled wood edges for your countertop. Beveled edges on wood are relatively simple to make and there are other benefits as well.

The beveled wood edge countertop is most easily added during the replacement of an existing laminated countertop area. You can also opt to modify your current countertop by adding a beveled wood edge; but most homeowners find once they begin planning a kitchen makeover, a brand new countertop is a must have. Given the right tools and materials just about any one can renovate a laminate countertop with an elegant beveled wood edge. It is a project that can even be finished in only a few hours.

When shopping for supplies for this project, make sure your new edge wood matches the wood in other features of the room, such as cabinets, if they are unpainted. If most of the kitchen is or will be painted, bring a paint chip and make sure the color of the wood is one that will be harmonious with the room as a whole.

For making the bevel in your wood edge strips, the best tool is a compound sliding miter saw. This is an electric saw which pivots from side to side to create the miter cut, as well as pivoting left to right to create the bevel. If you don't own one, you can rent one, or alternately, have the store where you bought the wood size and bevel it for you. Be sure to do a few practice cuts on some scrap wood if you have not previously used one of these saws.

A nice extra to having updated kitchen décor details like this is that it is your beveled wood edge countertop probably will raise the value of your home. It might not dramatically go up in price, but it is the small details that homebuyers appreciate, and real estate agents like to point out such countertop designs when showing a home to prospective buyers. It is all the little details added up that make the sell.

Last but not least, once you’ve learned to successfully add a beveled edge to your kitchen countertops, you can also look to the bathroom and other rooms featuring built-in surfaces to further update your home.