Kitchen Countertop Material Comparison
Close your eyes and list as many kitchen countertop options you can. How’d you do? There is a lot to choose from! This post will cover your options and help you make a more informed choice.
Laminate Countertops
Laminate countertops (often called Formica) are very common. Builders often install laminate to keep costs low. It is one of the cheapest options available with prices range from around $5 to $30 per square foot. Laminate is low maintenance and will resist most stains. It’s easy to clean and available in many colors and patterns. Knives and hight heat can cause noticeable damage.
Granite Countertops
Jocie and I choose granite countertops. Granite is a hard, durable surface. It won’t take stains (when properly sealed). Knives won’t damage it and you can place hot pans directly on it. It’s a great natural stone look.
But it’s not cheap. Estimate spending between $45 and $100 per square foot. And plan on sealing your granite about once a year to keep it stain free.
Butcher Block
Butcher Block will give your kitchen a warm, rustic feel. It’s great for cutting or chopping produce. And most scratches can be sanded or scraped away. For this reason it’s best not to refinish the surface. Otherwise your working to keep the finish nice and not even enjoying your countertop. Butcher Block should be kept clean and treated with mineral oil periodically. It’ll run you about $40 to $65 per square foot making it a great option.
Stainless Steel
A lot of popular appliances are stainless. Why not the countertop too? Stainless is a tough material that will stand up to high heat and won’t ever stain or rust. It will also give your kitchen a very professional, contemporary look. Unfortunately, stainless will show scratches easily. Be sure to install with a solid sub-layer to help avoid dents. Stainless isn’t cheap either. Prices range from $100 to $200 per square foot.
Solid Surface
Solid Surface countertops have a lot of great benefits. They are available in a wide range of colors and patterns including stone like finishes. Any countertop seams can be eliminated or hidden. Solid Surfaces are non-porous meaning you won’t need to seal (and reseal) them to protect against stains or germs. The finish can scratch but can usually be removed with buffing and sanding. And the price start around $45 per square foot.
Tile
Ceramic or Porcelain tile is another countertop option. Tiles are inexpensive and available in many different colors and patterns. While tile can withstand high heat, they are prone to cracking and chipping if your not careful. Be sure to seal the grout or it will quickly become discolored. Prices are low, starting around $10 per square foot.
Concrete
Many modern kitchens are beginning to incorporate concrete countertops. They can be dyed and textured to many different styles. Concrete is somewhat stain and heat resistant depending on what type of sealer is applied. And be sure to reapply it on a regular basis. Pick an experienced installer else cracks can develop down the road. Prices are higher ranging from $60 to $120 per square foot.
Limestone
Limestone is another natural stone look available in many colors. The hardness depends on the variety chosen. But all withstand heat very well. Limestone is very porous meaning it can stain even when properly sealed. Prices start around $60 and go as high as $100 per square foot.
Marble
Marble is available in many different colors and will look great. But it’s tough to keep it that way. It’s more porous (like Limestone) making it less stain resistant even with regular sealing. Marble is not heat resistant either. And to top it off, scratches easily. Combined with high prices ($50 to $100), it doesn’t seem like a good investment.
Quartz (Silestone)
Quartz is a very hard material (harder than granite) available in many natural colors. It’s a non-porous material which prevents stains without sealant and makes it easy to clean. It’s heat resistant so feel free to put hot pans right on the countertop. Be careful around corners as they can chip. Prices are mid-ranged from $50 to $100 per square foot.
A lot of these countertops require a sealant (and reapplication over time). I’ve always used Stone Care sealant and it works great. It’s quick and easy to apply and didn’t change any of the colors. Amazon sells Stone Care sealant for $10.67.
What do you think? How many could you name? What did you install?
Image courtesy of Allen Chu
June 30th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Couple notes, solid surface typically refers to all the solid tops, stone, acrylic, concrete, etc. I think what you meant by solid surface was the acrylic counter tops. We’ve found that the solid surface business is pretty volatile right now with respect to pricing. Many of the acrylic and quartz tops are now the same price or more expensive than granite. I tell our customers now that you can plan on spending the same amount of money for any of the solid surfaces.
One word of caution, although it’s unlikely that a hot pan would damage granite, we have seen a couple of instances where a very hot pot caused the stone to crack. I myself avoid hot pots and pans on our granite.
Nice summary here on counter tops. There really is no limit to creativity for the design of kitchens now. The other little secret your readers might enjoy is this: If you’re looking to put in a stone vanity top, go visit a stone fabricator, they typically have small pieces at very discounted rates.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I had the same problems with hot pots on my granite in my first kitchen, I bought anew place a few months ago and went with concrete and it seems to be a lot more durable.
My old granite also had wood corbels under it and it made them look great.
One last thing, has anyone seen the new recycled glass countertops?
June 30th, 2008 at 8:55 am
@Todd, Finding smaller pieces that still work for your kitchen is a great tip. Sometimes you can also re cut damaged pieces to save money.
I’ve never had any problems with hot items on my granite. Now I’m a little concerned. It’s really nice to put a pan from the stove on the countertop.
@George, Never seen the glass countertops. Something I’ll have to check out.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I think Jennifer over at Tiny Old House used a piece of remnant granite…
We compromised and did granite tile. We were only able to easily access 12″ tiles– not the big tiles like your last before and after story or like the countertops on 10k Kitchen Remodel, but they look nice, I think. I’ll never want to roll out big pieces of pastry, but I otherwise really like the cold feel of real stone and we just couldn’t afford solid granite. We were able to get it on a Labor Day sale, so it was ultra cheap and surprisingly easy to work with after renting a wet saw for a day. Add black grout, and it stays looking really clean– which is a pro and con. On the one hand, it’s great that it always looks good; on the other, it’s hard to know that you’ve cleaned it all until you put a hand on there and end up knuckle deep in raspberry jam!
June 30th, 2008 at 10:59 am
George:
Recycled glass countertops have been around for a little while now. I think they’re just getting a lot of attention because of the green/eco-friendly movement in home design.
You can view a great list of articles and pictures on glass recycled countertops here:
Glass countertops: http://countertopbusiness.com/Topics.aspx?topic=Glass
Recycled countertops: http://countertopbusiness.com/Topics.aspx?topic=Recycled+products
June 30th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Amalie (& anyone interested) — your countertops look great. I had to run over to your blog and find them… not sure if you have a “finished” kitchen picture, but if you click the label “kitchen” (or follow the link below) you can see the granite tile amalie is talking about. I really like the look - it has a lot of character and lines… Do you remember how much you paid per sqft?
http://ohbungalow.blogspot.com/search/label/kitchen
June 30th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I recently saw an HGTV show that used a counter top made of recyled paper. I’m not sure if this was their source but it’s at least one source: http://www.paperstoneproducts.com/ps_properties_applications.php
Myself, I will be using butcher block, most likely. For affordability and to keep in the keeping with the age of my house. I didn’t want anything that looked too new.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
No “finished” pictures– we in fact still have to install the countertop trim, crown molding, baseboards and cabinet doors…and OTR microwave. But, I think we paid ~$7.70 per tile. They’re standard Uba Tuba; they’re normally closer to $10, but Lowe’s was having a Labor Day sale. We also had to install a plywood base counter and hardibacker. All in all, I think it came out to a few hundred dollars, and we have some granite left over for a bar on the island we’d like to build– we overshot and bought waaay too much and then accidentally ended up with even more…
July 1st, 2008 at 8:54 am
Very well written article giving an honest look at all surfaces.
I would like to correct Todd, your first responder who mentioned that solid surface is a general name for all tops. Solid Surface was a name given to accrylic countertops because they are non-porous meaning nothing can penetrate them. Tops like granite are porous and if you ran a very strong vacum you could actually stack two tops and cut them at the same time. I have seen this confusion in the market before and I think it is comments like that that ad to the confusion. Solid Surface was a name given to Corian and similar name brand accrylic surfaces.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:21 am
Something else I meant to mention– while we were researching granite, we found that the darker it is, the more compact it is, and therefore, needs no sealer on the stone itself. We sealed only the grout, and have since discovered some lovely things like, for example, the toaster oven wasn’t sitting level and was dripping butter from garlic bread for days onto the stone underneath, where we couldn’t see…No stains! All that oil cleaned up a dream.
This is a great site for stone info:
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=11
One of the frequent posters, Maurizio Bertoli, is a stone expert; I’ve seen him run advice columns for other companies that produce and sell stone sealant, and even he recommends no sealer for dark granites like Black Absolute and Uba Tuba.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:28 am
@Amalie, I didn’t know that about granite. Great to hear that the oil cleaned right off. We’ve always been very happy with out granite. Uba Tuba is fun to say….
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Just an FYI on limestone, inc case anyone is thinking of it… my father in law works in limestone (runs a stone cutting shop) and he would NEVER make a limestone countertop. The chips, the stains, etc. It’s a very soft stone.. .and he works in the hardest of the limestones.
We like our granite countertop a lot… I’m a “sucker” for a natural counter. Anything else like the fake stones or laminates actually decrease the value of the kitchen for me, no matter how expensive they were new!