Best Countertop Material?

[Glenn F.]

We are updating our 1970 vintage house. I suppose this question is rather subjective, but what is the best kitchen countertop material (beautiful, durable, etc.)? Cost is not an object, within reason.

Thanks,
Glenn F.

 

[Red Dave]

Very subjective. I like Formica, the wife likes granite. We got granite.

 

[544hydro]

We went with quartz countertops a few years ago. They have held up well and we like them.

 

[Janicholson]

Granite. Ceramic tile is also nice, but can be more expensive to install, and less expensive to purchase. Jim

 

[old]

Granite it is hard as rock and wears like it. LOL

 

[RCP]

We like Corean, it is a synthetic material that does not require coating or treatment as stone tops require. Also, if you drop something on it, it does not crack like stone or ceramic.

 

[Stuart]

Quartz is best over all but is loud when setting stuff on it. I would go with corean

 

[Janicholson]

The only two issues with Corian are that it can show knife marks, and can be burnt, showing discoloration. Jim

 

[JD Dave]

I think when I replace the Formica in my 28 year-old house, I will seriously consider Corian. I'm not fond of very hard surfaces like granite.

 

[Bob Harvey]

We have a laminated Oak tops from Ikea. Good quality - not free, but look great. Special oil treatment once a year.

 

[cwtech]

IF you are a married man, you should not be asking US !!

 

[DelMN]

Quartz, got ours from Lowes. Allen and Roth brand. Also got our island top quartz from Menards.

 

[4play]

Mine are all granite and have had no problems at all. A suggestion though is considering the color. Dark colors are fine if you like the look, but they will show smudges and finger prints where lighter colors will not show as much.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

I made our kitchen bench tops from Terrazzo, Danish white cement with marble chips as aggregate and no sand added. It's poured on site into form work, either on the benches or outside, then ground and polished. It's hard, durable and not as cold as granite . The materials are cheap, labour a bit expensive if you don't do it yourself. I have seen really spectacular exposed aggregate concrete tops as well .

 

[MarkB_MI]

Granite is pretty hard to beat, but it makes sense only if you have somebody in the area that does it, and hopefully you have a granite wholesaler nearby. We have granite countertops in our kitchen; they look like new although they're fourteen years old. We recently had the kitchen remodeled in our FL condo and used quartzite, which looks like granite but is actually a different stone entirely (metamorphic versus igneous) and is a bit harder than granite. We get lots of compliments on the quartzite.

We asked a cabinet guy about (manmade) quartz versus granite. He said, 'the main difference between granite and quartz is that quartz has marketing'. There's no real advantage to using quartz rather than granite (or quartzite). Both cost about the same. If you want a consistent pattern, quartz has that. Personally I like the veins and other coloration of natural stone. Also, granite is available in larger slabs than quartz, which might be important if you have a wide counter, such as an island.

If you want to go with natural stone, I suggest you and your frau go to a few wholesalers to get an idea of what's available. Wholesalers won't give you a price, only a general idea of whether a given stone is relatively cheap or expensive. But you can pick out a few slabs and the wholesaler will work with your contractor to get a price per square foot of the finished counter. At least that's how it works in FL. Often, two or three wholesalers will be located a short distance apart so you can hit more than one warehouse in one tripo.

Marble is another natural stone option for countertops, but has fallen out of favor because it's softer than granite and can be damaged by acids such as vinegar.

Butcher block counters look good and are practical, but obviously aren't as durable as stone. You can buy countertop-width butcher block material from plywood shops. Unlike stone, you don't need special equipment to work with butcher block, so it's a good DIY option.

 

[Stephen Newell]

What is popular now is a natural stone. It would help sell the house if you sold it in the next few years. It just takes a bit of upkeep and you have to be careful not to drop anything on it to where it would chip. In reality an old fashion formica countertop is probably the most durable. Unless you sit something very hot on it it will last decades. A well made countertop is difficult to chip and will take considerable abuse. The biggest issue with formica now is some meathead got the idea to make the end caps for the finished ends apply with hotmelt glue. That adhesive won't hold up to very much especially next to a cook stove. If you would buy an extra piece of laminate and cut out the ends and apply with contact cement it would do much better.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I used to fabricate Corian. You can work it like wood. You can use a router to put a decorative edge on it and if scratched it can be sanded out and polished like new. If a burn is very deep you really can't sand that off but a shallow one can be fixed.

 

[Johnnypopper]

We have a countertop made of a product called Cambria. Its a man made product that is a granite alternative. It is very durable and maintenance free. Ours is now 10 years old, and looks like new. I recommend it. Just google the word Cambria.

 

[showcrop]

The big factor about granite is resale. It is what is popular now. Forty years ago I put a big Corian counter top in a new bathroom where we lived at the time. My wife still comments about how much she liked it.

 

[SDMike]

My wife is very happy with the quartz we installed.

Mike

 

[redtom]

In the late 70's early 80's I worked in a shop that made laminate (Wilson art) tops both rolled edge, called post formed and square edged, called self edged. They were state of art, then. There were lots of choices and several thicknesses. I also worked with a contractor installing them. When I built my house in 93 naturally I put in laminate tops. We literally wore through the finish, it took 30 years, though. I swore I would replace with more laminate. The stuff I see now is not as thick and the wear layer doesn't seem as durable. After much consideration we chose granite. We happen to have a granite fab shop in our area with a large selection on hand. The down side is cost and if you don't like it you're going to have it a while. We went from a light color to a black brown blend. Our cabinets are sound and new ones weren't in the budget. It truly looks like a new kitchen.

 

[DoubleO7]

We picked up a hunk of quartz countertop to create an island unit.

What is the standard way to make straight cuts and slightly round off the corners?

Wet diamond blade in circular saw?
And some exotic router bit?

 

[bmack95hd]

Wife has chosen quartz over granite for her kitchen in the new house. Didnt ask why, her call.

 

[sotxbill]

Got a marble top in the back bath. Big mistake as its porous and will stain over time and cant be cleaned down deep. Also told it will grow bacteria and other interesting things. NEVER do that again.

Got a man made stone tops in the new kitchen 15 years ago. So far, bullet proof, and perfect. Believe its called silestone, ordered from Home Depot. Looks like stone but better, and self sealed. Can highly recommend. Got corel?? at the other house, also great. Check carefully before you jump as this is a long term purchase.

 

[WNYBill]

Stone counter tops are unforgiving, drop anything breakable on them and it's history. We got laminate.

 

[wp6529]

I am not a fan of stone or stone composit countertops, they are noisy and also tend to break plates and the like if you put them down too hard accidentally.

Stainless steel is a good choice and will last about forever. My preference is for laminate (not pre-fab), it works well and cheap enough you can replace every 5-10 years to refresh and get a new look.

 

[dr sportster]

Corian

 

[Stuart]

Quartz is nonporous it will not stain like granite. Granite has to be sealed every so often and is more likely to harbor bacteria. Quartz is more indestructible.

 

[jacks]

We built a new home a few years ago and went with quartz. We have a Peninsula with the countertop extending out a foot on one side for bar seating. Quartz is strong enough to extend that distance but granite would have required support brackets underneath. We like the fact that quartz is non porous and won't stain as a result of spilled liquids being absorbed. Also I did some reading on h o u z z .com and found that there are sometimes problems with granite cracking after installation, especially at the narrow areas around the sink. Both are good materials, most important go with what the better half likes!

 

[DannyE]

Last winter we put HG-HIMAX in the kitchen in the Mesa house, man made, every color/pattern you can think of, you can repair if needed or the installer said he would come back and fix anything but chainsaw cuts. Dan

 

[ASEguy]

Just redid our kitchen last summer. We chose quartz. Wife loves it. Mainly white with very slight gray swirls. Nothing too dramatic for me. We love them.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

Granite is quite vulnerable to stains, odors, and outright destruction by some cleaners. It is porous and once stained is nearly impossible to get cleaned. We went with quartz which is not really quartz as in 'rock' but a hard material that is man made to be resistant to nearly everything. It comes in a huge variety of gorgeous colors and patterns as well.

 

[J.Wondergem]

My wife had granite put in when she was still with us. Kitchen and bathrooms.