Kitchen counters have evolved from utilitarian work surface to stylish focal point.

You'll pay as little as $550 for 55 square feet if you choose a low-priced material like laminate. Falling prices for granite and quartz also mean you can now get a custom look for about what you’d pay for solid surfacing.

Newer trends include concrete and limestone as manufacturers push exclusivity. But our latest tests suggest you’re likely to prefer more tried-and-true options when it comes to scrapes and spills.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE

We’ve arranged the most popular countertop choices from top to bottom, based on how well they withstood stains, heat, cuts, abrasion, and impacts in our tests. The details:

Natural stone. The most popular are granite and marble, which offer an array of colors and stand up well to heat. But marble falls far behind when it comes to cuts, scrapes, and impact resistance. Both materials need regular resealing for stain resistance. And the grain you see in a display may not be what arrives on the truck (we suggest picking the piece you want from a stone yard). Limestone, slate, soapstone, and sandstone are softer than granite and far more fragile. Like all stone, they’re expensive partly because they’re heavy and hard to install. Price: $40 to $100 per square foot, installed.

Quartz (engineered stone). This material combines small stone chips, resins, and pigments. Today’s can imitate granite and marble more realistically. While it won’t resist impacts as well as granite, it costs roughly the same and fends off stains far better without needing to be sealed—reasons why quartz is the fastest-growing countertop option. Price: $45 to $90 per square foot, installed.

Ceramic tile. This classic option offers almost limitless colors, patterns, and styles, and resists damage from heat and cuts. It’s inexpensive and relatively easy to install and repair. Ceramic tile also mixes well with other materials and works well on a backsplash or island top, or set into the counter near the range as a built-in trivet. Grout can be tinted to match or contrast, but joints can be hard to clean and tend to trap crumbs and soak up stains. Little impact resistance is another sore point. Price: $10 to $30 per square foot, installed.

Stainless steel. This emerging option lets you integrate counters with stainless appliances. Major brands include John Boos and Elkay as well as local fabricators. Heat and stain resistance are a plus. But stainless tends to dent and scratch easily while showing fingerprints. It’s also expensive. Price: $70 to $120 per square foot, installed.

Laminate. Sold under the Formica and Wilsonart names, among others, laminate is light, low-priced, and easy to install. It also comes in hundreds of colors and patterns. While most have a colored top layer over a dark core, which shows at the edges, you can also choose prefabricated, seamless versions—called postformed—for countertops and backsplashes. Stain, heat, and impact resistance are other strong points, though solid colors and shiny finishes readily show scratches and nicks. Damaged areas can’t be repaired. And water can seep through seams or between the countertop and backsplash, weakening the material beneath or causing lifting. Price: $10 to $30 per square foot, installed.

Solid surface. Made of polyester or acrylic resins combined with mineral fillers, solid-surface countertops imitate concrete, marble, and other types of stone, as well as quartz—essentially an imitation of an imitation. They also come in various thicknesses and can be joined almost invisibly into one apparently seamless expanse, sculpted to integrate the sink and backsplash, and routed to accept contrasting inlays. Major brands include Avonite, DuPont Corian, Formica Surell, Nevamar Fountainhead, and Wilsonart Gibraltar. Heat and impact resistance are other pluses. What’s more, scratches and nicks don’t show readily and can be buffed out with an abrasive pad, and some gouges can be filled. But prolonged heat can cause discoloration. Tougher, more authentic-looking quartz costs about the same. Price: $35 to $80 per square foot, installed.

Concrete. This exclusive material can be tinted any color and include stone chips. But quality can vary, since concrete countertops are typically custom-formed by local fabricators. Concrete also cuts and chips easily and must be sealed. While topical sealers resist stains, they were damaged by hot pots in our tests. The reverse held for penetrating sealers. Concrete countertops are also expensive. Price: about $80 to $120 per square foot, installed.

Butcher block. Maple is the most common of these hardwood countertops, though you’ll also find red oak and teak. Butcher block is useful for chopping and slicing, and is relatively easy to install and repair, though damage from heat, cuts, scrapes, and impacts make this a high-maintenance material in busy kitchens. Butcher block must be treated regularly with mineral oil or beeswax, or sealed with a varnish used for food-prep surfaces. And because fluctuations in humidity affect wood, it’s a poor choice for over a dishwasher or near a sink. Price: $40 to $65 per square foot, installed.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Begin by matching the look you want with your countertop needs and budget. Then follow these tips:

Start with the sink. Most counters work with most sinks. But if you want an undermount sink, you’ll need a waterproof material like solid surfacing, quartz, granite, or concrete. If you want a seamless sink made from the same material as the counter, you’ll need solid surfacing, stainless, or concrete.

Consider the seams. With solid surfacing, pieces are fused to get rid of seams. Stainless seams can be welded, ground, and buffed away. But laminates typically require seams on the front edge and between the backsplash and counter. Post forming melds the backsplash, counter, and front edge into one laminate-wrapped unit, but offers fewer color choices.

Use edges with discretion. Custom edges like bullnoses, ogees, and bevels can give low-priced counters added flair. But edges can cost up to $50 per linear foot—a concern for tight budgets.

Consider the finish. Granite and engineered stone are sold polished or honed; in our tests honed finishes were no better than glossy ones at fending off stains that were allowed to dry overnight. Stainless offers brushed and random-grain finishes, which tend to hide scratches, but if fingerprints are an issue, consider fake-stainless laminate instead.

Look closely at granite guarantees. Formica now offers precut modular countertops with a one-year warranty against defects, while the warranty for Cosentino’s SenSa stretches 15 years, courtesy of a sealer that "chemically anchors to the stone’s surface, creating a permanent bond." The catch: None of the warranties cover damage caused by normal wear and tear. And Cosentino’s warranty merely includes help removing the stain—not a new counter.

Copyright © 2003-2008 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

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