Your countertop is the crux of your kitchen. Both a high traffic workspace and a potential centerpiece, the material you choose will set the tone for design and function in the rest of your kitchen.
There are many factors to consider when making this choice, including the strength and resilience of the material, the ease and cost of installation and maintenance, and, of course, the aesthetics!
We’ve included the top most popular countertop choices, along with some standout manufacturers, plus additional unique countertop ideas that may help your kitchen stand out.
Quick Links
Table Of Content
Price: $$
Durability: Medium-High
Maintenance Needs: Regular resealing
Installation: Professional
Hard Rock Stone Works
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Hard Rock Stone Works sources a variety of high quality stone, including granite, at good prices. They use high quality seals and fabrication processes to protect your counter against chips for years to come.
Colorquartz
Diamond Bar, California
Colorquartz produces high quality quartz countertops under high temperatures and pressures, and uses the highest quality printing that embeds their stunning patterns deep within the surface of the material which mimic many types of natural stone.
Price: $$-$$$
Durability: High
Maintenance Needs: Low
Installation: Professional
Price: $$-$$$
Durability: Medium
Maintenance Needs: Regular resealing
Installation: Professional
American Marble and Granite, Inc.
Camas, Washington
Solid Surface
Popular Countertop Material
Solid surface countertops boast remarkable adaptability, offering a plethora of hues and designs thanks to their unique fabrication.
Composed of resins, pigments, and acrylic particles, often marble-based, this blend undergoes heating and melting before being shaped. Its impervious surface simplifies upkeep, resisting scratches and stains. However, avoid harsh chemicals and abrasives.
Choose solid surface countertops when natural quartz doesn’t match your desired aesthetic.
Price: $$-$$$
Durability: Medium
Maintenance Needs: Regular resealing
Installation: Professional
Precision Countertops
Wilsonville, Oregon
Source: Caesarstone
River Rock Mosaic by Formica
Cream Oak by LX Hausys
Who makes solid surface countertop material?
There are about a dozen solid surface countertop brands. There are hundreds of diverse colors and patterns across these brands!
Laminate countertops are made from high-density particle board or MDF as the core, then covered with a series of laminated layers that produce the finished image and surface. For this reason, scratches, stains and warping under heat are more likely than with harder countertop materials.
Specialty Laminates tackles this problem with their thermally fused laminate which uses higher heat and pressure to fuse together the decorative paper, resin, and core that make up their laminate sheets. They last much longer and come in a beautiful variety of designs!
Price: $
Durability: Low
Maintenance Needs: Replace when damaged
Installation: Self Installation
Specialty Laminates
Calgary, Canada
Price: $
Durability: Low
Maintenance Needs: High (risks of cracking, stains)
Installation: DIY or professional
Source: Crossville
Price: $$
Durability: High
Maintenance Needs: Regular resealing
Installation: Professional
Source: Legacy Countertops
Price: $$
Durability: High
Maintenance Needs: Low
Installation: Professional
Price: $-$$
Durability: Low-High
Maintenance Needs: High (risks of cracking, stains)
Installation: Intermediate to professional
Price: $-$$$
Durability: Low-Medium
Maintenance Needs: Regular resealing (prone to scratches)
Installation: Intermediate
Price: $-$$
Durability: Medium
Maintenance Needs: Low
Installation: Professional
Price: $$
Durability: Medium
Maintenance Needs: Regular resealing
Installation: Professional
Source: soapstones.com
Price: $$-$$$
Durability: Medium-High
Maintenance Needs: Low
Installation: Beginner-Intermediate
Source: countertopepoxy.com
Price: $$-$$$
Durability: Medium
Maintenance Needs: High (prone to scratches & color change)
Installation: Professional
P.S.
What’s your dream countertop material? Have you used more than one of these options in the past? We’d love to hear how they compared and which one you like the best? Let Built for Home know on social!
Share your current or dream countertop material on Built for Home on social. You may even get featured in a future Built for Home article!