With nearly a dozen different types of popular countertop materials, how do you know which is best for your kitchen?
Pick up Consumer Reports, August 2009 issue with the "Top Kitchen Appliances" cover story or subscribe online.
The independent, respected goods and services rater includes, in the issue, "Countertops: Attractive choices abound for every budget," a run down on countertop materials including an overall score for each based on five performance factors, as well as cost.
Listed by overall score, from the highest scored to the lowest scored, here's some information about each material to help you begin to make a choice.
Costs are per square foot.
• Quartz, at $50 to $100, is best for busy kitchens and baths. Doesn't need sealing. Stain- and heat-resistant. Low-maintenance. Get rounded edges to help avoid edge chipping.
• Granite, $45 to $200, requires sealing to resist stains, but it can withstand heavy use and it resists heat and scratches.
• Tile (ceramic or porcelain), $10 to $30, is among the best priced materials that also score high. Heat-resistance makes it a good choice near stoves. It chips. Grout is prone to staining and mildew.
• Laminate, $10 to $30, has a wide range of colors and patterns at low cost. Easy to install, stain and heat resistant. It is easily scratched by knives and often comes with visible seams if it's not post-formed.
• Solid surfacing, $35 to $100, is best for seamless installations. Variety of colors, styles, mimicking concrete, stone, and quartz. Stain-resistant. Easily scratches, but small nicks and scratches can be repaired. Stone finishes can look unnatural.
• Stainless steel, $100 to $150, is de rigueur in modern kitchens. Repels stains and heat and won't rust or discolor. Can give a room a "cold" look and feel. Shows fingerprints, dents and scratches, unless it's in a matte or grain finish.
• Concrete, $80 to $120, is nice for customizing with dye or texture, but it can crack. Durability tied to maker's skill and sealers. Sealers resist either heat or stains, but not always both.
• Limestone, $60 to $100, best for bath or low-traffic kitchen. Withstands heat, but as a soft, porous stone its easily slicked, nicked, scratched and stained.
• Butcher block, $30 to $65, best for cutting produce. East to install and repair but may need periodic sealing or refinishing to remove cuts, dings, and scratches. Varnish improves stain resistance. Penetrating oils decrease stain resistance.
• Marble, $50 to $140, beautiful classic look, but best only in low-traffic areas, say a guest bath. More porous than granite, so not as stain-resistant. Scratches easily, isn't very heat-resistant, needs periodic sealing.
To personalize your countertop choice, you'll need much more information available from the "Countertops" story, which also debunks some myths about countertop materials including eco-friendliness, emissions, safety, cutting costs and do-it-yourself installation (not a good idea).
