Choosing Kitchen Countertops: A Buyer's Overview

Every countertop material is a trade between looks, durability, upkeep and cost, and none wins on all four. This page is a short overview to help you narrow the field to two or three before you visit a showroom. For a deeper comparison, see our full guide to the types of countertops.

The materials side by side

Notes on each material

Quartz

Quartz is the most common choice in current remodels because it is consistent from sample to slab and needs no sealing. Its weak point is heat: hot pans should go on a trivet. It is also an indoor material, since sunlight can change the color over time. If stains are your worry, read does quartz stain.

Granite

Each granite slab is unique, so choose the actual slab, not a sample. It tolerates heat and hard use. Most granites benefit from a sealer applied periodically, and darker, denser stones need it less.

Quartzite

True quartzite is among the hardest natural countertop stones and gives a marble-like look with more durability. The name is used loosely in the trade, and some slabs sold as quartzite behave more like marble and will etch from acids. Ask the supplier how the specific slab performs, and test a sample with lemon juice.

Solid surface

Seams in solid surface are nearly invisible and sinks can be integrated in the same material, which makes it easy to keep clean. It scratches and is sensitive to heat, but damage can be sanded out, which is not true of most other materials.

Butcher block

Wood is warm, quiet and comfortable to work on. It needs a commitment to maintenance, and standing water around a sink is its enemy. Many kitchens use it on an island or a baking area and a harder material around the sink and range.

Laminate

Laminate is the least expensive category and looks far better than it once did. Its limits are heat, exposed seams and edges, and the fact that it cannot be repaired. It is normally paired with a drop-in sink. See our roundup of the least expensive countertops for budget options that hold up.

Porcelain

Porcelain slabs are thin, light, heat-proof and unaffected by sunlight. The pattern is usually printed on the surface, so it does not run through the edge, and the material takes specialized fabrication. Confirm that your fabricator works with it regularly.

Seams

Slabs have a maximum size, so most kitchens have at least one seam. Where it goes is a design decision you should approve, not discover. Good practice is to keep seams away from the sink and cooktop cutouts, where the stone is narrowest and weakest, and to avoid placing one in the middle of your main prep area. An L-shaped counter needs a seam at or near the corner. Veined patterns make seams more visible, so ask the fabricator to show you a seam layout on the actual slabs before cutting. A large island may need an oversized slab to avoid a seam, which limits your choices.

Edge profiles and thickness

The edge is the part you touch and the part that chips. An eased edge (square with the corners slightly softened) is the standard and suits most kitchens. Rounded profiles such as a half bullnose are more forgiving of impacts and kinder to small children. Sharp square edges and thin mitered edges look crisp and chip more easily. Ornate profiles such as ogee suit traditional kitchens and add fabrication cost. A mitered edge can make a slab appear much thicker than it is. The NKBA's planning guidelines recommend clipped or rounded corners on all counters, which is worth following at the ends of islands and peninsulas where people walk past.

Sinks and cutouts

An undermount sink, fixed below the counter, lets you wipe crumbs straight in and works with stone, quartz, solid surface and porcelain. A drop-in sink sits on top with a visible rim and is the usual choice with laminate. Every cutout (sink, cooktop, faucet holes, soap dispenser, pop-up outlets) is a cost and a weak point, so decide them all before fabrication. Sink choices are covered in sinks, faucets and plumbing.

The template-to-install gap

Countertops are the one part of a kitchen that cannot be ordered ahead. The fabricator makes a template, by hand or with a digital measuring device, only after the base cabinets are installed, level and fastened. The tops are then cut and finished in the shop and installed on a later visit. During that gap the kitchen has cabinets and no counters, no sink and no cooktop.

What you can do to keep the gap short:

• Choose and reserve the slabs before cabinets arrive.
• Have the sink, faucet and cooktop on site for the template appointment.
• Approve the seam layout and edge profile in advance.
• Be home for the template, since questions about overhangs and corners come up on the spot.
• Ask the fabricator for its current turnaround in writing, and ask your contractor about a temporary top or sink in the meantime.

How this fits the whole job is shown in how long a kitchen remodel takes. The backsplash is installed after the counters, as covered in kitchen backsplashes and wall finishes.

How to narrow it down

1. Decide your tolerance for upkeep. If you will not seal or oil, look at quartz, porcelain, solid surface and laminate.
2. Be honest about heat. If pans go from the range to the counter, look at granite, quartzite and porcelain.
3. Set the budget category. In JDI's published planning tiers, Signature kitchens use premium quartz or tile and Luxury kitchens use high-end stone.
4. Choose alongside the cabinets. Color, door style and counter are judged together, so read the cabinet guide too.
5. See full slabs for any natural stone or strongly veined pattern.

Not sure what is in your kitchen now? Our article on how to know what countertop you have will help you identify it. When you are ready to see options in the context of your own layout, JDI Construction covers selections during design; start at our Vancouver kitchen remodeling page.