Options for Kitchen Countertops

Your kitchen needs to work with the way you live, and countertops should complement not just the kitchen but also work with your home in terms of style and materials. There is no universal countertop for every kitchen, and there is no universal kitchen for every home. You have more choices than ever in today’s marketplace, including old favorites such as wood and stone, and newer materials such as engineered stone, porcelain and ceramic slab, and concrete.

Say you’re looking for a countertop that’s off the beaten path, consider products made of glass, paper, bamboo, or scrap metal. These unconventional materials are durable, beautiful, and often made from recycled sources promoting sustainable building practices. If you start your decision-making process from the standpoint of what functions well for the way you really live, whom you live with, and how the countertop complements the materials of the whole of the home and kitchen, rather than chasing a fad, your countertop choice is more likely to offer lasting service.

Below is a list of many of the basic material types you will find today along with an approximation of their cost per sq. ft., however, their price plus the cost of installation and customizations, such as decorative edge details, will vary from region to region.

Engineered Stone/Quartz

Durable; low maintenance; and heat-, stain-, and scratch-resistant.

Cost: $50 to $100 per sq. ft.

Dekton

Newly available at home centers, Dekton is a composite of quartz, glass, and porcelain, and it harnesses their durability, heat resistance, scratch resistance, and low maintenance.

Cost: $65 to $75 per sq. ft.

Slab Glass

Glass is extremely durable; it’s heat- and damage-resistant with normal use.

Cost: $200 to $400 per sq. ft.

Concrete

Concrete is versatile, offers an industrial look, and comes in virtually any color combination and pattern, but it needs regular sealing.

Poured-concrete cost: $75 to $135 per sq. ft. (without customization)

Slab-concrete cost: $60 per sq. ft.

Wood

Warm and elegant, wood adds unsurpassed beauty to a kitchen, however it is not the best choice for food-prep or cooking zones.

Cost: $35 to $200 per sq. ft.

Solid-Surface Acrylic and Acrylic Blends

Acrylic is a soft, low-glare, easy-care surface ideal for aging-in-place kitchens, although it can be scratched or scorched easily.

Cost: $40 to $100 per sq. ft.

Porcelain and Ceramic Slabs

Porcelain or ceramic countertops are durable and low maintenance. Iris, for example, looks like marble but without its softness or porosity.

Cost: $65 to $85 per sq. ft.

Recycled Glass

Recycled-glass countertops are made from bottles, windows, and other castoffs blended with resin or cement to create smooth slabs.

Cost: $75 to $155 per sq. ft.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a type of grass, but it’s 16% harder than maple, but it reaches harvestable maturity in less than five years. It can withstand a significant amount of abuse.

Price: $20 to $35 per sq. ft.

Paper

Paper might seem like a horrible material for countertop fabrication, but when saturated with resin, heated, and compressed, the result is convincingly stonelike, and it’s a durable material that has been used for years in industrial and marine applications. A yearly application of mineral oil or an approved finish will help keep this top looking new.

Price: $35 to $110 per sq. ft.

Laminate

Modern laminates differ from their predecessors in that they have higher-quality decorative layers, newly developed textured surfaces, and refined edge details that eliminate the telltale seam that marks laminate transitions.

Price: $10 to $35 per sq. ft.

More on countertops:

A Designer’s Guide to Countertops by Jamie Gold

Amazing Countertops by Rob Yagid

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