The Best Types of Kitchen Countertops (2024)

What kind of countertops are you doing?

If you’re planning a kitchen remodel, you’ve definitely gotten that question — a lot. We bet it’s one that has weighed heavily on your mind. After all, the countertop you choose will be with you for a long, long time, and you’re going to interact with it every single day, multiple times. Not only that, the countertop has a major impact on the look and feel of any kitchen.

"Whether you go light, dark or somewhere in the middle, countertops are an essential element of your kitchen design and have the power to tie the entire space together," says GH Associate Lifestyle Editor Alyssa Gautieri.

Pros

• Low-maintenance
• Wide range of colors and patterns
• No sealing required

Cons

• Square edges are prone to chipping
• Highest-grade lines can be pricey

Cost

• $60 to $230 per square foot, installed. (Note that the wide price range is due to the different available grades, from low to mid to high quality.)
  

Use and care

• One of the best things about quartz is that it doesn't need to be sealed.
• But you still need to wipe spills promptly and do an occasional deep-clean with a nonabrasive cleaner; Carolyn Forté, executive director of the Home Care & Cleaning Lab, likes Soft Scrub Gel with Bleach Cleaner.
  

A favorite of our experts, this engineered stone is named after its principal ingredient, quartz, which is held together by polymer resins. The result is an exceptionally durable, low-maintenance material that doesn't require sealing and is available in a wide range of colors and patterns, including those that resemble natural stone. "If you're searching for a long-lasting countertop option that can withstand stains (even red wine!), don't overlook quartz," says GH's Home Design Director Monique Valeris. "Today, you can find a plethora of options featuring beautiful patterns and color ranges to suit your design style."

Invented in Italy in 1977, quartz has emerged as a top countertop choice only in the last decade or so. "We've had it installed in the Good Housekeeping Institute Labs for 15 years now," says Laurie Jennings, general manager at the Institute, who opted for quartz (a creamy white with gray veins from Caesarstone called Layalite) on her recent kitchen remodel. "I like the look of the honed surface," she says. "It feels timeless and modern and this pattern is good at camouflaging imperfections. It's also easy to clean and seems to stand up to most cleaners."

A newer quartz countertop from Vadara won a 2023 GH Home Renovation Award; called Sakura, it features an off-white background with blue-gray veining and it showed exceptional resistance to stains and scratches in our tough performance tests.

One caveat: Although quartz is extremely hard-wearing, its edges and corners can chip, so be careful with heavy pots and pans; choosing a rounded edge can also help reduce the risk of chipping.

Pros

• Extremely durable
• Natural beauty
• Comes in a rich array of colors

Cons

• Not as popular as in the past
• Needs sealing to be stain-resistant

Cost

• $50 to $130 per square foot, installed

Use and care

• Wipe counters with a nonabrasive sponge or cloth dipped in warm water and mild dishwashing liquid.
• Once a year, apply a spray-on sealant, following the manufacturer's instructions. After allowing the sealant ample time to dry, buff the counter with a dry cloth.
  

Though its prevalence has waned some since the granite heyday of the 1990s and 2010s, this natural stone remains popular, especially in traditional-style homes. It comes in an array of colors, from blue pearl to Vyara gold, and its pattern can be flecked, speckled or veined. As with any natural stone, uniqueness is a big part of the allure, since no two slabs are the same.

"In our tests, granite has fended off knife cuts, scratches and heat, making for a highly durable work surface," says Alec Scherma, test engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Sealed granite is also stain-resistant. But as with quartz, edges and corners can chip, so it's worth considering a rounded edge if your kitchen gets a lot of use.

Pros

• Conveys enduring luxury
• Deep veining and pattern play
• Makes for an excellent baking station
  

Cons

• Prone to staining and scratching
• Very expensive

Cost

• $70 to $130 per square foot, installed

Use and care

• Because marble stains easily, treating it at least once a year with a food-grade penetrating sealer will provide some measure of protection. (When a drop of water soaks in, it’s time to reseal.)
• Marble also chips and scratches easily, so be sure to use trivets under heavy pots and pans.
  

This classic building material is synonymous with luxury, and it remains in fashion today, thanks in part to the enduring popularity of all-white kitchens. You can also find marble slabs in other colors, including captivating greens, reds and blues. "No matter what color you choose, marble makes a statement in a kitchen," says Gautieri. "The unique veining brings personality and intrigue into a space."

On the other hand, marble is a soft, porous material, meaning it stains and scratches easily. Some people are OK with this and think of the blemishes as a patina. But if you want your pure-white marble countertops to stay that way, you'll need to be extremely fastidious.

Pros

• Excellent value
• Retro appeal
• Resists stains, impact and heat

Cons

• Looks synthetic, even natural patterns
• Seams can lead to water penetration

Cost

• $40 to $80 per square foot, installed
  

Use and care

• Though laminate will generally fend off stains, it scratches easily, so always use a cutting board while working in the kitchen.
• Self-cleaning waxes made for cars can heighten the shine on dull laminate countertops.
  

Developed by Formica, decorative laminate was first used as a tabletop surface in restaurants, cafes and nightclubs of the 1930s. Then, it took off in kitchens in the 1950s with the rise of graphic patterns. It's still in vogue today, especially with homeowners who are going for a retro, mid-century modern look.

The biggest upside to laminate is its low cost. Laminate is also excellent at resisting stains, impact and heat. Keep in mind it clearly looks like a synthetic material (most versions have a colored top layer over a dark base, which shows at the edges). It also has seams, which can be unsightly and are also a source of potential water penetration, especially if installation isn't just right.

Pros

• Natural warmth and beauty
• Excellent surface for chopping and meal prep
• Can last indefinitely if properly maintained
  

Cons

• Monthly treatments required
• Dings easily

Cost

$30 to $170 per square foot, installed

Use and care

• Treated butcher block can last for decades.
• To prevent cracking, apply a monthly coating of food-grade mineral oil, like GH Seal Star Furniture Clinic Wood Cutting Board Oil. Let it penetrate overnight, then buff with a cloth.
  

Another timeless material, wood has been used as a work surface in kitchens for centuries. It became a go-to countertop material in the 1970s with the emergence of butcher block, a chopping-friendly surface made of bonded-together strips of maple or another hardwood. Nowadays, you might also see wood countertops made of less-familiar species, like teak and mahogany. "There’s nothing like a wood countertop to warm up a cooking space, especially if you’re partial to a rustic design scheme," says Valeris.

Pros

• Extremely hard-wearing
• Low-maintenance
• Trendy "newcomer" appeal

Cons

• Prone to chipping and cracking
• On the pricey side
  

Cost

• $70 to $130 per square foot, installed
  

Use and care

• The glaze on porcelain countertops means they don’t need to be sealed. For daily maintenance and cleaning, use hot water and a mild dish soap applied with a soft cloth.
• Despite its strength, some porcelain is prone to cracking and chipping, especially ultracompact panels, so be careful not to drop heavy items on it.
  

This material is a relative newcomer to the countertop category, but we're including it in this round-up because it's fast becoming a favorite of designers and homeowners alike. Made from fine, dense clay and fired at a high temperature, porcelain is nonporous and exceptionally hard, making it durable and easy to maintain. It comes in large-format tiles and panels, allowing for countertops with a clean, contemporary look and minimal seams or grout lines. Crossville porcelain tile panels by Laminam were named a winner in last year's Good Housekeeping Home Renovation Awards on the strength of those attributes. In this year's Home Renovation Awards, Caesartsone's porcelain countertop, rated for indoor and outdoor use, was among the winners.

Our experts deploy a range of Lab tests to measure countertop performance. To assess stain resistance, they slather stubborn ingredients, such as wine, mustard and chocolate, onto countertop samples, let them dry and then remove them with paper towels and all-purpose cleaner.

Our testing engineers also use an abrasion machine to determine each material’s ability to fend off scratches; top products can withstand hundreds of passes with a fine-grit sandpaper wheel without any signs of distress. An impact machine is used to determine a countertop’s ability to withstand dents and dings, like those from a falling cast-iron pan. Over the decades, we've also installed various countertops in our Labs and the homes of our experts, which enables us to assess performance, longevity and maintenance in real-world conditions.

In addition to comprehensive performance testing, our design experts weigh in on aesthetics, for example, evaluating the patterns and color depth of different materials. The team also keep tabs on the countertop market by attending trade shows and industry events, including the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). And we check in regularly with the design community, as well as contractors, fabricators and installers, to stay ahead of design trends and issues related to the supply chain and labor market

It's natural to focus on looks when deciding on a new kitchen countertop, but there are other factors to consider too. Carrie Schulz, head of design at Block Renovation, a service that streamlines the planning, designing and building process for homeowners, recommends concentrating on aesthetics, functionality and cost when zeroing in on the perfect countertop material for you. "You want to make sure the countertop will fit into your budget before you fall in love with it," she says. "How the material wears and how hard you'll have to work to keep it looking new are also key to the decision process."

Here are more expert insights into those three key factors:

✔️ Aesthetics: Our experts say it's best to ignore trends and choose the pattern and color that you love the most. But if you think you might be selling your home soon, it pays to stay close to current design trends. Light, neutral hues with minimal pattern play continue to curry favor, which has helped drive interest to quartz. "A lot of homeowners still want to keep it simple and clean," Schulz says. For those looking to make more of a statement with their countertops, materials with dramatic veining, including marble and other natural stones, are a popular choice.

If you go the dramatic route, it's important to work closely with your installer on the placement and positioning of adjoining slabs so that veining lines up. "If you end up with a pattern mismatch, it will drive you crazy every day," Schulz says.

Don't forget about the backsplash, since it's another strong visual element in the kitchen. Whereas subway tile and other contrasting surfaces still have their place, many homeowners are now choosing to use the same material from the countertop up the backsplash, creating a sense of continuity and cohesion.

✔️ Care and maintenance: Think about the porosity of the countertop and the finish. A nonporous material with a polished finish is unlikely to absorb anything, making it stain-resistant. Honed finishes, in which the surface has been ground down to give the countertop a softer, matte feel, require a bit more care, but you might be willing to put up with that for the softer feel and reduction in glare. A porous material like marble with a honed finish will require near-obsessive upkeep (regular sealings throughout the year, lightning-fast clean-up of spills, treatment of etch marks with a special poultice, etc.) to keep the surface looking new. Bottom line: Do you want to fuss over your countertops or keep maintenance mainly to a daily wipe-down?

✔️ Cost: Most homeowners spend about $3,000 on the installation of new countertops, according to Angi, the home services marketplace. But the price tag can go as high as $8,000 (and even higher for imported materials, like calacatta marble from Italy or a Van Gogh granite from Brazil) and as low as $400 for entry-level laminate. Of course, the actual cost depends on the size of the countertop, so it’s good to look at square-footage prices. You should expect to spend around $40 per square foot for affordable materials, like entry-level laminate and butcher block, and $150 or more per square foot for a rare natural stone or top-quality quartz. That doesn't include edge treatments, which add another $5 per linear foot for a standard square edge, all the way up to $60 per linear foot for an S-shaped ogee, which adds decorative flair and also reduces the risk of chipping

If you’re working with an architect or a designer on a full kitchen remodel, they can help guide you through the shopping process. But if you’re managing the project on your own, you'll need to do your own research. Keep in mind that the lead time on countertop deliveries can be several months, especially amid ongoing supply chain challenges.

Here are three places to get a jump on the process:

✔️ Home centers: Big-box retailers like The Home Depot and Lowe’s have become reliable one-stop shops for countertop installations, offering a range of materials, as well as free design consultation and paid installation services. The downside of this approach is you'll have to choose from the handful of manufacturers the home center carries, and you can see only samples of the material, as opposed to whole slabs.

✔️ Kitchen and bath showrooms: Working with a showroom gets you a more experienced sales staff, many of whom are likely to be certified designers. Showrooms tend to carry a curated list of premium brands, so you’ll almost certainly be able to choose from top-grade materials. For example, showrooms will likely carry first-grade quartz, in addition to commercial-grade quartz and second-choice quartz, so you can have the richest hues and smoothest finish. But the countertop might cost $100 or more per square foot, versus the $30-to-$50-per-square-foot quartz you can find at home centers.

✔️ Stone yards: If you're in the market for a natural stone countertop, buying directly from your local stone yard allows you to pick out the exact slab you want, rather than basing the decision on six-inch samples. It also eliminates the intermediary, leading to potentially better prices. You can save even more by choosing from so-called "remnants," leftover pieces from larger slabs that might fill a small countertop area. For example, a marble remnant could be ideal for a baking station in the kitchen

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

The Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab provides expert reviews and advice on all things home-related, including kitchen countertops. In his role as director, Dan DiClerico brings more than 20 years of experience to the Institute, having reviewed thousands of products for Good Housekeeping, as well as brands like Consumer Reports and This Old House.

His reporting on the countertop market has taken him inside factories, kitchen showrooms and fabricator shops. Plus, he's a regular at trade shows, where he meets with major manufacturers to understand the latest innovations and design trends. Dan oversees countertop testing, working closely with our team of engineers and product experts. He also manages any consumer surveys designed to capture homeowners' experiences with the installation and maintenance of countertop materials