These 6 Countertops Are the Best Ones for Your Kitchen, According to Renovation Experts

A tester removes dried-on wine, ketchup, chocolate and mustard from a porcelain countertop sample to measure its stain resistance.

Our experts 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.

Although quartz is extremely durable, it can chip at the edges, as one of our testers learned from a prolonged at-home evaluation.

In addition to comprehensive testing, our experts keep tabs on the countertop market by attending trade shows and industry events, including Surfaces and the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. We also 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.

What to consider when choosing countertops for your home

It’s natural to focus on looks when choosing a new kitchen countertop, but there are other factors to consider too. Schulz talks about the three-legged stool of aesthetics, functionality and cost when zeroing in on the perfect countertop material. “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 cleanup 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.

Where are the best places to shop for kitchen countertops?

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?

Dan DiClerico has covered the countertop market for more than two decades. His reporting has taken him inside factories, kitchen and bath 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. In his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, 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.