One of the big decisions when building a home is what type of countertops to have installed. In this article, Hartz Homes walks you through the most popular choices – granite, laminate, solid surface, and engineered stone. Armed with this information and the advice of our Design Center staff, you can compare and choose what’s best for you and your family.
Before looking at specific countertop options, it’s best to set your priorities. To do this, think about these three considerations: price, maintenance, and aesthetics.
Price considerations. The longer you plan to stay in a house, the more durable and upscale the countertop you should select. The “cost per year” becomes a bargain as the years pass. Also, put your money where your heart is—especially when you’re on a budget. If you love high-tech appliances or custom wood cabinetry, spend your money there.
Maintenance considerations. Maintenance on most countertops is minimal—but fail to do it and permanent, or at least difficult-to-reverse, damage can occur. There is preventive maintenance (mopping up spills, using hot pads, working on cutting boards) and long-term maintenance (which usually involves applying some form of sealer or finish). Ask yourself, how careful (really) are you and your family? What do you expect your top to look like in five years? Does it make more sense to stick with laminate until the kids are out of grade school?
Aesthetic considerations. If budget and maintenance aren’t decisive factors in your mind, how the top looks and feels are the true deal makers. Both you and your countertop have a personality; select one that you can get along with. Texture, aesthetics, glossiness, “warmth,” how natural the material looks and feels, and how it fits in with the design of your kitchen and home are all part of the final equation.
Now that you’ve set your priorities, it’s time to focus on the specific countertop types.
Laminate
Laminate countertops are inexpensive, durable, come in lots of colors. Modern technology in printing has improved the clarity and depth of these countertops. They are also easy to clean. They resist grease and stains and clean with soap and water.
Note that dark solid colors and glossy finishes show scratches and cut marks more readily than patterned or matte surfaces.
On the downside, laminate tops can be damaged by hot pans and sharp knives, and abrasive cleaners can dull the finish.
Solid surface
Solid surface tops are usually solid slabs of acrylic or polyester with various fillers to add color and other features. DuPont introduced the first solid-surface countertop, Corian, and there are now more than a dozen manufacturers offering countertop materials in hundreds of colors and designs.
Often, solid-surface tops are called the “near-perfect” product. They’re non-porous, making them ideal for food preparation. They’re difficult to stain. And, because they’re of uniform material through and through, light scratches can be buffed out, deep scratches and burns can be sanded out, and severely damaged areas can literally be cut out, replaced, then blended to be darn near invisible.
However, you should know where the seams are and take precautions not to use crock pots, griddles and hot plates in that area. The expansion and contraction can cause cracks during the cool-down cycle.
Granite
Granite is quarried in solid stone slabs, and since it’s natural, every slab is unique.
These countertops resist most stains and, when sealed, become tougher yet. And, they can handle hot pans.
On the downside, neglected granite can be stained by hot grease. It’s hard and cold. It can be scratched by extreme abuse. Cutting on it will more likely dull your knives than damage your top, but repeated cutting in one area can eventually affect the sheen. Seams are more evident with granites that have a strong pattern or grain.
Note that dark and solid-colored granites show dings and spills more readily. Granite with a gloss finish will have more depth and liveliness than one with a matte finish, but it will also show scratches much more readily.
Quartz/Engineered Stone
Blend the functional benefits of solid-surface material with the aesthetic attributes of natural stone and you get a new class of countertop materials called engineered stone. They’re composed of more than 93 percent crushed natural stone, bound together by acrylic or polyester resins.
Like solid-surface materials, they’re nonporous and nearly impossible to stain. Most never need sealing. They have excellent scratch resistance and have more “give” than granite. Because they’re composed of stone they can have a natural look. But because they also have resins and fillers they can also be tinted to create colors not found in nature.
Manufacturers of the quartz-based products claim zero sealing is required—ever.
While manufacturers say they can stand up to hot pans better than solid surface materials, they can crack, even change color, if subjected to extreme temperatures. And, like granite, they’re slippery and cold to the touch.
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Armitage Pointe of Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bella Vista Townhomes of Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Heather Glen of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Hibernia of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Lago Vista of Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Leigh Creek of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Manchester Cove of Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marquis Pointe of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marywood Meadows of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Nantucket Lakes of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Oliviabrook of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Park West of Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Playa Vista of Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Sky Harbor of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Whisper Creek of Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Hartz Homes has new home communities in:
Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Aurora, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
New Lenox (Chicago area new home construction)
Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Oakbrook Terrace (Chicago area new home construction)