10 Best Kitchen Countertop Materials: Pros & Cons (2024 Guide With Pictures)

When it is time to overhaul your kitchen, one of the most important pieces is the kitchen countertop. It sets the mood for the rest of the kitchen décor, and the wrong appearance can throw off the entire aesthetic.

But you don’t just want a great-looking kitchen countertop, you want a functional one too. It is an important decision, so we highlighted 10 of the best options here. This way, you can make the right decision for your kitchen.

Top 10 Kitchen Countertop Materials

1. Granite

When you’re talking about premium countertop materials, granite is one of the first to come to mind. It’s an elegant material for countertops, and it has a distinct appearance that many homeowners love.

That’s why granite almost always instantly adds value to a home. From a functional standpoint, granite is easy to care for and heat, cut, and scratch resistant, but you do need to occasionally reseal it.

There are plenty of styles and color options to choose from, so you can find the exact right granite countertop for your home.

2. Quartz

Quartz is a premium-style countertop that works great in kitchens. While it’s typically expensive, it’s customizable to different shapes and sizes. While it’s heavy, after you hoist it into place, it’s easy to install.

Additionally, quartz countertops are easy to maintain and are stain, heat, and scratch resistant, and have a uniform appearance that makes it easy to know exactly what the final product will look like.

Still, this material is expensive and heavy, so know what you’re getting yourself into before you order a quartz countertop for your home.

3. Laminate

If you’re looking for a low-cost kitchen countertop for your home, laminate should be near the top of the list. There are thousands of styles and color options for you to pick from.

It’s also relatively inexpensive compared to other countertop options, and it’s much easier to install. When you add in the low maintenance, it’s not hard to see why laminate countertops are so prevalent and popular!

That said, they are easy to scratch and chip, and no matter what you do, you’ll be able to spot the seams. Finally, laminate countertops do not add value to your home the way that some other countertops do.

4. Marble

While there’s no denying the value that a marble countertop can add to your home, it’s also more challenging to maintain and keep in pristine condition compared to many other countertop options.

It’s easy to scratch, and you need to seal it so nothing can seep into pores. Marble is also expensive and challenging to install, so you’ll need to hire professionals to get it into your home. Still, the reason that marble is so popular despite all these drawbacks is its beautiful final appearance.

Each marble countertop is completely unique, and it gives your kitchen a sense of elegance that many other countertops simply can’t provide.

5. Soapstone

Soapstone is a natural stone option for your kitchen countertop. It provides a beautiful final look that has an antique feel to it, even if it’s brand new. While soapstone is likely to scratch and dent over time, this only adds to its antique appearance.

Adding to the functionality for the kitchen is the fact that it’s stain and heat resistant, and even being prone to light scratching and denting, it’s a durable material. It is challenging to install and darkens over time, though, and you need to treat the countertop with oil as part of the maintenance process.

6. Recycled Glass

One of the more unique kitchen countertop options out there is recycled glass. There are fine- and coarse-shard recycled glass countertops, and both options provide extremely unique finishes.

However, outside of these two looks, most glass countertops feature the same overall style. Moreover, the exact quality of the glass countertop varies depending on the manufacturer, so this isn’t an area where you want to skimp on the brand.

Still, they’re extremely easy to clean and are one of the more durable options out there, so if you’re looking for something unique, consider a recycled glass countertop.

7. Wood

When you’re looking for a farmhouse-style kitchen countertop, wood is the way to go. Not only does wood provide a classic look, but it’s also long-lasting and easy to clean. If minor damage gets too bad, you can sand it down and stain it again to get a brand-new-looking countertop without replacing it.

Wood countertops vary quite a bit in price. For higher-quality premium woods, they can get very expensive, and they also require a bit more maintenance compared to other countertop styles. They’re easy to cut or scratch, and if you don’t keep them fully sealed, bacteria will seep into the countertop and create problems.

8. Ceramic Tile

Tile is a common material for kitchen floors, but did you know that it’s a common surface for countertops too? Compared to many other countertop materials, it’s a more affordable choice, but it’s not the most durable. It’s also a bit more expensive to install than other countertop options.

With too much force, the tiles can easily crack, but they’re also easier to repair than many other materials. Tile has many color options and patterns to pick from, and you never need to worry about putting hot objects on them.

Tile is easy to clean overall, but getting into the grout between each tile can sometimes be challenging. So, while tile isn’t the perfect choice for every kitchen, it is something to consider.

9. Stainless Steel

While some people claim that stainless steel creates an industrial look in residential kitchens, there’s no denying that this material has more than a few perks. First, it’s extremely easy to maintain, and it’s the easiest material on this list to clean.

It’s also heat resistant, and many people love the final appearance that you get with a stainless-steel countertop. However, fabricating steel to the correct dimensions for your countertop is expensive, and it’s not easy to install.

Moreover, it’s a noisy countertop, and it’s not scratch resistant. In the unfortunate event that you do scratch the countertop, it’s not easy to fix.

10. Concrete

By far the most complicated countertop to install in your kitchen is a concrete one. During the installation, you will have forms made inside your kitchen, and the experts will then pour the concrete right into the forms.

This means every concrete kitchen counter is a custom job, leading to higher installation costs. Concrete countertops can also crack over time, and they require a bit more maintenance than other countertop materials.

But they are heat and scratch resistant, and there are many textures and colors that you get to pick from to match the final desired appearance. Pick the right style and option, and you will get a sophisticated final look that matches the rest of the kitchen.

Conclusion

No matter what material you choose for your kitchen counter, there will be pros and cons. But now that you know them, you can make an informed decision about what is right for your kitchen.

Take your time and pick the right material, because once you install it, you’re not going to want to spend the money to replace it to get something new!

Featured Image Credit: PxHere