8/7/2019 Countertops - Aug. 2010
1/340 consumer reports augus t
cover story
CountertopsOur tests reveal the looks that last
Ovra scor mmrize perormnce in ll e. Stains how reince o 20
common ood ndhoehold prodc. Hat e how well meril reied dme nd
dicolorion rom po lledwih oil heed o 400 F. Ctting reec reince o
dme rom weihed che nd erred kniveed in licin nd choppin moion.
Abrasion i reince o dme rom weihed ndin block.Impact reec biliy o
wihnd bln nd poined weih dropped rom p o 3 ee. Pric i hel rne per
qre oo, incldin inllion.
Material Price per sq. ft. Overall score Test results
Stains
Heat
Cutting
Abrasion
Impact
Quartz (engineered stone) $ 50-$100 87 &X &Z &Z
&Z &V
Granite 45-200 86 &X &Z &Z &Z &V
Tile (ceramic and porcelain) 10-30 76 &C &Z &Z
&X &C
Laminate 10-30 67 &Z &Z &V &C &X
Solid surfacing 35-100 53 &X &X &V &V &X
Paper composite* 50-100 49 &X &X &V &V
&XConcrete (penetrating sealer) 80-120 48 &V &Z &C
&V &B
Stainless steel 100-150 45 &X &Z &B &V
&B
Concrete (topical sealer) 80-120 37 &Z &V &B &C
&B
Limestone 60-100 34 &V &Z &B &V &B
Butcher block (oil finish) 30-65 34 &V &X &B &V
&B
Butcher block (varnished) 30-65 32 &Z &B &B &B
&B
Marble 50-140 19 &C &V &B &B &B
*Only Richlites product was tested. Results for other brands
might vary.
Guid h raing
Ede re eeminly mll deil h cn
fec he overll look o yor conerop.Srih ede dd conemporry irwiho
coin more. Ronded nd bllnoeede (, , or ll) re chmeleon, inmny yle.
Pl heyre le likely o chip ndle riky when nyone bmp ino hem. Theoee
complemen rdiionl dein. Bevel,or lned, ede brin conemporry looknd
my no co exr i he bevel i on he oponly. B mo decorive ede cn dd $10
o$50 liner oo o he conerop price.
All countertops look good in
the showroom, but keepingthem pristine requires durablematerials
or high maintenance.
We stained, scratched, sliced, scorched,and pummeled leading
brands o 11 mate-rials and ound long-lasting, attractivecountertops
no matter how muchor lit-tleyou want to spend.
You cant get a more classic look thannatural stone. But only
granite aced mosto our tests. Marble was at the bottom oour Ratings
and limestone didnt do muchbetter. Quartza man-made combinationo
stone, color, and resinedged out gran-ite because o slightly better
overall peror-mance. And you dont need to reseal it.
Laminate, another kitchen countertopstaple, excelled at
resisting stains, heat,and impacts. Plus its inexpensive.
Choosenature-inspired colors or crisp whites or a
classic touch. While we ound dierences
among materials, there were ew branddistinctions, so our Ratings
are by mate-rial. We also ound:
T a a ha. DownloadDuPonts ree mySurace app to an iPhoneor iPod
ouch to view screen-sized swatch-es o their solid suracing and
quartz prod-ucts and to order samples. DuPont alsohas an online
design guide. Match quartzcountertops to paints at
Cambriausa.com;mix suraces and cabinets at Formica.com.
E-idy ? We haventound a material thats completely green.Te
Richlite countertops we tested aremade o paper rom certifed,
managedorests, but the resin is petroleum-based.Check green
credentials by how muchrecycled content a material contains
andwhether its made o renewable sources.Another option: Scout home
salvage yards
or stone or wood countertops that can berefnished or recut to
suit your space.
How to chooseMatch the material to the probable wearand tear it
will get in your household. Lookor deals, such as a ree sink or
upgrades to
a more expensive color or edge treatmentwith your countertop
purchase. Ten:Fa i fih. Laminates with
smooth fnishes showed imperectionsmore than textured ones.
Concrete andbutcher block perormed dierently de-pending on their
sealer. But granites withproprietary sealers, such as
Stonemark,perormed no better than regular granite.
S h ik. An undermountedsink needs a waterproo counter, such
asstainless steel, stone, quartz, solid surac-ing, or concrete. For
a seamless look usethose materials (except stone and quartz)or the
countertop and sink.
Big i a . Once the base cabinetsare installed, have the
abricator take f-nal measurements (and responsibility);create
templates or sinks, cooktops, andaucets; and make those
cutouts.
raing Kitchen countertopsIn perormnce order.
1 ClOSe uP
on dg5Excellent 4Very good 3Good 2Fair 1Poor
1 bevel
1
round
1Ogee
8/7/2019 Countertops - Aug. 2010
2/3augus t www.ConsumerReports.g 41
Best for by kichen nd bh.I in- nd he-rein ndlow-minennce. I doen
need
elin nd i vilble in vibrn colornd in yle h mimic nrl one.
But ede nd corner cn chip.Ronded ede help. Sone nihecn pper more
niorm hn nrl.
Best for modern kichen. Irepel in nd he nd doenr or dicolor. The
conerop
cn be mde wih n inerl inkor emle look.
But i cn look cold in bhroom.I how nerprin nd den ndcrche eily.
Me or rinnihe hide dme beer.
Best for nrl one look. I cnwihnd hevy e in kichen orbhroom. I
rei in when iproperly eled nd i lo reihe nd crche.
But i need reelin o proec irom in. Color nd rin cndier rom mple,
o i be ochooe he one yrd.
Best for comizin. I cn bedyed or exred.
But i cn develop crck. Idrbiliy depend on he bricor
kill nd he eler ed. Topicleler, which rei in b nohe, re be or
bhroom.Penerin eler rei he bin nd m be repplied.
Best for e ner ove bece ihe-rein. I come in mnycolor, pern, nd
price.
But i chip. The ro beween ilein, even when i eled, nd cnmildew.
Poor inllion cn incree
hoe problem. Thinner ro linend drker ro mih help.
Best for nrl one lookwiho hevy veinin or rininin e bhroom,
powder room,or low-rfc kichen. I wihndhe very well.
But i very o one h i
eily liced, nicked, nd crched.I lo poro, o i in eilyeven when i
properly eled.
Best for wide vriey o color ndpern bde-riendly price.I excellen
reiin in ndhe dme nd i imple o inll.
But i eily crched by kichenknive nd in repirble. Molmine hve
viible em, hohpo-ormed (emle) opion
re vilble.
Best for conry kichen nd orcin prodce. I ey o inllnd repir.
But i mih need periodic elinor renihin o remove c, din,nd crche.
I nih ecperormnce. Vrnih improvein reince nd penerin
oil decree i.
Best for emle inllion,epecilly in bhroom. Mny colornd yle re
vilble, incldinhoe h mimic concree, one, ndqrz. I in-rein, nd
mllnick nd crche cn be repired.
But i eily crched. Sone nihecn look more niorm hn nrl.
Best for clic one look inlow-rfc re, ch bkinzone or e bhroom.
Ivilble in wide rne onrl color.
But i more poro hn rnie,o i no in-rein. I locrche eily, in very
he-rein, nd need periodic elin.
countertop option: some an take more wear and tear
QuartzPrice $50 o $100 per q. .
GranitePrice $45 o $200 per q. .
NOTE: Price inclde inllion. A ypicl kichen need 56 q. .; bhroom,
6 o 10 q. .
Tie (ceramic or porceain)Price $10 o $30 per q. .
laminatePrice $10 o $30 per q. .
Soid surfacingPrice $35 o $100 per q. .
Stainess steePrice $100 o $150 per q. .
ConcretePrice $80 o $120 per q. .
limestonePrice $60 o $100 per q. .
Butcher bockPrice $30 o $65 per q. .
MarbePrice $50 o $140 per q. .
