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what is the best countertop for your money

Author

Sophia Vance

Updated on June 14, 2026

Laminate Countertops

Generally the most affordable countertop material available, laminate is made from layers of plastic bonded to particleboard to form a solid surface.

What countertops add the most value?

If other homes sold in your area have quartz countertops and sold at or under your home’s value, granite doesn’t make sense. In this case, quartz adds the most value. Buyers will pay extra for upgrades but not if they can purchase a home similar to yours for a lower price without them.

What is the most reliable countertop?

The Top 5 Most Durable Countertops
Granite. Although natural granite remains one of today’s most popular countertop choices, it may have met its match with the growing popularity of engineered granite. Quartz. Recycled Glass. Concrete. Solid Surface.

What is the easiest countertop to maintain?

Laminate countertops are the easiest kitchen countertop to maintain. Once installed, all you will need to do is clean them with mild soap and water. No additional maintenance is required.

What looks like quartz but is cheaper?

Granite, marble and engineered solid surface stone are the best quartz alternatives as far as durability and cost.

Is granite cheaper than quartz?

Quartz is generally less expensive.

But with the exception of the cheapest granite, quartz is generally less expensive—$70 to $100 per square foot installed compared with granite’s price range of $60 to $270 per square foot installed.

What countertops do buyers want?

Granite and solid surface are the most popular choices for counters, but there are many options: quartz, stainless steel, concrete, marble, slate, limestone, soapstone, wood, tile and onyx, to name a few.

What adds more value quartz or granite?

In general, granite has a higher resale value than quartz. Granite can increase the value of your home by as much as 25 percent of the countertop’s retail value, according to Robert Measer, of Hunt Real Estate.

Does granite or quartz look better?

Quartz and granite are both excellent choices for bathroom or kitchen countertops. Granite has a more natural look but is often more expensive, while quartz is more budget-friendly but looks a little more artificial. Granite is more resistant to heat, while quartz is more resistant to staining.

Which is better Corian or quartz?

Quartz countertops are more scratch- and heat-resistant than Corian countertops. Quartz and Corian are both durable materials, but they differ in terms of heat resistance and scratch resistance. In fact, the biggest difference between these materials lies in their resistance to heat.

Is quartz better than quartzite?

Quartz countertops are more versatile and durable than quartzite. While quartzite countertops are produced using natural stone, quartz countertops are made using engineered stone. This engineered stone is comprised of about 90% loose quartz. The rest is resins and pigments.

Is quartz better than marble?

In general, quartz is the more durable of the two materials: it better resists scratches and bacteria and requires less care and maintenance. However, marble does outperform quartz in heat resistance.

Which is cheaper quartz or Corian?

Corian is cheaper than quartz upfront. You can expect to pay between $40 and $65 per square foot for Corian while quartz starts at $40 and can extend well beyond $200 per square foot.

What countertops are no maintenance?

Corian Solid Surface countertops are a wonderful in-between for laminate and stone countertops. They are made from minerals and acrylic or polyester resin, giving them a nonporous surface that is easy to keep clean. They are heat resistant, seamless, and extremely durable without regular maintenance or upkeep.

Which countertop does not stain?

Quartz is the most stain resistant material because it is engineered with ground-up natural stone and resin. This creates a non-porous material that is highly stain resistant. Quartz is also easy to maintain as no sealer is required.

What is the most timeless countertop?

Slate, soapstone, and honed granite are timeless materials for countertop and backsplash, for houses of almost any period. This marble look-alike surface material from Okite is a compound of natural quartz and resin, which complements this period-style kitchen.

What countertop is better than granite?

Quartz is actually harder than granite and thus, more durable. In fact, quartz is nearly indestructible, and because it isn’t porous like granite, it’s easy to keep your countertops relatively bacteria-free.

What is the cheapest kind of countertop?

Laminate is the most affordable material for use in countertops. It comes in a wide variety of colors and styles, many of which are created to look like granite, marble or other high-end materials. Most laminate countertops are attractive and surprisingly durable.