There are a dizzying array of countertop materials and colors for you to choose. It is usually a bit confusing and almost always overwhelming. Below you will find descriptions of the various materials used in constructing countertops to help make your decision easier and more informed.

A brief note on countertop pricing:
In each product description, you will find general price information relative to other materials. However these general guidelines depend on the color, pattern, or brand you choose for your top. Each material has several price groups based on colors or patterns. The reason some colors or patterns are more expensive than others is usually because of availability or manufacturing expense. For example, some granites are mined only 2 months out of the year because of weather conditions so they are more rare and therefore more expensive. The guidelines below are comparing the mid-range price for each product, but you can easily have the least expensive granite cost less than the most expensive solid surface.

Laminate:
Laminate material is usually known by brand names such as Formica, WilsonArt, or Nevamar. Laminate countertops are built by gluing a thin sheet of laminate material onto particleboard. The laminate material is decorative kraft papers compressed with melamine impregnated papers under high pressure and temperature. This creates a uniform material with a hard plastic melamine coating. There are various finishes and textures (such as matte, gloss, and sparkle to name a few) available for each pattern or color with hundreds of colors and patterns available. Laminate tops can either be custom built or postformed. The difference between them is that custom tops can be templated and built to suit the application, postformed tops are built in long sheets and cut to fit the application. Postformed tops usually have a dripless edge and coved backsplash and will always require a field seam in a corner or any angle in the top. Custom tops can have a square (sometimes called self or eased edge) or bevelled edge and corners usually don't need to be seamed depending on the shape and size of the top. Laminate sheets are made in specific sizes so some countertop shapes and sizes will require a seam. Laminate seams are minor, but noticable. There are two types of seams in laminate tops, laminate seams and field seams. Laminate seams occur when the countertop is larger than a sheet dimension. With this type of seam, the wood backing that the laminate is glued to is continuous under the seam. A field seam occurs when a laminate top is either too large or unusually shaped to transport safely. A field seam differs from a laminate seam in that both the laminate and wood backer stop at the seam. The seam is them bolted together tightly from underneath. Field seams are generally more noticable than laminate seams and are more difficult to get to line up well. Laminate countertops are the least expensive option for countertop materials and can last for a very long time if cared for properly. We use Nevamar as our standard laminate material and there is a small upcharge for WilsonArt and Formica colors. Usually, there is a 1 year warranty on the laminate material. While melamine is a very hard plastic, laminate material is prone to scratching. Furthermore, laminate countertops are susceptible to damage from excessive heat (which can destroy the glue bond between the laminate and the particleboard) or standing water at seams and joints (which can cause the particleboard to expand and spread the seam or crack the laminate material).

Solid Surface:
Solid surface material is an advanced blend of natural materials and pure acrylic polymer that creates a smooth and nonporous surface. As a result, a solid surface countertop does not promote the growth of mold, mildew or bacteria with proper cleaning. And because it's nonporous, liquids and stains can't penetrate solid surface, so it's easy to clean and maintain. Solid surfaces are also nontoxic, and chemically nonreactive, with virtually no off-gassing at normal room temperatures, in accordance with building codes and other local restrictions. While solid surfaces can be scratched or burned, seams are invisible so any repairs done to the top can be seamlessly placed into the existing top. Since the seams are invisible, a solid surface countertop can be any shape or size without seeing any seams in the material. There are also solid surface sinks avalable as well. These allow for a seamless integration between the top and the sink. One property of solid surface sinks is that there is a very slight chance that they can crack with a sudden drastic change in temperature (i.e. pouring a pot of boiling water into a cold sink). The sink will only crack if there are any flaws in the material already, but this situation is covered by the warranty. Most companies offer between 50-100 colors of solid surface. It can be cut into any shape, and differnt colors can be seamlessly joined together to provide interesting design possibilities. solid surface® tops are usually 2 to 3 times as costly as laminate tops, but they come with a 10 year warranty. Examples of solid surface materials are Dupont Corian®, Gibraltar, Hi-Macs, and Topstone to name a few.

Granite:
Granite is a natural stone product mined from quarries around the world and cut to slabs for your countertop. Since these countertops are made from natural materials, different slabs of the same material can look quite different. Granite is a very hard and dense material. It has a hardness of about 7 on the Mohs scale (diamond being a 10 and a kitchen knife being about 5.5) so it is highly resistant to scratching. There hundreds of different types of granite with dealers usually offering a wide choice of colors. Different types of granites vary in their porosity. Generally, materials that are speckled are rather non-porous, while veined material is slightly more porous. Since the granite is quarried in slabs of various sizes, most large, L-shaped, or U-shaped tops will have one or more seams. Seams are often as much as about 1/8" thick. All granite tops (except for some black granites) are professionally sealed to make them nearly as sanitary as solid surface tops. Some black granites are not sealed because they are very dense and a sealer would make these tops more prone to staining. It is suggested that granite tops should be re-sealed every 1-2 years with a sealant you can apply yourself and should be polished every few months to retain its shine. While granite is a very durable surface, it is not indestructable. A piece of granite may have a natural fissure in it that is initially invisible, but if it subjected to stress (e.g. from house settlement) or large temperature flux, these fissures can develop into a crack that is visible. While this is a rare occurance, it does happen. Generally, cracks will show at or soon after installation (because of either stress from transporting or a new house starting to settle). Granite tops are not warrantied and it is at the discretion of the fabricator to replace countertop sections that crack. Generally, the more time between installation and the development of a crack, the less likely the fabricator is to replace the section at no charge. Since granite is a natural product, different pieces can vary slightly in color or composition. If you are particular your countertop color or pattern, it is always best to go to a fabricator that allows you to pick a slab. Most often, a customer that wants a granite countertop appreciates the beauty and variability of this natural product. Granite tops can be very beautiful but are usually more expensive than solid surface.

Quartz:
Quartz countertops (sometimes called engineered stone) aim to combine the best qualities of natural stone and solid surface into one product. It is composed of an acrylic polymer blended with natural quartz to give it exceptional strength and durability. The quartz pieces in the top give it depth and character. There are several companies that offer quartz countertops such as Cambria, Dupont Zodiaq®, SileStone, and Avanza. Each company offers approximately 20-40 colors (with most companies offering many similar colors), but new colors are being added every year. Since it is an engineered product, colors and patterns tend to be more consistent than granite. This makes Quartz an excellent choice for the customer that wants a countertop that functions like granite, but wants a maore uniform or consistent look. These tops are as sanitary as solid surface tops and as hard as granite tops. In architectural specifications, quartz countertops rate 3 to 4 times stronger than granite. Quartz material is made only in approximately 5' x 10' slabs so some countertop sizes and shapes will require seams. Since it is an engineered product, it usually cuts cleaner than granite so seams can usually be made about 1/16" thick. One advantage that quartz tops have over granite tops is that they do not need to be sealed every few years, however, they could still be polished every few months to retain their gloss. These tops fall into the mid to upper range of solid surface and lower range of granite tops. Quartz countertops also come with a 10 year warranty.

Wood:
Solid wood countertops are fairly uncommon in the United States, but very popular in Europe. We use Spekva tops from Denmark for our solid wood top applications. There are a wide variety of species available for use in wood tops (Spekva offers over 20), most of which are hardwoods. The color of the tops comes mainly from the color of the wood and they can have a natural oil or soap finish. We recommend the oil finish because it is easier to maintain and makes the top more water resistant. There are a variety of thicknesses and edge treatments available. One of the most interesting properties of wood tops is that the wood has enzymes that destroy bacteria over time so they are actually one of the most sanitary tops you can have - this is why butchers have used wood tops in their shops for years. Naturally, wood tops can be damaged by cutting, but since most of the woods used are very hard woods they resist cutting very well, but will show wear over time unless a cutting board is used. Also, since the tops are only treated with natural oil, they can be sanded down and re-oiled for a brand new surface. Wood tops need regular re-application of the oil every so often depending on the amount of moisture and sunlight they are exposed to. Spekva wood tops come with a 5 year warranty.

Other natural stones:
These natural products are also used for countertops, but are less common than granite and man made materials. These materials vary in porosity and like granite usually must be sealed. The materials vary in how brittle they are so they may need more support on overhangs than granite. Also, some materials are considered a "soft" stone, like soap stone, that will show heavy signs of wear over time. Usually, it is this property of the stone that attracts some customers to give a rustic feel to their kitchen. Otherwise, they have many of the same advantages and disadvantages of granite countertops. There are many types of natural stone materials used for countertops. Some examples are: soapstone, marble, sandstone, bluestone, slate, and volcanic rock. These materials tend to fall into the granite price range, however, they may be a bit harder to find because they are not as common as granite.

Tile:
These countertops are built by laying tiles on a plywood or particle board backing. They usually are comparable to laminate tops for cost depending on the type of tile chosen. The drawbacks to these tops are that the grout lines make the surface uneven and the grout is difficult to keep clean over a long period of time. It is usually recommended to seal the tile and grout to minimize this difficulty. The tiles usually are ceramic or porcelean (porcelean being harder), but can also be granite or slate. Granite tiles have become marketed as an inexpensive alternative to slab granite countertops, but once the labor to build the top is factored in, the cost savings is usually minimal at best.

Cultured marble:
These tops are used only for bathroom vanities. The brand we use is Marblux. These tops are man made materials. They can be made with or without moulded sink bowls. Cultured marble tops are generally very inexpensive and quite durable. They can be scratched or cracked with some effort, but are usually covered by a limited lifetime warranty.