Countertops
Is granite, laminate, quartz, solid surface, or some other material the way to go?

The kitchen countertop has evolved from utilitarian work surface to stylish focal point. Despite granite's glamour, quartz is better when it comes to resisting spills, scrapes, and heat. And a case for best kitchen countertop can be made for ceramic tile or marble, which offer a variety of color and pattern choices.

Replacing a countertop is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to update a kitchen's look; you'll pay as little as $550 for 55 square feet, about 18 linear feet, of laminate counter. So it isn't surprising that countertops have outpaced cabinet shipments for the past decade, according to an industry research firm.

While granite is still what you'll see in magazines and real-estate ads, fancier faux materials are giving it serious competition for best kitchen countertop. Quartz, also known as engineered stone, is the fastest-growing countertop surface and is also at the top of our Ratings because of its better stain resistance. Plus, this non-porous blend of stone, pigment, and resin needn't be sealed like the real stuff.

Quartz has become so popular that its look is being copied. Staron and DuPont now offer solid-surface countertops that look like quartz and are essentially an imitation of an imitation. Still other countertop materials are moving up in the world as their makers vie for a place in your kitchen. Here are the details:

Granite offers a guarantee
Following in the footsteps of DuPont and Home Depot, Formica and Cosentino (the maker of Silestone) recently added granite to their product lines. Formica offers precut modular countertops with a one-year warranty against defects, while the warranty for Cosentino's SenSa stretches 15 years, courtesy of a "SenGuard" sealer that "chemically anchors to the stone's surface, creating a permanent bond." The catch: None of the warranties cover damage caused by normal wear and tear. And Cosentino's warranty, like Innovative Stone's 15-year-stain warranty on its granite sold at Home Depot, merely includes help removing the stain--not a new counter.

Laminates are more luxurious
Easy care, low prices, and styles that mimic pricier materials help keep laminate at the top of the sales charts. For the nostalgic, Formica recently introduced a series of modernized 1950s patterns such as "criss cross" and "boomerang." More detailed edge treatments, now available on post-formed counters, are also upping laminate's profile in the competition for best kitchen countertop (see Backsplashes and edges, available to subscribers).

Countertops go green
Made of shredded U.S. greenbacks, ShetkaStone's Counterfit gives new meaning to the phrase "seeing where your remodeling dollar is going." PaperStone and Richlite also use paper pulp to create solid-surface counters. Recycled glass is another eco-friendly counter material. IceStone is made from ground-up bottles and concrete, EnviroGlas from recycled glass and porcelain. On the downside for those looking for the best kitchen countertop material, most of those green options are available only through architects and designers. Prices range from $50 to $140 per square foot, installed.