We are planning on listing our house for sale this year (maybe next year, at the latest) and we are due for new countertops. As a homebuyer, what countertop would you most like to see in a prospective home? We also want to get the greatest return on our investment, of course, which makes me think that stone is the best way to go.
ETA: We are likely leaning towards granite or quartz (quartz is my #1 choice), but I wanted to see what others prefer.
114 votes
papaya / 10570 posts
We are on the process of renovating our kitchen and spent a lot of time researching worktops. We initially wanted granite but we discovered that it needs constant polishing. We also discovered that wood needs oiling. So we are replacing with an expensive, realistic wood effect laminate. I voted butchers block though, because most laminates don't look as good and wood would be my second choice, above a traditional laminate.
watermelon / 14467 posts
Personally, Laminate or butcher block. I hate stone countertops because they are so cold and hard.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
I like Quartz because I think it looks as good as granite but has pretty much no maintenance.
Although, that's what we have in our condo and I have seen episodes of house hunters where the buyers said it looked dated... So maybe I'm out of touch.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Foodnerd81: I think quartz looks more modern than granite! A lot of the granite colors remind me of the 90s for some reason.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
We have quartz and love it! I love all the color choices you have and they're so durable!
papaya / 10560 posts
I really like quartz and I believe it is more durable than granite is. Granite is nice, but it depends on color too!
grapefruit / 4545 posts
Honestly - I would not replace them before listing. As a homebuyer I'd rather have a "allowance" to pick the material I want.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Cherrybee: And real wood is porous and can easily stain! I think it's sensitive to spills, acidic fruits, etc.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Mrs D: our laminate is peeling up--there are sections where it's coming off almost entirely! We've got to replace it! It's OLD.
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@Rainbow Sprinkles: Then I would do the cheapest granite...uba tuba and venetian gold are the cheapest here ($30-35 sq ft)...and I would be expecting to not receive the value back.
I would also entertain laminate - I'd compare the cost different between laminate and granite - then I'd discuss with my realtor.
I think granite is your baseline if you feel you need to upgrade. I would not spend extra money on quartz - and I would not go concrete/slate/butcher which may turn off some buyers.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Mrs D: interesting...I saw venetian gold when were getting samples last night, but the cheapest granite was $60 a sqft. Is this regional or is Home Depot just a more expensive outfit?
coconut / 8472 posts
@Cherrybee: I've had laminate for years and never once polished it.
I'd say any kind of solid surface is fine - natural stone, corian, etc. I personally hate butcher block and laminate. I would immediately take a house off my list that had cheap kitchen counters. But then, anything remotely modern around here has non-laminate. I built a very modestly priced townhouse 5 years ago, and even that came with granite because it was just expected.
eggplant / 11287 posts
Here is a picture that shows our wall color (light gray), our cabinet color (medium reddish brown), and our floor color (red brick). There are 2 quartz samples and 2 granite samples.
....and our current blue laminate. 
pomelo / 5129 posts
I agree with @Mrs D: and would consult a realtor first. We were going to redo our kitchen (the cabinets were made of wood grain plastic laminate. They were awful!). but based on comps in our neighborhood, our realtor said not to. Most will prefer picking out their own preferences. And the comps for houses like ours with new kitchens were only appraised at $3k more than ours...and we could NOT have redone it for $3k!
eggplant / 11287 posts
@ShootingStar: yeah, not many homes around here have laminate. We've been looking around at homes casually and they all have granite or quartz.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@MaryM: my dad is a realtor, and he is pro new countertops. Our home has new stainless appliances, brand new paint, and nice cabinetry, and so replacing the laminate would really just be the icing on the cake and make it look like a brand new, updated, sparkling kitchen. Maybe just going with a less expensive granite option is our best bet.
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@Rainbow Sprinkles: Home Depot is more expensive. Home depot sub contracts everything to local people - so you have home depot making a cut, on top of the person doing the actual work. You have an added layer of profit worked in. Go straight to a granite wholesaler and have them put you in touch with a granite fabricator.
FWIW - your laminate doesnt look that bad! 
definitely speak with a realtor. If you were going to be there longer I would say just do what makes you happy - but with such a short timeframe to enjoy the cash outflow I would speak to a realtor first. They may also know a cheap fabricator!
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Mrs D: Totally makes sense about Home Depot just adding another extra layer of cost. Maybe we will go straight to the local outfits ourselves, or see if my realtor dad knows anybody. Thank you for your tips!
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@Rainbow Sprinkles: Its a definite catch 22...you could pick a granite and potential buyers see it an love it and the sparkling kitchen could make them buy your house. Or - you could have the asshole like me come through and discount the offer price bc you know you want to replace granite!
Thats why I say...if you can find a reasonable granite (we did our old kitchen for $1600 knowing we would not be there long term) and say "hey - having this for X months or X years is worth the investment even if I get nothing back" go for it. I would just be weary of anything "splurge" or too high end bc you are risking it being a lost investment...
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
I like Quartz and butcher block but I think granite is more popular?
It really depends on your neighborhood imo.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
@Mrs D: agree. I definitely would not go with Home Depot or Lowes. Go to a local stone supplier. They will usually have installers that work for them.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Mrs D: $1600! Wow! That's good to know it's even a possibility to do it for that price (we have about 36 sqft of counter space--do you remember the square footage of your old kitchen?). It would definitely be worth it for me....even if we are only there until september. Maybe we will love the new counters so much we will stay another year. 
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@Rainbow Sprinkles: I am thinking 40 sq ft...if I remember correctly...here is the space to visually compare...usually you are paying for a slab...so as long as you can keep it to one slab (which 36 should no problem). I was very open with them about how budget conciosu I was...(we had painted the existing 1960's cabinets and were doing the backsplash ourselves for $250....super budget "reno"). They were understanding. We also got a remnant for one of our bathrooms that had very damaged laminate for $300 for the vanity...it was a striking material and really made the bathroom....it was barely $50 more than the pre-fab granite counters at HD. Since they were already coming to do the kitchen it added very little cost.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Mrs D: That looks really similar in size to ours. What a cute kitchen! You did a great job!
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@Rainbow Sprinkles: Thanks! Not to thread jack but I was super proud of it...here is the before...
eggplant / 11287 posts
@Mrs D: Unbelievable! You have a gift! That's really cool.
So.....want to help me pick out a countop color......? 
Did you re-do the kitchen in your new place, or was it move in ready for you?
grapefruit / 4545 posts
@Rainbow Sprinkles: so I have a personal hatred for black granite (after owning it I realized it is SO hard to keep it streak free)...so I would pick something cream tone - with your cabinet color and backsplash thoughts I think it would look nice. Plus you can find creamish granites with grey specks to work with the walls.
We gutted our entire house (first floor completely down to studs - second floor mostly cosmetic) so yes we re-did the kitchen but we knew this was more of a long term house. We went with a cream granite this time and dark cabinets. This granite was a bit more expensive ($2200 for the whole kitchen) but still budget conscious. (ignore the food - but you can see the granite well here)
grapefruit / 4545 posts
and for fun...here is kitchen before and after in my new house...I am good at visualizing...DH thought I was insane for wanting this house
persimmon / 1385 posts
@Rainbow Sprinkles: I agree with @Mrs D: . I'm very picky when it comes to aesthetics, especially in kitchens. I would much rather be able to choose my own as a homebuyer. If I were you, since yours is in bad shape, I would replace it with the cheapest non-offensive option that goes with the room. That way either your buyers will like it and live with it or they won't feel bad about tearing it out. When we were house hunting I hated seeing expensive counter tops that just weren't my taste because I knew I'd want to change it regardless of whether it was "expensive" or not and I felt bad. Frankly, what I view as, "ugly" expensive counters are much more of a turnoff to me than "ugly" cheap counters.
grapefruit / 4545 posts
My boss just put in some laminate that looks like granite and it honestly looks very nice. I am not sure what the cost differential is but that could be an option too?
I definitely agree that if yours are a "cant live in there" situation or something that could otherwise turn off buyers who are incapable of seeing how easy it is to replace counters...find a cost effective way to un-do the reason for them not to buy!
honeydew / 7235 posts
We put in a quartz counter and LOVE it. I wanted marble, but not the hassle of marble, needed it to be sturdy/durable/maintenance-free. We had granite in our last place and I really liked it too, but they didn't have the colors I wanted.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
quartz looks best but wouldn't necessarily sway me, and I don't know that it has a great ROI. I like quartz over granite b/c you can cut on it, etc, and don't have to polish it, etc. It's more high maintenance and prone to chipping. I have laminate right now but just don't want to spend the thousands to upgrade
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