If your home still has laminate or formica countertops you probably battle with the idea of replacing your countertops on a daily basis.
In the 90’s and early 2000’s laminate countertops were used on practically every newly constructed home. However as granite and quartz started to become more and more popular homeowners realized how practical it is to have natural stone counters, not to mention how much more stylish they make your kitchen or bathroom seem.
Regardless of practicality and how stylish it is the question homeowners ask themselves when either remodeling or purchasing a new home is: are stone countertops really worth the extra money? Is there really any reason that your old laminate countertops need to be replaced?
Here are four reasons why stone countertops are worth the investment.
1. Style & Decor
Opting to install a natural stone countertop whether it be quartz, granite, marble, or any other stone material automatically increases the value of your home. Especially if the stone significantly enhances the design appeal in your home.
Generally natural stone in a kitchen or bathroom makes the room appear much more sleek and modern. This in turn makes the room appear of greater value and “high end”.
Unlike laminate countertops that are very difficult to make appealing in a modern setting, stone especially a darker single-toned quartz is appealing from the minute you install it in your home.
In the pacific northwest especially the Portland and Seattle Metro area with the housing market booming... having a home that doesn’t have some sort of stone countertop appears outdated and low end to potential buyers.
In an area where the average cost of a starter home begins at 250k and plus buyers are no longer looking for “starter homes” they are looking for a long term investment and need something more sophisticated hence stone countertops are often a must.
2. Durability
We don’t really need to do much convincing here. Stone is always more durable than plastic and everyone know that. Granite & Quartz are known to be some of the most durable countertop materials available and rightly so.
Stone is strong, it will withstand hot objects better than laminate as well as do a better job withstanding frequent spills and sharp objects. It won’t peel or discolor like laminate, and is guaranteed to last a lifetime meaning you won’t have to replace it ever.
Being a natural stone however there are certain things that homeowners must be careful with like not using harsh chemicals as it may eat away into the stone as well as not applying blunt force as that is often a cause of cracking (no brainer).
3. Affordability
You may not think that paying $60-$100 per square foot for a kitchen countertop is necessarily affordable but considering the fact that this small home improvement project adds significant dollar value to your home as well as an increased appeal it’s well worth the cost.
Also as we mentioned above the lifetime of a natural stone countertop is much longer than that of a laminate countertop meaning that investing a little bit more and going for higher quality will allow you to save money on repairs and replacements in the future.
If you price shop and look for a cheaper material you can save some money. Also choose to shop for countertops in an off season month (when fabricators have less project to work on) you can significantly save some money.
4. Return on Investment
Although the official return on investment is not that appealing on the cost to install stone countertops and the amount of value that it adds to your home… the return is actually found in the perceived value.
Dollar wise you may just barely recoup the amount you spent on the counters but you will have a much higher chance of selling your home at the market value or ever higher if the potential homeowner views your home as something of value to them.
Since the kitchen is considered one of the most important rooms in any home, it is the first room that home buyers carefully look into. No new homeowner wishes to spend thousands of dollars remodeling a kitchen days after purchasing the house.
If you can make the kitchen more appealing before selling your home, do so. The second most important rooms in a house is often the bathrooms. Bathrooms must also be clean, modern, and stylish. Homebuyers turn away when the most important rooms in the home are outdated and unappealing.
By replacing a couple of the bathroom vanity tops with quartz or granite you will increase the appeal of your home many times over and have a higher chance of selling your house in a shorter amount of time.
Regardless if you are selling your home or not, every homeowner agrees that a new countertop is a desired makeover. It’s stylish, it’s appealing, and it sets a mood and environment in your home that is enjoyable for the whole family.
If you need to do something to freshen up either the kitchen or a bathroom, then a granite or quartz countertop is a must. It will last for years (basically as long as you want it to) and will never go out of style.
Yes stone countertops are worth it, not just financially but also for the sake of durability and appeal.
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