Kitchen countertops can cost thousands of dollars. So you want them to last for many years. There are so many choices: quartz, granite, solid surface, recycled glass. And a new ultracompact material, Dekton, sold at Home Depot and kitchen-design stores.
Consumer Reports tests countertops and can tell you which will stay looking good the longest.
To test for staining, 20 common foods and household products, such as tomato sauce, mustard, chocolate, and food coloring, are left on the countertops overnight. Testers check whether they leave a permanent mark.
Countertops are also tested to see whether they’ll scratch from a knife or burn from a hot pot.
And Consumer Reports drops weights from a series of set heights to see what could happen if something heavy falls on your countertops. The Dekton countertops cracked all the way across. And drop tests along the edge also chipped Dekton.
A Dekton representative says, “We are unable to validate the results, as testing conditions didn’t comply with our own installation guidelines.”
Consumer Reports tests all countertops the same way, and none cracked edge-to-edge the way Dekton did.
In the end, Consumer Reports’ tests show that quartz and granite are consistently the most durable products on the market. Both come in a variety of colors and styles, and they’re ideal for a high-traffic kitchen.
Though both quartz and granite have similar high scores for durability, be aware that you’ll need to reseal granite countertops periodically to keep them water and stain resistant.
