Renovating a kitchen comes with a lot of places to spend money. Cabinets, flooring, appliances, fixtures and countertops all compete for a piece of the budget. So when it comes time to choose a surface, there is a fair question homeowners should be asking: what am I actually getting for the extra money?
Sometimes, quite a bit.
Laminate is often used as the starting point for countertop pricing. It remains a practical choice, particularly when the initial cost is the priority. But Ed Krahn, owner of Counter Effects, says homeowners may be surprised by what sits within reach just above it.
Solid surface is a good example.
The difference between laminate and certain solid surface options can sometimes be smaller than expected. Yet the two materials behave very differently once they are in your home.
Picture a countertop several years from now. It has picked up scratches from everyday use, or maybe the kitchen itself has changed. A wall comes down. Cabinets move. The homeowner wants a different sink or decides that part of the old kitchen would make a great bathroom vanity.
With laminate, your options for repairing or changing the existing surface are limited. Solid surface gives a fabricator considerably more freedom. Scratches and chips can often be repaired, and sections can be cut, altered and joined again.
Ed has actually done it.
Counter Effects has taken existing solid surface countertops and cut them down for use as bathroom vanities. Ed’s own solid surface desk has been altered and put back together over the years. It is the kind of value that is difficult to see when you are comparing two samples and two prices on renovation day.
Corian® solid surface is also non-porous and stain resistant, and qualifying residential installations fabricated and installed by a DuPont Certified Fabricator/Installer carry a 10-year product and labour warranty that can transfer with the sale of the home.
Then there is quartz.
The word itself can make homeowners picture a premium price tag, but quartz is not one price point. Entry-level options provide another place where spending can look different than expected.
Quartz brings a different set of advantages. It is non-porous, does not require sealing, and offers resistance to scratches and stains. It is also available in an extensive range of colours and patterns, including options that recreate the appearance of natural stone.
None of that makes laminate a poor decision. A homeowner choosing laminate because it suits the project and their priorities can be making exactly the right call.
The missed opportunity is choosing it automatically.
If the difference between two options is less than expected, suddenly the conversation changes. Is repairability important? Would lower maintenance matter? How long will the countertop be in the home? What does the warranty cover?
Those questions tell you much more than the price tag alone.
A renovation budget is ultimately about priorities. The goal is not to spend more everywhere. It is knowing where spending differently can give you something you will actually value.
And sometimes, the countertop you assumed was outside the conversation deserves a second look.
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