Kitchen counters come in many styles

Today, the $170 billion renovation market is undergoing a counter craze.

With kitchens the hub of daily life and entertaining, decor aficionados look for on luxuriant solid surface and stone countertops as their best foot forward in kitchen makeovers.

"Counters have gained importance as activities shift to the kitchen," says Ginguei Ebnesajjad, director of product styling for DuPont Corian and Zodiaq countertops. "In the old days, people re-did kitchens strictly for resale value, but now they're saying 'I want to do this for me because this is where I live'," says Ebnesajjad. She sees counters as akin to a "supporting actor" to make the leading star - the kitchen - shine bright.

Where cabinets were once the starting point for overall kitchen design, many homeowners now plan around their countertop choice. And those choices have grown in number and variety. Laminates have been joined by stone, engineered materials and even wood to present more options than ever for consumers.

What you choose should be based on budget, style of living and maintenance issues. Solid surface materials are largely maintenance free and color palates have grown steadily to more than 150 color options, including derivatives of highly popular concrete surfaces. Damage to these solid surfaces can be sanded out and the resin coated surfaces won't need sealing. And unlike stone, Ebnesajjad says solid surfaces have a 10-year transferable warranty.

At the other end of the spectrum are natural stones such as granite and marble. Consumer Reports magazine cited granite with the highest number of excellent ratings of any counter surface. But granite is not as readily repaired as its manufactured brethren and needs to be sealed at least twice a year. Marble has its share of adherents, too, but the surface is quite porous so the frequent use of sealants is a must.

Many time-strapped homeowners are keenly aware of the need for reduced maintenance. Ebnesajjad says "ease of maintenance and less cleaning are way up on the must-have list for homeowners."

On the plus side of granite is natural veining that lends a unique look. According to the Marble Institute, a trade industry group that promotes natural stones, granites are, technically speaking, igneous rocks derived from molten magma. Granite takes color from feldspar, the predominate mineral. The stone has hues from black to pink to white, and even reds, which are becoming more available.

It's advisable to see how granite samples look against the available light and other material colors in your kitchen. Granite vendors will gladly loan or rent samples to take home.

Current prices

The Granite Institute says current prices are at the lowest ebb in the past 10 to 15 years, in part due to the growth in Asian imports and retail pressures from solid surfaces. Consumers in most markets can expect to pay from $45 to $75 per square foot, installed, for both products.

But, according to Ebnesajjad, the line between manufactured solid surfaces and stone is beginning to blur.