There are so many countertop materials to choose from such as granite, marble, and quartz countertops. Here is everything you need to know about laminate countertops before buying them for your kitchen.

They Don’t Get Stained

Laminate countertops are a great choice to go for because they don’t get stained. Unlike traditional countertops made out of natural stones which tend to get stained pretty easily, laminate countertops will save you from this trouble. It is virtually non-porous and its cleaning is very easy.

The liquid spilled on the surface of the countertop beads in a puddle and you can easily clean it with a wet washcloth and call it a day. It’s a great, mess-free countertop material that won’t look dirty from stains and you won’t have to go through the trouble of cleaning it meticulously to remove the stains.

They Are Extremely Inexpensive

Another great advantage of laminate countertops is that it is extremely cheap as compared to other countertop materials. It is a highly reasonable material and this is what makes people go for it. Most people don’t want to spend a fortune on kitchen countertops and that’s completely understandable. Laminate countertops and their installation will cost you a fraction of what granite countertops would cost.

On top of that, it is a maintenance-free material and it can be duped into many designs. You can make laminate countertops look like granite, marble, and even quartz countertops, and that too at a fraction of the cost of these stones.

Low Maintenance Material

Laminate countertops are virtually maintenance-free. They don’t need to be sanded down, waxed, polished, made waterproof, sealed to prevent liquid accumulation, and all that jazz. It is pretty much a “set it and forget it” material and it doesn’t need to be looked after a whole lot.

All you really need to do is clean it every day to make it look spotless and avoid putting hot pots and pans directly on the surface of laminate countertops because this is the only thing laminate is not resistant to, and that’s heat. Heated things will leave ugly-looking black marks all over the countertop.

Shortest Lifespan

Although laminate is an amazing material for countertops and it’s quite inexpensive, it is still considered to be the material with the shortest life span. It doesn’t even last for a year, because it can begin to chip and break and you will need to eventually replace the whole thing.

Laminate is not one of those materials that can be salvaged. You will have to take everything out and install new countertops if they ever get damaged or the life span reaches its end. This is a major disadvantage of laminate countertops.

Not Resistant To Heat

Laminate countertops, as mentioned above, are not resistant to heat. If any sort of hot pot is placed on top of the surface of this countertop, it will leave black heat stains. These are somewhat permanent and they can’t be removed no matter what you try to do

It’s best to avoid putting hot things on the surface and use trivets and cutting boards. These things will act as barriers between the hot pan and the countertop and it will prevent these black stains from occurring on your spotless countertops. This small precaution can save your countertops from being totally replaced.

They Don’t Add Value To The House

These countertops, although they are super inexpensive and maintenance-free, are not liked by people. It doesn’t add a lot of value to your house and people will prefer houses with stone countertops. This is a huge drawback and can potentially break your perfectly good selling deal with potential buyers.

This is not a countertop material you should install in your kitchen if you’re trying to sell the house and trying to add value to it. It will only backfire and you will end up wasting a good amount of money over nothing in the end.

Conclusion

There you have it! This buyer’s guide will be extremely helpful in figuring out and deciding whether or not laminate countertops are what you want to go for. You can discuss your requirements with a granite contractor Potomac to decide which kitchen countertop material will be right for you.