What is the best material for white countertops?

 

White countertops are elegant, brightening, and offer an easy solution to update any outdated kitchen or bath. Plus, when it comes to design trends, white kitchen countertops could not be more popular than they are right now. These top seven white countertop materials for 2022 show exactly why white kitchen countertops are at the top of almost every homeowner’s list this year. Keep reading to learn how you can jump in on this gorgeous design trend!

Before we get into the most popular light countertop colors, we’ll go over the basics of why upgrading your countertops is a great way to improve your home’s interior. First of all, new countertops give your kitchen, bathroom, laundry, or any room in your home a completely refreshed look. In fact, updating your countertops is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to improve your home. New countertops will not only enhance the beauty of your home but also increase your home’s value. On top of that, new countertops have a short timeline from fabrication to installation, which means in just a few weeks you can have a completely renewed space. 

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Updated: March 23, 2023

White countertops are so important to many a kitchen design’s success. They balance out the darkness, give a fresh feel to a wood or dark kitchen island. If your goal is a white kitchen with white countertops, you can create a clean backdrop this way. Read this blog to learn more with me!

10 White Kitchen Countertops

What are your choices for white kitchen countertops? Consider this your style guide as I take you through 10 options for various budgets and their cost, care and differences:

• laminate
• concrete
• white granite
• marble
• porcelain
• quartzite
• quartz
• recycled glass
• sintered stone
• resin

1. White Laminate Countertop

A white laminate countertop is your most affordable option right off the bat! If you are working on a tight budget but want light and bright countertops, take a close look at a white laminate countertop.

I love how Kate of Centsational Style used a marble lookalike laminate countertop and had it fabricated stopping at the wall (like with stone). This adds to the look of marble.

Laminate isn’t ever going to look high end, but that doesn’t mean it’s not nice to look it. Think of it this way: laminate countertops can mimic expensive natural stone countertops, but they’re not going to actually fool you into thinking that’s what they are. But using laminate in your kitchen will give you the overall look – and sometimes that’s all you need!

Laminate is just made of a thin veneer. There are all kinds of white finishes to choose from – gleaming white, marbled, cream, matte etc – making it an excellent choice for budget conscious kitchens.

Laminate is easy to clean with a simple wipe down, but they can scratch and scuff. There are some newer laminate kitchen countertops that claim to be scratch resistant. All laminates do not resist heat.

You can find laminate options at big box places like Lowes- but you can find even cheaper options at IKEA! Short of attempting a DIY, laminate is easily the most affordable option for white countertops.

2. White Countertops Made of Concrete

When people think white concrete countertops, this might bring up images of a sidewalk color. However, your concrete countertops don’t have to be boring or lifeless. Concrete countertops can be pigmented and polished to give a brilliant shine!

Yes- white countertops made out of concrete can be a bright shining crisp white. You can also use various stain colors to mimic the look of marble veining.

It is a common misconception that concrete countertops are the “affordable option”. They sound like a DIY you can tackle over the weekend (and you absolutely could, but it’s not quick or easy!). Once you factor in the labor involved, they don’t always fall into the affordable category.

Concrete countertops in a gleaming white might resemble natural stone, but they are unique in their own right. They showcase all their imperfections as a inherent trait: cracks and a little rippling is to be expected, but also unfortunate pitted areas if not poured exactly right.

You will need to seal concrete countertops often, and even sealed properly the white concrete can still stain over time. Cement is porous and highly absorbable – so they must be treated delicately . Unless you like looking at discolored oil rings – be prepared to baby them!

3. White Granite Countertops

While living in our previous house with that early 2000s orangish brown granite, I wondered did a true white countertop made of granite actually exist? (Spoiler alert: yes and no.)

Can you actually get white granite? Yes, white granite does exist. But not if you are looking for solid all white granite. What makes granite granite is the flecks, the variations, and the pretty patterns within the rock. Even the white is made up of a variation of colors. There is no white granite without some other colors too.

via: Arch City Granite & Marble

Below are 4 popular kinds of white granite countertops I would recommend looking into are:

1. Alps White Granite: If you want an upscale and lux look using granite, Alps White granite is worth looking into. What I loved most in the slabs I saw was that it offered lots of movement and lots of warm white at the same time. It can vary so it’s important to go and pick out your slab!
2. Colonial White Granite: This is another beautiful warm white granite. A creamy gray and white- but it usually gives an overall white appearance. It has beige and smokey speckles. I think the beige makes it look great against warm or cream cabinets or walls.
3. Alaska White: Many recent homes use this granite. You can spot Alaska granite by looking at the shades of grey and black spaces, and cream speckles. It was too dark for my kitchen design but I did find it beautiful. It can read cold so make sure you warm your kitchen up in other ways.
4. Andino White Granite: Lots of gray and black, although it is classified as a white granite. Large pieces of dark gray.

Alaskan White Granite via: Design Indulgence

4. The Most Prized White Countertop: Marble

No conversation about white kitchen countertops can take place without mentioning marble. Marble may not be for everyone, but it arguably boasts the most sought after look!

White marble is an exceptionally beautiful stone and seen as a luxury. It also comes with a high price tag, plus considerably more maintenance. It stains and etches easily, even with sealing.

I’ve noticed marble owners fall into two categories: they love it and shout from the roof tops that the world makes too big a deal over the etching, or they find it altogether too high maintenance and regret it.

If you don’t know yet which team you side with, ask yourself: are you okay with mild, mainly not obvious etching over time and perhaps small chips in your marble? If your answer is no way, then marble is not for you.

via: Episode 1 Season 5 Fixxer Upper

Carrara Marble

Carrara marble is the most affordable and most used marble type. With a white/light gray background and veining, no two are unique.

Calacatta Marble

Italian Calacatta marble comes, you guess it, Italy. It is excellent quality and one of the more costly stones. Calacatta is a brighter white tone than Carrara with larger more dramatic grey veins.

5. White Countertops Made Out Of Porcelain

I took a zoom call early in 2021 with a kitchen remodel specialist, and we were chatting countertops. She introduced me to porcelain countertops – and told me they are on the rise with her clients requesting luxury kitchens.

Why the rise in popularity? Well, what’s not to love? They are just about as stain-proof as can be due to their non-porous nature. Liquids and bacteria aren’t absorbed into the surface. There is no sealing. They don’t chip easily and are considered durable.

Porcelain is also touted as being heat resistant – but I’ve noticed that all porcelain manufacturers recommend using trivets! They can take the heat but also use protection? Hmm. Take what you want with that.

Another big plus about porcelain – that can be considered a draw back too – is that the design is printed on top – so you can literally get any kind of design you want! Marble look alikes in porcelain are easy to find. For those dreaming of white kitchen countertops, porcelain countertops might be the way to go.

The price is similar to a high end granite or quartz.

6. White Quartzite

“What is quartzite?” was my question when we designed my kitchen. It sounds like quartz… but is it? Quartzite is all natural. It begins as sandstone, and then is fused together with gleaming quartz crystals to form quartzite.

Often quartzite can be mistaken for marble due to it’s delicate veining.

Quaratize needs more maintenance than quartz, but they offer more depth for white kitchen countertops. The natural beauty of the stone lends many to think of quartzite as the more beautiful countertop. Although somewhat dense, it still is possible to get wine and coffee stains without regular sealing – but by all means, seal your quartzite.

Quartzite is moderately expensive over all, and generally more pricey than its’ cousin quartz.

7. White Quartz Counters

White quartz was all I wanted in our kitchen, laundry and every bathroom when we built, due to it’s low maintenance. We used three different kinds. You will want to read up on all the pros and cons of using white quartz countertops and our 3 kinds of quartz in this post here.

Quartz countertops are an excellent choice with all types of design styles! Quartz is a man made material (not a stone, like quartzite!), and known for being strong, easy to clean, no sealing, and scratch resistant.

You will find quartz countertops to be stain resistant for the most part- but take heed – it will need extra attention if red wine, tomato sauce, coffee etc. sits for a while.

Quartz countertops do come in sold white, along with many beautiful dynamic patterns and veining – some that even mimic marble.

unknown Ella quartz, via Creative Surfaces

For white countertops made out of quartz with a mild to dramatic pattern try:

• Cambria Ella
• Cambria Brittanicca
• Calacatta Classique
• Miso Alabaster White

For plain solid white quartz with no patterns try:

• Cosmos White Zen
• MSI Arctic White
• Ceasarstone Pure White

It comes with a price though – and falls somewhere between granite and marble, and less expensive than quartzite. At the lowest end, quartz will run you about the cost of a premium granite. Like many countertops there are different premiums priced accordingly.

8. White Countertops Made From Recycled Glass

White recycled glass countertops are an option for a contemporary, modern design. White countertops made out of glass will have flecks of colorful or neutral flecks in them! Yes, glass countertops are indeed durable despite the name making it sound delicate, although they can scratch. They do not need a sealer.

via: AGM Imports of Charleston

White recycled glass countertops range in price, but on average they are considered on the affordable end, and certainly less expensive than granite or quartz.

via: Laura U via Backsplash

9. A “New” Kind of White Countertop: Sintered Stone, or Ultra Compact Surfaces

What the heck is sintered stone? Although not commonly well known currently, you can get used to the term because it’s rising in popularity. If you’ve heard of Neolith and Dekton Countertops – then you actually are familiar! Both of those are the names of the two most popular brands that produce sintered stone countertops.

Below is Dekton:

Below is Neolith:

Sintered stone countertops are made using natural materials (mostly recycled!) mimicking the process that Earth makes creating natural stone. This is done through extremely high temperatures and compacting.

Sintered stone countertops are offered in a wide range of colors that are so good they could actually pass for natural stone, including glossy and matte. It gets better too- they are touted as being extremely durable, scratch resistant, low maintenance (they don’t even need a sealer!), and easy to clean!

What’s so bad about them? They are newer to the market, for one. And they are thin – although you can “make” the edges look thicker. Talk to your fabricator about that. The overhang is limited to 6 inches.

So the obvious question: how much? Ultra compact surfaces are priced similarly to quartz. But unlike quartz, these are heat resistant… no trivets needed!

10. White Countertops Made of Resin: A DIY Option

Okay, I had to include just one option for the DIY-ers in the bunch.

Resin countertops is trending solid surface countertops. It is mostly made popular by DIY bloggers who discovered epoxy after looking for a way to get that clean white gleaming countertop. You can actually recreate a marble or a quartz look affordably. Now… will it maintain its’ look? That parts on you!

Many of the results are stunning.

Beware… they are quite the mix, from fabulous to total fails… so tread with caution! I would recommend hiring this out unless you are especially confident.

Lily Ardor also has a great DIY marble resin countertop tutorial she did herself.

Depending on what kind of resin is used, these countertops can offer some serious advantages: the first being strength, especially with epoxy resin! They are non-porous as well, so they don’t absorb stains, they retain their gloss and offer easy clean up.

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