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Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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Posted by splais (splais1@msn.com) on Thu, Oct 29, 09 at 0:06
| Does anyone know what the effect would be on home value and eye appeal if I was to change out an old style white tile (6") countertop for one of the new high-end laminates.
I guess the question would be - would the eye appeal of a new high-end laminate offset the fact that it is laminate; or from a pure value aspect, am I better off with the tile. thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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| It depends. Slab granite is probably the best way to go, but it depends on the comps for your house. If most of them have a higher-end laminate, that's where you should look. If they have tile, go with that. Either way, if it's new, it'll show better. |
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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| depends on what the cabinets are and the shape of everything else. Personally, I'd prefer a high end laminate over the white tile you speak of. I think it looks nicer, and is easier to use. However, if I thought the whole kitchen was old and all that was there was a nice new countertop, I don't think you'd get much value from me out of your replaced countertop. Same goes for those who have the late 80s-90s oak cabinets and slap some granite on it. yeah, maybe the cabinets are serviceable, but I wouldn't call that a nice new high end kitchen. I in those cases, I'd rather see it as is, and live with for a while, then replace the whole kitchen. if you're talking hundreds, not thousands on a $300K house it might be worth it, otherwise I'd only do it if you really want it. |
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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| Kitchen counters are one of those things whose style changes so rapidly, they can be chic today and passe` tomorrow. Of all types of counters, laminates have stood the test of time and are affordable enough to change every few years if you or a subsequent owner wants to change them. Not so with Corian (Does anyone use Corian anymore?), granite, concrete, or even composites. A new, clean laminate can brighten any kitchen at a marginal cost..especially when eliminating tile which can be difficult to keep clean... |
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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Personally I'd prefer laminate over tile. I'd have concerns with grout and care. According to
remodelhomeguide.com here's the rankings of most popular countertop materials as of April 2008:
1. Granite
2. laminate
3. concrete
4. quartz
5. tile
6. marble
7. soapstone
8.solid surface
9.stainless steel
10.wood
11. glass
12. stone And yes, manhattan42, people still use Corian. I just installed it about a year ago and absolutely love it. Personal preference. Love the look of granite, but I went for the feel and ease of care of Corian. |
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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| Even if it's only a few hundred dollars, I'd spend it on other improvements: paint, cleaning, de-cluttering. I'm in the middle of putting a 3,200 sf power-of-sale on the market and that's all we're doing. Trust me, that's a lot! I'm sceptical of that counter list which shows no source by the website. Though Chinese imports have done wonders for lowering prices, I can't believe that new granite installations outnumber laminate. Let alone, that concrete is number three. |
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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| I would go with the laminate as being the most cost effective solution to freshen things up if the current countertop is in poor condition. |
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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| What other homes are you competing with for a sale? That will go a long way to determining what impact the counter will have. |
RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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hilltop said: "And yes, manhattan42, people still use Corian. I just installed it about a year ago and absolutely love it. Personal preference. Love the look of granite, but I went for the feel and ease of care of Corian." That's interesting. I'm a builder and code inspector and have not seen a new Corian counter installed in kitchen or bath in my region for at least 10 years now. In my region we see only granite on the high side or laminate on the low side....and NOTHING ELSE in between...
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RE: Countertop Effect on Home Value?
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| If you are planning on selling soon, the expense will not be paid for by any increase in value. If you are not selling, how bad do you want the new counters (or how much do you hate the old one)? |
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