Quartz vs laminate worktops

[disappointed101]

I know this has probably been done to death but pros and cons of each? Dh is more keen on laminate due to cost but I can’t help but think it will look cheap. Will I regret it?

It just depends on how you use your countertops. If you’re not going to be wiping spills immediately or knocking around heavy pans then cheap and cheerful (and easily replaceable) is the way to go.

it also depends on the kitchen you have if its a 20k kitchen then laminate would not look right but ours was a 3k kitchen and i am very happy with my laminate worktops it takes me five minutes to spray and wipe down mine and as we are older and wont be moving from here i went for the ones i like not whatever is in fashion or must have

and mine are duropal square edge not over plasticky shiny looking

Have you considered granite? Same price as quartz, and ''real". We love ours. Not a hugely expensive kitchen but the work surface is the best bit.
How much worktop is there going to be?

We went for quartz. It looks a hundred times better than the laminate we had before. The laminate probably wasn’t installed very well, but it had absorbed water around the sink and above the dishwasher. The edges were peeling in places and chipped in others. We were pretty careful with it and it still only lasted 7 years. With the new kitchen, I’d originally wanted granite, but we decided to go for the quartz because it was cheaper, and it doesn’t stain like granite. I love it.

Get a quote from Granite 4 you. For a nice speckled white quartz worktop that doesn't show up every crumb! I often use 'Luna' in my clients projects. With matching upstands and an undercounter sink. A good quality laminate is definitely cheaper but not £0.

We have quartz in current kitchen and had corian before that. We'd never go back to laminate, to me it has always looked and felt cheap. It's about the only thing I'm 'snobbish' about.

We’re just in the process of changing our kitchen and had been thinking about worktops. In our previous house we had granite, which was nice but had picked up a few chips over the years one of which was quite noticeable.

Our kitchen suppliers had pushed quartz and we were going to go that way but then saw a worktop from a composite called dekton which we’ve ended up going for. Similar to quartz but better at handling heat. Hopefully it will turn out OK, as it’s not especially cheap...!

I went for quartz and I love it. Chose it mainly because I like sinks that sit underneath snd the ridged drainer groves which you can't do with laminate!

I don’t think it looks cheap but clearly it looks much cheaper in comparison to a natural stone surface. There are some lovely ones now though. It really depends on your budget.

My quartz worktop was chipped before the kitchen had even been finished. So don't think it's indestructible. It was a big chip too. They did repair it (well actually sent us the stuff for us to do it ourselves). If I hadn't been in a bad place with a v prem newborn I would have insist they replaced it.
It was miles better than laminate.

I have wooded now and love them. 3 yes later and still looks new despite all the warnings on here.

Have you thought about a hybrid? So a top coating if quartz or granite over a MDF or whatever they are made from core? Much cheaper but have the look and feel.

Quartz is lovely.

We have just got a new kitchen and I agonised over the worktops! We were going to go for a solid surface one (like Dekton mentioned above) but price wise it was coming up the same as quartz and we ended up with a marbley effect quartz top which I love and clean obsessively

Have quartz too - have laminate too in utility room but the quartz is so much nicer!

I would agree that laminate looks cheaper but it's more resilient than it's often given credit for. We had laminate in our previous kitchen of 14 years. Never been particularly precious about it, always plonked hot dishes from the hob and oven straight onto it. If it's properly installed and sealed, there shouldn't be major issues with damp either. My DH is enthusiastic about concocting things in the kitchen but in his own style - puddles all around the sink after him washing up - yet never had any problems in that area.

Quartz is lovely and easier to care for than granite. Also will help if you want to sell at some point.

I have solid/compact laminate and I really like it compared to standard laminate. It has a more natural texture to it and because it’s much thinner looks very sleek and modern.
I agree though depending on your over all kitchen budget you might want a higher end worktop.

We have quartz and it's really good. I put hot pans straight down on it which you definitely couldn't do with laminate. It's as close to marble as I could feasibly get without getting rid of the kids and the dog!

I'm puzzled why so many MN-netters say hot pans cannot be put straight onto laminate I've always done so and yet to see any damage. Maybe there are different grades of laminate? Or maybe lighter coloured laminate can be burnished (I've only had experience with brown wood effect and speckled greyish)?

i dont put hot pans on my laminate i have glass worktop protectors that cost about £5 each from range

@NoIdeasForWittyNickname

I'm puzzled why so many MN-netters say hot pans cannot be put straight onto laminate I've always done so and yet to see any damage. Maybe there are different grades of laminate? Or maybe lighter coloured laminate can be burnished (I've only had experience with brown wood effect and speckled greyish)?

I had laminate at my old place and it was indestructable. But have inherited this weird plasticy cheapo laminate in current place and it seems to be melt when it gets too hot.

I have laminate (came with the flat) and recently had to have a new ceramic hob installed to replace the old, broken one which is integrated into the worktop.

There was already a noticeable bit gouged out of the worktop from the previous hob installation (from previous owners), and when the workman fitted my new one, yet another bit of laminate surface came away!

The fitter told me that it was an issue with laminate worktops. So I would avoid them in future. However, the fitter repaired the damage and he did such a good job you can't see it anymore - yay! I would still avoid laminate though in future!

@GrumpyHoonMain I seeee, I've begun wondering about the quality grades I've lived with laminate in a couple of rentals and and in it's always been hot-pan-proof. When we bought our first own place, we refitted kitchen with laminate again. Budget constraints were the main deciding factor back then but previous good experience also played a huge role. I guess we've just been very lucky, especially in rentals.

It's not that I'm lobbying for laminate, I agree with PPs that quartz, granite, marble all look much more upmarket and I'm hoping to use one of those in our new kitchen-to-be (when we build the extension ).

I really hate laminate but our budget at the time didn't allow for quartz, granite or similar.

We went for solid wooden worktops in the end and I absolutely love them. I don't know why they get such a bad rep, ours haven't marked at all (although we wipe up spills immediately which I'd do with any worktop) and yes they do need oiling every few months but this takes about 10-15 minutes. Plus they look amazing when freshly oiled!

It's definitely a good mid-budget option IMO.

My laminate worktops were a big mistake. Got the kitchen done years ago but they look cheap. Plus really stain easily with tea, coffee, turmeric, limescale etc