Granite Countertop Revolution Granite Countertops Are Affordable Home Luxury By Bill Reed Colorado Gazette A kitchen countertop is much more than a place to butter your toast and stack your bills. As the kitchen has increasingly become the hub of most homes, the countertop has become a dominant piece in interior design. It defines the kitchen and provides a “wow” factor. “Sometimes people come in when they’re building the house, and they coordinate the countertops with woodwork and flooring before they do anything else,” said Becky De-Pauw of Planet Granite, which specializes in slab granite countertops. But which countertop to buy? Consumers’ choices are proliferating quickly, making it difficult to figure out what best suits a person’s needs and budget. People used to have a choice of laminate or tile. Then came “solid surface” countertops, led by Corian. Then granite became popular and more affordable. Then came the quartz countertops like Dupont Zodiaq called “engineered stone” that are readily available at The Home Depot and Lowe’s. Now, companies such as Granite Transformations, which opened a franchise in Colorado Springs this year, have devised ways to graft an engineered stone covering onto your existing countertop so you don’t even have to tear out the old one. Some of the newest trends in countertops are the oldest materials: concrete, stainless steel, natural stone. “This is a great time for the consumer,” said Chris Geiger of Hart Stoneworks, specialists in soapstone and slate. “The consumer today has more choices than ever before. Everybody has a niche, but there’s a lot out there, so they can decide what works best for them.” Choices are a blessing and a curse. With the help of local countertop experts and Consumer Reports, we’ve drawn up a list of advantages and disadvantages of popular countertop surfaces to help you make the right choice for your home.