Engineered Quartz falls into this category. But don't have any of the cons. Surprised no note of exception. Engineered Quartz counter tops are 95 percent ground quartz and 5 percent resin. The are make use of discarded ground quartz and non slab stable quartz. This make them very environmentally friendly. They are heat, scratch and stain resistant.

@ Proberts --

They actually highlighted quartz counters in an earlier Countertop Spotlight; it's listed above in the "Related Kitchn Posts" section. My parents are redoing their kitchen and I think I've talked them into it!

Quartz composite or engineered quartz countertops have the cool feel of natural stone, since they are composed of 95% real quartz. Other synthetic counters also feel like what they are comprised of-acrylic polymers.

When deciding on a countertop material, find a large installed sample and see how you like the feel, sound and look of it in a normal setting.

With a title of "All About: Quartz Countertops" I would think it was about Quartz Slab Countertops. A better title would be "All "About: Engineered Quartz Countertops"

I would love to be able to put in recycled countertops or concrete. However, the budget is going to mean that I will have to go with what the home stores have on the shelves. There is no other choice. I would love an article on what would be the most sustainable of the in the store lines at places like Lowe's or Home Depot. Because of the way I use my kitchen, I must have something that is durable, stain proof and will last for a really long time. Plus I have to have something that will be cheap. Yeah, I know I'm asking for a lot.

@ RNTRAVELGNOME-
stainless steel is a great alternative and worth looking into

ditto what RNTRAVELGNOME said

rntravelgnome, it is not such a popular choice but I've been very happy with my Formica countertops (actually I have Wilsonart). I went with a near-black color with subtle speckles so you can't see the edge lines and the seams disappear. I don't know how sustainable it is, but very budget-friendly and durable, though you can't put down something hot on them. Many solid-surface counters don't love that either. You can also do a retro look with Formica counters -- bold color, metal edging.

Another option: the wood counters from Ikea are very inexpensive. I don't want to maintain wood right next to the sink or stove but maybe you are tidier.

Thanks to all of you who commented on my post. Angelinethebaker, I actually have looked into IKEA. The biggest problem I've got is that labor is so expensive. This is not a project that I would trust myself and my husband to handle DIY. Paying someone is a lot cheaper than a divorce lawyer. We got a couple of suggestions from a employee at Lowe's of something he did at home and I think I'm going to look into it- he suggested using concrete tile with a wood trim on the edge. I can't go stainless steel because I chop directly on my countertop. I am really hard on my stuff. And no, I'm not very tidy when cooking- I make a mess then clean up afterwards, LOL!

A shout out for the recycled glass countertops, with undermounted sink. We had them installed directly over the old formica-type counters, so we generated almost zero debris that went to the landfill. Cost was about the same as the cheapest granite from Lowes/HD, with many benefits. We went with black with some mirror sparkle, and a black sink. Food looks STUNNING on the black. Installation was so fast -- they came and measured, came back two weeks later at 8 am. By 3 pm everything was done. Three years later, still love them.

Silestone, a manufactured granite lookalike, stronger and more durable than granite. Absolutely love it,a wonderful surface to live and work with.

So I currently have butcher block counters, and use a separate marble board for pastry & chocolate, but I have yet to identify a countertop surface that I can use in my kitchen as a replacement for the butcher block that will ALWAYS look great (or can be quickly restored to that 'like new' look). I knead bread, make pasta, roll pastries, drink a lot of wine, spill quite a bit of wine (yes, red included), temper chocolate, use a lot of acids from my garden (lemons, limes, oranges). I chop on a board so I don't need a surface that I can use a knife on but I do use a bench scraper (one's metal, one's plastic). How do I tell what'll work before investing thousands?

I've got a few kitchen sink cutouts, that I've gotten from installers, trying out various materials but still haven't hit on one I think is perfect that looks great... would appreciate any feedback from other bakers/cooks/winos/lemonade-a-holics. I'm likelier to go for something that looks like grey/white marble or white than a mid-range or black counter. TIA.

I redid my kitchen (IKEA) so that I ended up (intentionally) with a lot of countertop space - nearly 20-22 linear feet. I really wanted a stainless steel countertop, but that simply was not in the budget. So, I ended up using the so-called aluminum effect countertop from IKEA. Total cost was under $200. I actually think it looks fine. Also, because of the low cost, I won't feel any guilt should I decide to replace it sometime down the road - maybe even with another laminate countertop!

Austinisticalist: What brand of recycled glass counters?

Is this article correct? It states that the materials mentioned are not recyclable. A cursory search online reveals that formica, for one, is recyclable.

BTW, granite (although abundant) and marble are considered non-renewable resources because of the time it takes to create them. I have a feeling that natural stone is probably as "recyclable" as manufactured stone, and less so than formica/Wilsonart.

What this means to me is that claims of sustainability, renewability, and recyclability need to be defined clearly before we toss them around.

Silestone is quartz, not granite - and quartz countertops ding

I still think that Granite is going to be my #1 choice for my kitchen remodel. I don't particularly like the fact that Solid Surface as an environmental impact. We have enough issues with that as it is. I like the fact of using a natural product in my home.

The house I bought has corian. I wouldn't say I hate it, but I don't love it either. Very plastic feel and look. The worse part is that the it scratches VERY easily. Not deep scratches, but scratches no less. Just everyday use scratches it. I'm told that I can sand it and remove the scratches, but they happen so easily I feel like I'd be doing it every other week! I'm not exactly sure why people pick this given that it's not really cheap but seems to me only a step above laminate.