Granite countertops have long been the staple of luxury housing. If you were buying a home with granite countertops it almost always meant it was a luxury home with an upscale kitchen. A status symbol.
That seems to be changing as a recent AZCentral.com article
highlights the new, fresh styles home buyers and remodelers are seeking for their kitchen work surfaces. Among the up and coming counter stars are some old niche favorites like glass and concrete while new contenders including recycled paper (Paperstone) and engineered quartz (Caesarstone, Silestone) pop up on buyer radar.
One reason home buyers are moving away from granite as a first choice surface is the ubiquitous nature of the stone in new homes. When granite was still new to the market it was very expensive and exclusive. After the wild popularity over the past decade, granite prices have plummeted and the idea of granite countertops in a home has lost its luster. While granite is still pricey at about $40 per square foot and up, it’s significantly lower than concrete ($100+/per square foot).
Another reason granite is slipping into the past is the porous nature of the stone. Granite needs to be sealed upon installation and every so often to prevent staining and losing its shine. Non-porous stones like Silestone avoid this making them practically maintenance free.
Still, the higher cost of alternatives will keep granite at the forefront of kitchen surfaces until discretionary kitchen upgrades grows more common again. Have you noticed a shift in buyer perception of granite countertops?
I do not agree with this analysis. Firstly, the engineered stone has too many problems and it will stain and is 93% oil resin based and over priced now between $60 to $90/SF; The look is too consistent and designer are looking for something other than polished.
The concrete and glass which I know well is OK for a very limited high end group, while costs are typically less than granite, the dealers are getting 5 times their return on investment since manufacturers costs are below $20/SF; It’s the same as a new fad with sparkles but it has no longevity.
The granite has such natural appeal and now several new finishes are being offered which can only be done in stone and take a look at the leather finish, brushed, or steeled. Prices have come down on the stone but 35 to 40 dollars is the low and some really outstanding design colors in natural stone are running $60 to $100. Also the new laminated stone tops with semi precious stones like lapis lazuli are making headway’s into the market and are outstanding.
My husband and I own a countertop fabrication company in Southern California and we are noticing a bit of a decline in natural stone sales. However, both our Quartz products (Caesarstone, Silestone, etc) as well as solid surface sales (Corian, Staron, Hi Macs) are steadily increasing.
In our experience, prices for natural stone and quartz products typically are in the same ballpark $60 – $90 / square foot. Yes it is true that you can find granite in the $40-$50 / square foot range, but they are typically the less desirable colors or pre-fabed slabs.
Our experience has been that most of our customers are looking for lower maintenance materials and the quartz and solid surface products do offer that.
However, granite is still a beautiful as well as durable countertop material.
The bottom line is consumers need to do their homeowner on all materials that they are considering for a project and find the one that meets their specific needs.
Jeff — It’s great to read a comment from someone who is so passionate about natural stone. You are so spot on about granite having natural appeal. I have never encountered another countertop (yet) that is so diverse in its appearance yet always stunning.
Valerie — So true. I have seen Silestone pull away with the preference lead in new homes locally but I’m sure it varies throughout the country. Doing homework on what countertop meets a buyer’s needs is really key when doing any kitchen design. Personally, I’d love to have concrete countertops but don’t know much about the durability and long term value that type of countertop would have versus granite.
I agree with your post wholeheartedly. Granite is becoming too common where it is losing some of it’s luster. I wrote a blog a whie back on the subject where some luxury builders are using more exotic stones such as Onyx. Although, I haven’t seen that locally in my market.
I have noticed solid surface counter tops replacing granite counter tops by a long shot. Solid surface is made of polyester resin and it is reinforced with chopped glass. Furthermore solid surface does not stain, scratch, chip, or discolor for about 2/3 the price.
I’ve always been amazed with the appeal of granite. While nice, I wouldn’t recommend in a home under 500k.
Some of our clients are now putting in granite into small apartment communities: these are renting for $600-$700 per month and they have granite. It’s no longer the material of the luxury market.
I did see paperstone in a remodeled mid-century modern home and it’s a spectacular countertop.
Bottom line – just get blogging! It’s amazing how many lucrative jobs I’ve gotten via my blogs. Plus my blogs have been a great way to show cases my writing just as much as clips, samples, etc. You post about on home buyer pulling plug granite countertops.
Granite does not seem to be losing any of its appeal in our market. In fact, I would venture to guess that it is now expected in moderately priced properties as well as luxury property.