Granite Quartz top countertop test

Are you ready to ditch your dated kitchen and remodel it? One of the biggest expenses is the countertop, so you want to use a material that will both look great and hold up over time.

There are lots of different types to choose from. To help you narrow the choices, Consumer Reports tested 14 different countertop materials.

"We checked out popular surfaces like granite and quartz," said Chris Regan of Consumer Reports. “New to our tests we have recycled glass, bamboo and soapstone."

To see how well a countertop resists stains, testers applied 20 common substances, such as tomato sauce and grape juice, and then let them sit overnight.

“We tested bamboo countertops with a mixture of a beeswax and mineral oil finish. Both countertops looked great out of the box, but not so much after our tests," Regan said. Both stained badly. Even coffee and tea stained them, which most other surfaces could handle.

Consumer Reports also tested to see if counters could take the heat – literally. They set a pot of 400-degree oil on the countertop for one hour. Scorch marks were left behind on the bamboo counters.

In fact, Consumer Reports said that bamboo is actually the worst performing countertop material they've ever tested. But Regan also found problems with some of the recycled-glass countertops.

The counters from Eco by Cosentino cracked within 12 minutes. The crack went from the pot to the counter's edge.

But recycled-glass countertops from two other manufacturers did not crack.

When all the tests were done, quartz and granite countertops came out on top. Either surface can chip, but getting a rounded edge helps minimize the risk of chipping.

Also, be aware that natural stone surfaces can vary widely, even within the same slab. That's why it's best to go to a stone yard and pick out the actual stone you want