How Much Do New Countertops Cost? Price by Material

New countertops are one of the biggest line items in a kitchen remodel. The price swings wide, from budget laminate to high-end quartz. This guide lays out what new countertops cost per square foot by material, then shows what pushes your own number up or down.

This is the money page. It is about price, not a material-by-material bake-off. If you want the deep trade-offs between two stones, we cover those in separate guides and link them below. Every figure here is a hedged range from a published source. Your real number comes from the actual slab you pick.

Installed Price Per Square Foot, by Material

These are 2026 national averages for a standard, mid-range install. Installed means the slab, the fabrication, and the labor to set it, before edge upgrades and cutouts. Real quotes move around your kitchen, your slab, and your market. Premium colors and exotic slabs climb well above these baselines.

• Laminate: around $42 to $64 per square foot installed.
• Butcher block: around $67 to $94 per square foot installed.
• Granite: around $97 to $141 per square foot installed.
• Marble: around $103 to $149 per square foot installed.
• Quartz: around $120 to $157 per square foot installed.
• Porcelain and sintered stone: around $60 to $120 per square foot installed, with most jobs landing near $75 to $95.

One caveat worth saying out loud. The granite, marble, and butcher block ranges above are mid-range install baselines. They are not the ceiling. A rare granite, a book-matched marble, or a thick edge build will push past those numbers. Treat the list as where most kitchens start, not where fancy ones end.

Why the Range Is So Wide

Within a single material, price still moves a lot. Two things drive it: the quality tier of the product and the grade of the individual slab. A basic, low-movement quartz color costs far less than a premium veined pattern that mimics marble. The same holds for stone. A common granite is affordable. An exotic block with dramatic movement is not.

This is why an online average can only get you close. We confirm exact pricing on the slab you pick, in writing, once you have seen the real material and we know your layout. That is the number that matters, and it is the one we stand behind.

What Actually Drives Your Number

Material is the starting point. Four things turn that per-square-foot figure into a final quote.

Edge Profile

The edge is the shaped front face of the slab. A simple eased, pencil, or slight bevel edge is usually included in the base price. Step up to a full bullnose, ogee, or cove and you add about $12 to $20 per linear foot. Premium edges like a mitered or laminated build run about $20 to $35 or more per linear foot. A waterfall panel down the side of an island is priced per section, commonly $500 to $1,500 each. Our countertop edge profile guide walks through every option with photos.

Sink and Cooktop Cutouts

Every hole in the slab is labor. A basic cutout runs about $100 to $250. A complex or premium cutout, like a polished integral or a tricky undermount, can reach $1,000 or more. Most kitchens have at least a sink cutout, and many add a cooktop, so budget for two.

Seams and Layout

More corners mean more seams, and every seam is careful hand work. A long straight run is cheap to fabricate. An L-shape with an island, a peninsula, and a full-height backsplash is not. The more your layout asks the fabricator to cut, join, and align, the more labor rides on top of the slab price.

Thickness: 2 cm vs 3 cm

Most kitchen slabs are 3 cm thick. The thinner 2 cm slab looks cheaper on the material line, but it nearly always needs a plywood or MDF support layer glued underneath. Once that substrate goes in, the savings mostly disappear. In most real quotes, 3 cm lands only about $0 to $10 per square foot over 2 cm fully installed. Do not chase the thin slab expecting a big discount.

How This Compares to Our Material Guides

This page is about price. Once you have a budget, the next question is which material earns its spot in your kitchen. If you are torn between the two most popular choices, read our quartz vs. granite countertops breakdown. If you have already landed on quartz and want to sort the brands, our Cambria vs. Silestone vs. Caesarstone guide compares them head to head. Neither repeats the pricing here. Use this page for the money, those for the choice.

A Rough Ballpark by Kitchen Size

You can sketch a rough range yourself. Measure your counter square footage, then multiply by the per-square-foot numbers above. Here is the math on a hypothetical 40-square-foot kitchen, slab and install only, before edges and cutouts:

• Laminate at that size lands around $1,700 to $2,600.
• Granite lands around $3,900 to $5,600.
• Quartz lands around $4,800 to $6,300.

These are ballparks, not a quote. Your kitchen is not 40 square feet, and your edge and cutout choices sit on top of these figures. Still, the exercise tells you which materials fit your budget before you fall in love with a slab. If the total lands higher than you planned, ask us about financing. We offer 12 and 24 month no-interest specials so you can spread a project out.

A Florida Note on Two Materials

Two of these materials ask for extra thought in a Polk County kitchen. Butcher block is real wood, and wood moves with humidity and heat. It can be a warm, beautiful choice, but it wants sealing and care to stay flat and stain-free here. Marble is softer stone. It etches from acids like citrus and vinegar, and it is sensitive to heat, which matters in a sun-facing kitchen or on a lanai. We help you weigh those quirks against low-maintenance sealed stone, quartz, or porcelain before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Cheapest Countertop Material?

Laminate, by a clear margin, at around $42 to $64 per square foot installed. It has come a long way in looks and holds up fine in a low-traffic kitchen. Butcher block is the next step up if you want a warmer, natural surface.

Is Quartz Worth More Than Granite?

Quartz averages a bit higher installed, around $120 to $157 per square foot versus roughly $97 to $141 for granite. Whether the difference is worth it comes down to maintenance and look, not just price. Our quartz vs. granite guide covers that call in full.

Does a Bigger Kitchen Cost Less Per Square Foot?

Sometimes, slightly, because setup and templating spread across more square footage. But bigger kitchens usually add more cutouts, more edge footage, and more seams, and those scale up too. The only way to know your real per-foot cost is a written quote on your actual layout.

The Bottom Line

Material sets your floor: around $42 to $64 for laminate, up to around $120 to $157 for quartz, with butcher block, granite, marble, and porcelain in between. Edges, cutouts, seams, and thickness set your final number. Averages get you in the ballpark, but only a measured quote on the slab you pick gets you the truth.

Come see the slabs in person. Bring your rough measurements and we will template, price every line in writing, and give you a real number, not a generic calculator guess. Contact us to book a showroom visit, or stop in any weekday at 1507 Havendale Blvd in Winter Haven. The measure and the estimate are free.