Most experts agree that if you renovate your kitchen, you can get back 80 to 100 per cent of the money you spend when you sell your home.
If you don't want to spend a lot, replacing your countertops may be a good start, and today there are more choices than ever before: laminate, Corian, granite, and quartz, to name a few.
Gloria Keats says 60 per cent of people who come into Flo-Form countertops showroom choose laminate.
For about $28 per square foot, it's a popular choice, especially the types with appealing stone effects.
"They do look like granite and they have that shiny finish and people think it's great," Keats said.
Granite can be pourous
Granite can run you anywhere from $85 to $135 per square foot. Although its looks may be appealing, it can also be pourous, which means it can stain.
Most granite countertops come with a seal from the factory, but acidic materials can eat through it.
Flo-Form's Ira Vanderberg told CTV Consumerwatch reporter Eleanor Coopsammy that you may want to re-seal you countertops.
"One year if you have teenagers and five years if you're a senior that doesn't entertain a lot," she said.
Consumer Reports tested several types of countertops and found one sealer didn't work well against stains.
"Unfortunately the DuPont sealer actually spread the stain instead of repelling them," said Consumer Reports' Celia Kupersmzid-Lehrman.
A synthetic option that looks like stone is Corian, made from acrylic or polyester.
It too can be pricey from $90 to $14 per square foot, and is non-pourous and often repairable.
"They will keep a piece somewhere under your countertop because you can completely repair it," Vanderberg said.
Quartz costs about the same as granite and Corian, and quartz was rated the best choice by Consumer Reports.
"The advantage quartz has over granite it's non-pourous, it's engineered stone, which is strong, probably more strong than granite," Vanderberg said.
Lighter colours are less expensive
Some experts say one way to take the edge off the price of stone or Corian is to choose lighter colours with fewer flecks within the stone; they tend to be less expensive than darker colours.
In the Consumer Reports tests, laminate countertops and quartz came out on top for heat resistance, stain resistance and cuts and scratches.
However, staff at Flo-Form countertops say you should never put super hot pots/pans on any stone or laminates.
It will eat through the seal on granite and could burn the laminate, quartz or Corian.
And avoid cutting food on your granite or quartz countertop -- it may not scratch your countertop, but it sure will dull your knives.
With a report from CTV's Eleanor Coopsammy.
