I chose Formica a couple of years ago, which is so much better now than in years past. It is so easy to care for and the patterns now are fantastic, and if you like the granite patterns, they come in Formica also. We replaced a yellow Formica countertop after 40 years, and it was still in great shape. Just wanted a new color with a cabinet change.

I would love to see a picture of the turquoise counter tops the OP currently has! They sound super cool.

I have formica which I'm probably going to replace in the next few years. Only because it was improperly manufactured by a carpenter and the formica keeps separating from the base. I've been spot gluing it back for years. But now it's coming apart in spots that will be very difficult to fix.

I'm planning to get formica again.

Sad thing is, I love the color and I'll probably get something similar.

When we built our home in 1967, after a model home we found, it came with off white corian counter tops in kitchen and baths...the baths counters looks like it did when we moved in 48 years ago...the kitchen did as well, but cracked around the built in stove top...we replaced it with formica in '98 and you would think it's never been used, still pretty as ever...only thing it is blue with white edge trim...I still love it...cabinets are white, and floors are wood...
My daughter says the blue color might be a draw back if we ever had to sell...but I still love it and have no plans to downsize anytime soon....Good luck with whatever you choose.

I have granite in my bathrooms and it's no problem but 2 years ago we redid the kitchen and another bath and went with quartz and I love it. It's beautiful and easy to care for. Would I do it again? You bet! If you can afford it go quartz.
Good luck with your choice remember you have to live with it for a long time so research your options.<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

My nephew and his wife are real diyrs{?} and they found a piece of bowling alley and are using that as part of one counter top. I realize that probably isn't an option but just thought it was pretty creative.

We have Wilsonart laminate (Formica is a similar brand). Works fine unless someone tries to use it as a cutting board. Not a good idea.

I put quartz (Zodiac) in my former house before I sold it. I loved the color and depth, but I HATED the clinking sound when you set a plate/cup/etc. on it.

We just had to replace some cabinets, so I was at a kitchen store. They had a new "Luxury" composite called Cambria that comes in dozens of colors. If price was no object (and it was amazingly pricey,) there's no question, I would have loved the white with diamond-like sparkles, one of the most glorious things I have ever seen. But it had no place in our simple kitchen. Only works for magazine-cover kitchens, I suppose.

My advice is -- look for quality and value; go with your heart, but respect your budget. You will have to look at that counter every day. Get something you like, but avoid spending so much that you regret it every day.

Good luck.

YES! When the light shine on the quartz it is just gorgeous...it has way more depth when you look at it than granite. Looks nice and needs no special care. Also, you can sit hot dishes on it with no adverse reaction.

I have granite and I love it! My granite guy said hot pans are not really a big problem but I still always put down hot pads. Also, the cleaning and occasional polishing are no big deal. We just bought/moved into this 7 year-old home across the road from our farm. I've spent my entire married life (35 years) in an ancient farmhouse with a kitchen straight out of the sixties so I'm thrilled with the the beautiful kitchen in our new house! When I referred to 'my granite guy'...we had an island put in this winter and the local granite place still had a slab of the granite used in the kitchen when the house was built. I asked him a lot of questions about care of the granite.

We put in new counter tops last year. I priced granite and DH would have bought it if I wanted it. I figured we could replace the counter 3 to 5 times with formica before we would pay for the granite. There are som e beautiful formica tops available. Also Wilson Art. Some people think my tops are granite. Also replace your backsplash with tile. Looks beautiful.
While granite and Corian etc are gorgeous I just couldn't stomach the cost.

QUARTZ! I renovated my entire kitchen 2 years ago -cabinets (Maple) floor (bamboo) and quartz counter top. Beautiful, easily maintained and blends perfectly with the cabinets and the floor.