Countertops and flooring

What's hot

Stone counters

Designers unanimously favor stone countertops, but there's some disagreement over the type. "It's still granite, granite, granite," says David Alderman, a designer and the NKBA president. Elsewhere, signs of granite fatigue are appearing. "I sold a lot more of it five years ago," says Nancy Young, a certified kitchen designer in Montgomery, Ala. "More affluent customers prefer quartz because of its easier upkeep."

Tile and wood floors

Designers also talk about a two-horse race in flooring. Tile floors are easy to clean and wear-resistant, though the grout can stain and dropped pots can crack tiles. Wood is warmer and helps integrate the kitchen with adjacent spaces, but it's not as resistant to wear and tear.

What sells

Value

Don't go overboard, but don't cheap out. "I had an upscale home where the owners put in laminate counters and a linoleum floor," Herb says. "The feedback from every buyer was 'I really like the house, but the kitchen just won't do.' "

Solid upkeep

Countertops are a focal point. They can also set the tone for a potential homebuyer's impressions. "If I walk into the kitchen and there's a big burn mark on the countertop and the backsplash isn't caulked, all of a sudden I'm worried about the furnace and whether the owner has ever changed its filters," Hale says.

Bottom line

Some materials make upkeep easier. Granite and quartz are top performers in our tests, but granite needs periodic resealing. Don't rule out laminate. It's much better than stone at resisting impact. Set on stone? Make it your splurge or look for remnants at the stone yard, architectural salvage shop, or reuse store for your island countertop, then do the rest of the kitchen in laminate.

Reusing materials adds to the sustainability of your kitchen. But the greenest products are those that will last. Though some bamboo floors outperformed wood, the bamboo countertops we tested aren't ready for prime time. Reclaimed timbers were among the lowest-scoring floors.