The Pros and Cons of the Different Types of DIY Kitchen Countertops

The most universally enjoyed room in the home is also the priciest to remodel. But if you're willing to DIY a kitchen countertop, you can entertain even the most expensive materials.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.

By: Carrie Hamblin

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Studio Jaki Photography

Photo By: Jalynn Baker

Photo By: Robert Peterson; Rustic White Photography

Photo By: Mark Woods

Photo By: Isaac Turner

Photo By: RM Studio Corp

Photo By: Julie Soefer

Photo By: Formica

Photo By: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Photo By: Jackson Design and Remodeling

Photo By: Treve Johnson; Design By: Mollyanne Sherman

Which Materials Can I DIY?

The short answer is: a bunch. We evaluated popular countertop materials and found that most are awaiting your talents in one way or another. We will take them one by one, assessing which materials are most promising for the DIY approach and estimating what you might save. First, let's look at what's involved in the project. Any kitchen countertop replacement involves a lot of work:

-Disconnecting and reconnecting the plumbing
-Removing the old countertop and sink
-Leveling cabinetry and adding supports
-Measuring and fabricating the new countertop
-Installing the new countertop
-Installing the sink and other fixtures and appliances
-Caulking, sealing and patching

Get inspired: Kitchen Countertops: Colors and Materials

From: WAKE + LOOM

Where Are the Savings?

If you aren't doing these tasks, you're paying someone to take them on. The fabrication part we mentioned includes cutting or fashioning the new top, making accurate cutouts for sinks and appliances and accommodating other fixtures and kitchen obstacles. Additionally, this can also involve cutting specialty edges and corners — like bullnose, bevel or cove cuts — as well as staining, sealing or polishing.

Fabrication and installation are often where you can save the most money. That said, the other jobs can amount to more than $1,000 in labor costs — or cost savings if you grab your pipe wrench and level.

Get started: How to Remove a Kitchen Countertop

Wood

Wood countertops have excellent DIY potential. They are a beautiful and natural option that can add warmth to any room. A vast range of wood species, food-safe stains and finish options make it a suitable choice for many design styles. Eco-friendly possibilities include reclaimed wood and bamboo (which is actually a grass).

Pros
- Material can be inexpensive.
- It's relatively lightweight.
- No specialty tools are required, though a router and orbital sander are handy.

Cons
- Preparing and treating wood is messy.
- Staining and sealing make this project a couple-week gig.

Difficulty level: fabrication: intermediate; installation: beginner/intermediate
Cost installed: $25-$200 per square foot
DIY savings: 50 percent or more

Try it: Do-It-Yourself Butcher-Block Kitchen Countertop

From: Tiffany Brooks

Metal

This category of countertop includes stainless steel, copper, zinc and other metals in a variety of textures and finish options. Metal countertops are stylish, sanitary and generally super-expensive. But you can save a lot if you do part of the work yourself and instead of using solid metal, use metal tops that have a foundation of plywood or hardwood that is then wrapped in metal sheeting of a particular gauge. Wrapping requires patience and a lot of glue, but you can save on fabrication and still benefit from a professional touch if you measure and fabricate the wood base, then take that to a metal fabricator for the wrapping part. The availability of an affordable fabricator nearby will likely determine your route.

Pros
- Mistakes aren't the end of the world because the material is readily available and the cost can be low (stainless is the least expensive).
- Countertops are relatively lightweight and easy to manage.
- Fancy finishes may take a while, but otherwise, metal makes for a fast fabrication and installation.

Cons
- Metal sheeting is soft, particularly copper, so easy to damage if you're fabricating yourself.

Difficulty level: fabrication: intermediate/advanced; installation: beginner/intermediate
Cost installed: $75-$175 per square foot
DIY savings: 50 percent or more

Get inspired: Which Countertops Are Heat Resistant?

From: SHED Architecture & Design

Concrete

Concrete is a hugely customizable countertop material. You can love it as it is, mimic other surfaces and explore your artistic side with color and inclusions. This top could be an entirely do-it-yourself project — from fabrication to installation — and the savings would be immense. There's a good reason that concrete countertops are high dollar: the cost is almost entirely in the labor. So if you can DIY it, you'll save a ton.

Pros
- Creatively rewarding: You are actually making this top, so you can customize it precisely
- Very inexpensive raw material cost
- Mess-ups during fabrication aren't costly and are sometimes correctable

Cons
- Fabrication is labor-intensive and there are numerous ways for the uninitiated to mess it up.
- You'll need space to do it and some specialty tools and gear.
- Concrete has a long curing time, so don't expect to have this one done in a weekend — more like a month.
- Incredibly heavy. This means you must ensure your cabinetry can support it, and neither creation nor installation is a solo task.

Difficulty level: fabrication: advanced/expert; installation: advanced
Cost installed: $75-$200 per square foot
DIY savings: 20 - 80 percent

Try It: How to Build a Concrete Countertop

Engineered Stone (Quartz)

Engineered stone (also known as quartz) is a hugely popular countertop material made of a blend of crushed stone and resins that offer a stone look without the porosity and maintenance requirements of natural stone. Unless you are an experienced DIYer with specialty tools, this may be a countertop better left to a pro to fabricate.

Pros
- Not as fragile as a stone slab.

Cons
- If you do go the self-fabrication route, specialty tools are required and mistakes are costly.
- The countertop is heavy and installation will require a few people as well as additional cabinet work to support the top.

Difficulty level: fabrication: expert; installation: advanced
Cost installed: $50-$200 per square foot
DIY savings: 20 percent or more

Try it: How to Cut a Quartz Countertop

From: Nicole White

Solid Surface

Solid surface countertops are fantastically customizable, easy to maintain and come in a multitude of colors and styles, including imitations of our favorite (but fussy) natural materials. These tops are made of a combination of synthetic polymers, pigments and minerals, and the category includes familiar names like Corian and Swanstone. Solid surface competes in the composite group with engineered stone.

Pros
- Only moderately heavy.
- Simple templates can be worked with basic woodworking tools.

Cons
- While you can fabricate the top yourself, corners and edges likely need a professional touch.
- Seams are difficult for inexperienced installers.
- May require an online purchase if you want to install yourself.

Difficulty level: fabrication: advanced; installation: advanced
Cost installed: $50-$125 per square foot
DIY savings: 20 percent or more

Learn more: Quartz vs. Corian: Pros and Cons

From: Linda Eyles

Laminate

There's a laminate for every style — from assertive colors to stone and wood looks. This is usually the most inexpensive countertop material on the menu and is also one of the easiest to install. Options to save on this selection include ordering custom-fabricated counters and installing yourself or buying a prefab laminate slab from the box store and cutting it yourself. Your budget will likely determine which way you go. Before you send your old laminate to the trash heap, however, know that it can be given a new identity with relative ease and even less cost.

Pros
- Lightweight, easy to handle.
- Not delicate to move.
- Not messy to work with.
- Is inexpensive to repair, refinish and replace.

Cons
- If fabricating at home, requires some specialty cutting tools to avoid chipping the material.

Difficulty level: fabrication: intermediate; installation: beginner/intermediate
Cost installed: $40-$80 per square foot
DIY savings: 50 percent or more

Try it: How to Paint Laminate Countertops

Granite

Granite comes in a multitude of beautiful colors and patterns and is one of the most popular high-end countertop materials. Unfortunately, this gorgeous and durable material can decimate the budget of a larger kitchen remodel. You shouldn't expect to tool the countertop, but self-installation could result in some worthwhile savings.

Pros
- Installation is relatively fast.

Cons
- Fabrication and delivery should be left to the experts so no savings to be had there.
- Most installations will require a seam setter.
- The material is pricy, heavy and delicate. It will require strong, careful and willing friends or relatives to help you with installation, and mistakes are costly (e.g., If Jeff drops his end, you may not speak to Jeff again).

Difficulty level: installation: advanced/expert
Cost installed: $75-$200 per square foot
DIY savings: 20 percent or more

Try it: How to Install Your Own Granite Kitchen Countertops

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Modular Granite and Granite Tile

Granite slab may be the most difficult material to save on, but modular granite and granite tile can offer the look with DIY perks. Modular granite is generally sold in one-foot widths that are the depth of a standard counter. Tile granite comes in several sizes. Both formats are less expensive than slab granite, fabrication is within your means and installation is tons easier. Modular granite is sold in kits with everything you need. Narrow lines and colored grout minimize the appearance of grout lines.

Pros
- Cost is lower than slab granite.
- Modular and tile are both lighter weight, so easier to handle.
- A damaged tile is far less of a problem than a damaged slab.
- Installation is relatively fast.

Cons
- It's thinner than slab granite, so more likely to crack during fabrication and installation.
- Messy to fabricate and install.
- Fabrication requires a wet saw at minimum.

Difficulty level: fabricate: intermediate/advanced; install: intermediate
Cost installed: $25-$70 per square foot
DIY savings: 50 percent or more

Marble and Other Stone Tile

Like granite, marble tile can be an economical way to get a beautiful stone look in the kitchen in a DIYable way. In fact, all your favorite slab stones — soapstone, travertine, slate — come in tile form.

Pros
- Less expensive than stone slabs.
- Damaging a tile is not the end of the world.

Cons
- Tiling is messy.
- Careful planning is required to ensure your tile colors and patterns match.
- Fabrication requires specialty tools (a wet saw at minimum).
- Stone — especially marble — is porous and will suck up incorrect adhesives, resulting in stains. Use only products intended for use with natural stone.

Difficulty level: fabricate: intermediate/advanced; install: intermediate
Cost installed: $25-$70 per square foot
DIY savings: 50 percent or more

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile comes in a plethora of shapes, colors and sizes. A staple of outdoor kitchens and bars, it's commonly put to use indoors in Mediterranean, Southwestern, French Country and retro-styled kitchens.

Pros
- The material is durable and it's simple enough to replace a tile if one gets damaged.
- Easy to work around obstacles.
- Can be laid atop an old countertop.

Cons
- Tiling is messy.
- Typically requires a wet saw.
- Poor installation or using inappropriate tiles can result in cracking or lifting.

Difficulty level: fabrication: intermediate; installation: beginner/intermediate
Cost installed: $20-$60 per square foot
DIY savings: 50 percent or more

From: Jackson Design and Remodeling

Paper

Manufacturers have stepped up to the challenge of making use of the vast tonnage of post-consumer waste produced each year. Recycled paper countertops are made from — you guessed it — recycled paper, with a petroleum-free resin to bind it together. These tops are doubly cool because many of our composite building materials are notoriously nonrecyclable. And though the material may be relatively new as a residential countertop, it's been around for years in commercial and industrial applications. Recycled paper countertops come in a range of colors and in the standard sizes and thicknesses of their unsustainable cousins, but without the toxicity.

Pros
- Can be worked with common woodworking tools.
- Is nontoxic, so doesn't require a hazmat suit to fabricate it.

Cons
- Fairly heavy.
- It is often a special order so messing it up is costly.
- You may have to rely on a fabricator or be unable to find an installer, depending on your market.

Difficulty level: fabrication: intermediate/advanced; installation: intermediate/advanced
Cost installed: $65-$100 per square foot
DIY savings: 20 percent or more

And the Winner Is ...

Your skills, the kitchen layout, the project timeframe and tool and workspace availability all will have a say in which countertop you feel comfortable attempting. Our favorite is a tie between wood and metal — for their controllable costs, minimal specialty tools required and homeowner-friendly materials to handle. For a maximally rewarding project when you're not in a time crunch, fabricate your own concrete countertop.

Only for the ultimate challenge with the highest stakes should you attempt granite slab fabrication and installation. The low material cost of concrete and certain woods and metals is an incentive to attempt fabrication and installation, but if you're going to fork out a few grand on a stone slab, the risk of botching the job may not be worth the savings.

For a deeper dive into which countertop material will best suit both your style and lifestyle, check out our guide below.

From: Tracy Dunn