Replacing Kitchen Countertops On a Budget

Date: February 4, 2020
Author: Jon Smith
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Replacing your kitchen countertops on a budget is pretty easy to do. Here are 5 materials to consider when replacing your kitchen countertops while keeping your budget in mind.

Continue reading to learn a trick to getting cheaper countertop pricing for your bathroom vanities and smaller areas of your home.

Consider Material Options

The first thing to consider when planning your kitchen countertop project is to consider your material options. There are so many options available that it can be a bit overwhelming.

Since we are on a budget we will strategize ways to save and discuss options that will be a bit more budget-friendly.

Unfortunately, not all budgets are the same. Your budget may be much higher or much lower than someone else reading this so I am trying to keep that in mind.

Countertop Remnants

Finding countertop remnants can save you thousands of dollars. Most granite shops discount their remnants heavily to get rid of them. If they have a lot of the same material from the same lot and bundle then they will likely not discount these remnants because they can be used with the same material at full price. It doesn't hurt to ask though.

Your goal is to find remnants that have been there a little longer and have no bundle associated. Most bundle remnants will be placed back with the slabs they came from if available. This will help you spot the ones to stay away from when remnant shopping. Typically a granite shop will have a section with cut pieces, broken pieces, and pieces leftover from other jobs. Spot this area and start saving. You can negotiate the price here so be sure to ask for about $25 to $30 per square foot. 

Remnants of granite, marble, and quartz is a great way to save drastically. I personally have discounted my remnant pieces half the square footage cost. I would typically take a $60 per foot granite and discount it to about $30 per foot to get rid of it.

Remnants take up space and these little pieces are dead material from a job we already completed. We pay for a whole slab for a job and the leftover pieces we paid for are still sitting around. It is pretty much all profit for the granite shop so this is why they are willing to discount these pieces.

Your bargaining skills here can get you a hefty discount.

DIY Concrete Countertops

There are a ton of videos on YouTube covering this topic. You can definitely make this happen for your kitchen and honestly, it isn't very hard to accomplish. I have made a few concrete countertops in my day. I like to use melamine and the reverse method which will help with the finish on the top of the countertop.

Concrete countertops are very stylish and offer a unique look that you cannot get with any other material. It is not as expensive as granite, marble, or quartz and can be done the DIY way.

Go to YouTube and do a search for DIY Concrete Countertops and you will see many great results. I will post a link to a video I think is very resourceful here:

Granite Countertops

Most people think of big dollars when they think of granite. If you have the budget for it you can choose a builder-grade material for your kitchen and a remnant for your bathroom vanities and smaller project areas.

Granite pricing can start as low as $27 per foot if you know what you are doing. Your talking game must be good here. I will leave it at that.

DIY Wood Countertops

Wood countertops can be a great feature for any kitchen. These countertops are rustic and warm. I personally love a good wood countertop and just like concrete countertops, there are so many YouTube videos on the subject. Wood is not that expensive but can be if you splurge on the material you use in this project.

Wood countertops aren't as heavy as natural stone so you can recruit a friend or neighbor to assist you with moving pieces around as needed. Wood can be a bit heavy especially if you are making them thicker countertops. Luckily they aren't as heavy as natural stone.

DIY Laminate Countertops

Ok so, laminate is known as the cheaper countertop option but to be honest it is comparable to lower grade wood countertop and granite countertops. These laminates can cost more than natural stone depending on the brand and style you choose.

For a rental home, you can swing by your local home store and grab some already made laminate countertops and have them cut to your specifications. Just be sure to get good measurements and an aerial view drawing of your kitchen.

Laminate countertops are easy to do it yourself. They are lightweight and require minimal knowledge. Just be sure to check out a few solid YouTube videos before you tackle this project for some ideas and tips that will prevent any issues. YouTube is your friend here.

Conclusion

While all countertops will cost money there are ways to save and have fun doing it. You can learn a new skill also which is pretty cool if you ask me. YouTube can be a valuable resource when you consider tackling a DIY project. Be sure to research heavily and come up with a solid plan if you choose the DIY route.

Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect. Sometimes imperfections are perfect adding a rustic feel to a project. Natural stone sometimes has fissure cracks and pits throughout which are imperfections that give the stone character.

If it doesn't work out you can always try again. Do you have any suggestions for saving money while replacing your kitchen countertops on a budget? Please feel free to comment with your ideas. I may add it to this list above.

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About Jon - Website Owner

Jon Smith

Hi, my name is Jonathan Smith. I have been in the granite business for many years and have worked my way up from an installer helper to an installer and then a countertop business owner. 

I started my countertop company with very little and grew extremely fast because of my knowledge and helpfulness. I started this countertop resource for 1 main reason. That reason is that there are no countertop websites with all the correct information and none of them are from an industry expert like myself. 

I am still in the trade every single day installing countertops, educating people on the type of material they are using for their homes, and making people's dream kitchens a reality.
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