I just use laminate and am happy enough with that.

Used to work in a cabinet shop and built laminate and solid surface tops for commercial and residential customers.

Laminate is cheap, or cheaper. The solid surfacing like Corrian looks nice. Is kind of a pain to work with as far as seams go, and is not bullet proof at all.

My places are not high end enough to warrant granite or quartz. I put laminate in my own house when I built it because the cost difference allowed me to put better flooring in.

Have you considered cement countertops? Not many people do tile countertops anymore. Maybe finish them like down in Miami with terrazzo style finishes? They are pretty tough but then if the tenants destroy the cabinets under them, you'd be wasting time and money. If the rent is high, like maybe $2000 a month or more you'd hopefully get a higher level of tenants but I think it would be a case by case thing. Then if you put the higher end cabs in there the rest of the home would likely be higher end as well.

If you want to scale up just a bit without the maintenance hassle of granite/quartz then go to a countertop fabricator. I have quit using the box stores countertops, partly because I don't like the selection and partly because they are using the el cheapo thin/flat laminate with glue that comes loose after a couple of years.

YES! In my single family homes, for the past 20 years I install high end granite counter tops with backsplashes. It helps with renting and sales of the property. But I've tried it all over my 46 years of land-lording, and as a licensed contractor.

My old favorite for ease was installing ceramic tiles with designs. Or using 12 x 12 granite squares with thin grout lines. I've even purchased cheep man made granite sheets, cutting them down to size and polishing the edges. Once upon a time in my low end apartment I used butcher block wood, Formica, or concrete of many designs.

In the last 2 rentals that I remodeled I used butcherblock counters from HD for the kitchen countertops. So far even after a year they still look decent. When you factor in everything, they weren't much more money than the premade plastic laminate counters & definitely less expensive than granite.

When we rehabbed to flip, I selected the counter based on the neighborhood and style of the house. I was going for the cute cottage feel so selected a rustic, easy-clean tile. The high end would have stuck out like a sore thumb. As it was, we sold the house for the highest price of comparables in the area, and it sold before others for sale in the neighborhood.

As we're starting to reno our properties when people leave, as ZERO mentioned, a nice laminate will be fine and fit the style of the house. Not only for renting, but for selling.

I thought you said you use to do HGTV rehabs but determined it wasn't paying off?

What is making you change your mind?

I install granite with a double sink and a tall pull-down faucet. I've done most of my own granite installs using a couple of diamond blades and an old worn out worm-drive skilsaw. I also install can lights from amazon in the kitchen and hallways. The combo get a 'wow' factor from tenants, especially the women. When it comes to where to live, women usually make the decision. I also put pre-fab granite tops on the bathroom vanity and wire in a back-lit mirror from amazon. Another 'wow' factor. I don't have any trouble filling vacancies fast with well qualified tenants.

Rural here.

I usually ask myself, "Will my tenants take care of this? Will this earn me extra rent if I give them the upgrade? How many months do I need to rent the house in order to absorb the cost of the upgrade? Will the house rent at a good price without the upgrade?"

If the answer is no, they can't be trusted to maintain/not-damage higher finishes, and no, they can't afford a bump in rent for the higher finishes, then it's an easy no, I'm not doing higher finishes.

Other things sell my house to prospects. Location is one. (Because I'm in the middle of nowhere, but even so, it makes a difference as to who the neighbors are, moreso when my prospects are locals who have lived here their whole life and know everyone's business.) Number of bedrooms is one, because my town is full of 1/1's and 2/1's from the 1920's-1940's. Good closet space is another, because likewise, closets weren't high on the priority list in the 1920's-1940's, so they're an extra bonus.

One of the first rules for an investment house is, "Who do I want to rent to? Where do they want to live?" and that's what you acquire. Buying a cheap house isn't a good bargain if my standards for my tenants are too high for the quality of house I can provide them with. Around here, with my stagnant, poor, rural population, it's something I've come to grips with--- my tenant pool is more marginal than who I'd deal with if I was near a university, near a military base, in a major metropolitan area, etc. But even within that marginal population, it's a matter of filtering out the ones who are the best of an uninspiring group of choices, each with their own problems. No one's going to be ideal, but I roll with it, because that's my reality of growing my biz where I'm planted.

I hate butcher block. Makes me think the whole thing is teeming with bacteria. And it's ugly.

Every butcher block top I have seen has been used as actually butcher block and has knife scars all over it. That is a breeding ground for bacteria. You have to keep them clean, sealed and the like.

I have also had laminate tops that were treated like butcher block. Can't sand and refinish those tho.

Here's an interesting fact that nobody will care about:

Laminate is thin layers of paper glued and pressed together under extreme heat and pressure.

I think it boils down to your market.

NE,

We are using more granite is every rental.

Floor and Decor stores now have 9 foot granite with finished edges for $295. VERY HEAVY to handle but cuts easily with a diamond blade and a helper squirting water.

We drop in a stainless steel farm front sink and patch in a small piece behind the sink.

No much more than laminate and gives Momma a WOW! in the ads and when she tours.

Does not burn, bubble, or peel.

GLASS tile backsplash.

BRAD

NE,

We are using more granite is every rental.

Floor and Decor stores now have 9 foot granite with finished edges for $295. VERY HEAVY to handle but cuts easily with a diamond blade and a helper squirting water.

We drop in a stainless steel farm front sink and patch in a small piece behind the sink.

No much more than laminate and gives Momma a WOW! in the ads and when she tours.

Does not burn, bubble, or peel.

GLASS tile backsplash.

BRAD

Hi NE,

I almost exclusively install granite countertops in my rentals. I save the more expensive types for homes but still install nice ones for rentals, even studios.

I have had excellent results with granite. My earliest are now more than 15 years old. In some units I even install a full granite back splash. I almost always install a full splash around the range. I have so far never needed to replace one.

I find that the units rent quickly, and I have very little maintenance. Tile would probably last just as long, but grout maintenance is a pain and unless I install it myself the labor cost in comparable.

NE, thanks for the tidbit about wood butcher blocks.

This was what I learned today. I did a little browsing on the subject and will relay the info to the cook of the house.

I had a pattern of carrying flips for over a year to get LT capitol gains. Always put quartz or corion ... the HD would always have discontinued makes/colors at a steep discount.

We used granite on our recent high-end rental, with beautiful results. Granite from a prefab countertop place is quite reasonable cost and it really helps sell the rental. We put granite tile in a dark, stain-proof brown in a lower-end rental 20 years ago and it has held up perfectly through several tenants.