On Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 11:34:40 AM UTC-6, Ivan Vegvary wrote:
Finishing daughter's basement rental.
What materials are advised for counter tops that are low maintenance and good life? This is a rental. Tenants probably young professionals.
Sink in 4'x5' island with seating around. (Stools). Remaining counter tops are prep areas along the wall.
Thank you!

No doubt in my mind, it would be laminate. Today's laminates are not your parents style. They are affordable, the good stuff (stick with Formica brand, Wilsonart, and one more that they don't sell around here)and you will be very surprised at how extensive your decorative options are.

A few thoughts. Go to a real laminate or "countertop" company to get your product. However, no one beats the selection of colors and textures at the big box stores, so find your selections there and take them to the countertop guys. I would a provider and ask them which prefixes on the reference # indicate it is a premium or special order piece.

With the size of your island, you will need to have the top for that cabinet specially made if you stay with laminate. Flat work can be expensive, but again, if the tenants take any kind of care with it, the tops will wear like iron so it could be worth it to you. At any rate, you can get a quote from most of those places free as they bid by the universal inch, then add for the sink cut out.

Personally, for rent unit I wouldn't make a selection that had the hard, shiny finish like their faux granite patterns. While that looks great when installed, every little scratch shows. The more satin your reflective finish is the less wear it will show. I have a client that had me install the shiny, faux granite a couple of years ago and they love it, but they don't do things that could scratch it up.

I like the laminates because they provide great bang for the buck, and you aren't limited to solid colors and those awful butcher block colors that were in every tract home built for 25 years. The good news is that if something awful does happen to the top, if the pattern select is still made, the top can simply be replaced. Repair maintenance is always a big consideration with rental properties, no matter who the tenant might be.

Robert