Can A Countertop Overlay Save Money Vs Installing Them New?

If your kitchen countertop is looking drab, you might be considering a replacement. But countertop replacements can be expensive, ranging from an average of $34 per square foot for laminate to $85 per square foot for natural stone like granite, marble, and quartzite. If a new countertop is out of your price range, consider a countertop overlay.

Rather than replacing your entire countertop, an overlay places a thin countertop slab over your existing countertop. Opting for an overlay lets you bring new life to your kitchen countertops without replacing or painting them, often for less money than a full replacement would cost.

The exact cost of a countertop overlay depends on the material. Granite countertop overlays can cost as little as $5 per square foot for tiles or as much as $60 per square foot for slabs. Other materials, like concrete or laminate, will typically cost less than granite. Laminate is one of the most affordable countertop materials people actually buy, and you can easily and cheaply install a laminate overlay over an existing laminate countertop to give it a fresh new look.

Installing a countertop overlay is an excellent way to update laminate countertops on a budget without replacing them. However, like with any home improvement project, there may be some potential hidden costs to bear in mind.

Countertop overlays can't be installed on all countertop surfaces. If your existing countertop is uneven or unstable, it may be unable to support the weight of an overlay (especially if you want a heavy material like granite). In this case, you'd need to replace your entire countertop before installing the overlay, adding to the project cost.

Finding companies that sell and install granite or quartz countertop overlays can be challenging. Top options include Caesarstone Transform and Granite Transformations, and Lowe's also offers countertop overlay installation. However, there are plenty more options for new countertops than there are for overlays, so you might need to spend more time and energy researching and looking for the right color and style. Although this won't affect the project cost, your time isn't free, either.