When you’re deciding which type of countertops to install in your home or business, solid surface should be at the top of your list. Not only are solid surface counters attractive and sanitary, but they’re also a lot easier to repair than granite or other stone countertops. Most of us hope our countertops will last a lifetime—and solid surface restoration makes that possible.

Here’s a quick overview of solid surface vs. granite and other countertop materials.

How to repair stone countertops

Here’s the problem with stone countertops: depending on the type of stone you’ve chosen, like granite, quartz or marble, you may not be able to repair or refinish the countertop at all. In fact, when marble gets stained, scratched and chipped, often the only thing that can be done is to replace the entire countertop. The same thing can happen when your quartz or granite countertops have taken a beating. Sure, you can fill in minor chips and cracks, but the countertop will never look the same again. Either you have to learn to love the imperfections, or you’ll need to shell out money to replace the entire thing. That’s cost-prohibitive for most households.

How to repair solid surface countertops

Here’s the good news: solid surface countertops are incredibly easy to restore. Not only are they harder to damage or stain than natural stone, but all you need is an orbital sander to refinish the countertop.

To refinish a solid surface countertop, you’ll need to decide how much of a sheen you’d like it to have. The shinier the counter, the finer the sandpaper grit. For a matte finish, you’d use 280 grit, while high gloss requires 1000 grit. After sanding the surface down, you simply buff with a non-woven pad to achieve the look you want. That’s all there is to solid surface restoration—you can get it done over a single weekend, depending on how many countertops you need to refinish.

Cost to restore countertops

Depending on the amount of damage to your stone countertops, refinishing could cost as much as $1,200—every time you need to do it. That’s another area where solid surface clearly wins vs. granite or other stone countertops.

If you’ve got solid surface counters, however, it’s much cheaper to restore them. You’ll simply pay the price of a sander (whether you purchase or rent) and the type of sandpaper you need, plus non-woven pads. That’s significantly less money, especially over the long run—and your counters will look beautiful for decades to come.

The ease of solid surface restoration is just one of the reasons that solid surface countertops and shower walls are such a great option. If you have questions about how to restore your solid surface counters when the time comes, the team at Superior Surface can tell you everything you need to know. We offer a wide variety of solid surface counters to install in your home. Call us today to learn more about our selection, or to get a quote.