Vintage Consumer Reports: Kitchen countertops

Fifty years ago, we used a wide range of materials, including ammonia, coffee, drain cleaner, ink, juices (beet, grape, and lemon), mustard, shoe polish, tea, and vinegar, to test kitchen countertops for durability, ease of maintenance, and stain resistance (photo, right).

Our testers pitted, stained, and scraped rigid plastic laminates (then-new Formica), flexible plastic laminates, calendared and printed vinyls, and linoleum against traditional materials like wood and stainless steel.

Stainless steel proved, well, stainable and earned a poor rating because it discolored severely from application of some common materials; wood also stained badly. A natural material (ceramic tile) and a synthetic product (Formica) topped the overall ratings.

Jump ahead 50 years to our latest countertops report, for which we beat up butcher block, ceramic tile, granite, limestone, marble, and stainless steel as well as materials like concrete, paper composite, quartz (engineered stone), and solid surface. See how we test countertops in the video, right.

Quartz and granite finished at the top of the rankings. The top two 1958 counter materials, ceramic tile and plastic laminate proved to be very good this time around. Plastic laminate has come full circle and is now being offering in a series of modernized 1950s patterns, like crisscross and boomerang. You'll find more details on our latest tests in our Ratings (available to subscribers).—Gian Trotta

Essential information: For more "counter intelligence," learn how to maintain your kitchen counters and read our money-saving secrets of a successful remodel. Uncover more Vintage Consumer Reports: toasters (1956), air conditioners (1957), general appliance woes (1967), and ceiling fans (1982).