In Houston, countertop replacement usually runs $40 to $120 per square foot installed for granite and quartz, which puts a typical 40 to 60 square foot kitchen at about $2,000 to $7,000, according to Fixr (2026), SlabWise (2026) and Sugar Land Stone (2025). Quartzite, marble and porcelain slabs run higher at $55 to $210 per square foot, and laminate runs lower at $15 to $80.
Those are Houston market ranges from published cost guides, not a Kitchen Remodel Masters quote. Every kitchen is different, and the real number depends on the slab you pick, how many square feet you need, the edge, the cutouts and what happens to the old counters. This page walks through each of those so you can read a quote line by line.
Countertops are priced per square foot installed. That number should include the slab, templating, fabrication (cutting, edging, polishing, cutouts) and installation. Here is what the main cost guides report for each material.
| Material | Installed cost per sq ft | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laminate | $15 to $60 (Fixr 2026); $20 to $80 (HomeGuide 2026) | Fixr, HomeGuide |
| Granite | $40 to $200, most $40 to $100 (Fixr 2025, SlabWise 2026); Houston $45 to $75 (Sugar Land Stone 2025) | Fixr, SlabWise, Sugar Land Stone |
| Quartz | $50 to $200 (Fixr 2026); most jobs $75 to $150 (SlabWise 2026); Thumbtack lists $74 to $99 (2026) | Fixr, SlabWise, Thumbtack |
| Porcelain / sintered slab | $55 to $120 (Fixr 2026); $50 to $120 (HomeGuide 2026) | Fixr, HomeGuide |
| Solid surface (acrylic) | $70 to $130 (Fixr); $50 to $150 (HomeGuide 2026) | Fixr, HomeGuide |
| Butcher block | $70 to $150, full range $30 to $280 (Fixr 2022); $50 to $150 (HomeGuide 2026) | Fixr, HomeGuide |
| Marble | $50 to $200 (Fixr 2026); $40 to $150 for common varieties (HomeGuide 2026) | Fixr, HomeGuide |
| Quartzite | $80 to $210 (Fixr 2025); most $80 to $140 (SlabWise 2026); Houston $75 to $130 (Sugar Land Stone 2025) | Fixr, SlabWise, Sugar Land Stone |
Two things to notice. First, granite and quartz overlap almost completely. Entry-level granite and entry-level quartz can land at nearly the same price; the gap is usually $10 to $30 per square foot on mid-range slabs (SlabWise 2026). Second, the top of each range is for exotic stone. A common Houston granite like Uba Tuba or a white mid-grade quartz sits in the bottom half.
If you are still deciding between materials, the guide to choosing the right countertop in Houston covers durability, maintenance and look. This page stays on price.
Houston kitchens are bigger than the national average. Fixr (2026) says most kitchens have 30 to 40 square feet of countertop; a 10x10 galley or L-shaped kitchen has about 40. Add an island, which many Houston homes in Katy, Sugar Land and Spring have, and you are at 50 to 60 square feet.
Here is the math at the mid-point of each range:
To measure your own kitchen, multiply the length of each counter run in feet by its depth (usually 25.5 inches, or about 2.1 feet). Add the island top separately. Round up, because the slab has to be cut from a 55 to 65 square foot sheet and the layout wastes some stone.
The per-square-foot price is the base. The following items are what move a $3,000 quote to $5,000. Each one should be its own line on a written proposal.
Tearing out laminate is light work and is often included. Removal and disposal of most countertops adds $50 to $300 (HomeAdvisor 2025, Fixr 2026). Heavy granite or marble can cost up to $500 to remove and haul (Fixr 2025). Tile countertops on a mortar bed, common in 1960s to 1980s Houston ranch homes, take the longest to demo.
A square or eased edge is usually included. Decorative edges are priced per linear foot: half bullnose $10 to $30, full bullnose or bevel $20 to $50, ogee or Dupont $30 to $60 (Fixr 2026). SlabWise (2026) puts the general range at $5 to $30 per linear foot. A 50 square foot kitchen has roughly 25 to 30 linear feet of exposed edge, so an ogee edge adds $750 to $1,800.
A waterfall is a vertical slab panel that runs from the island top to the floor on one or both ends. It adds $500 to $2,000 (SlabWise 2026). The panel uses extra slab, and the miter joint has to be cut and polished so the veining wraps the corner. On quartzite and marble, matching the veins across the miter takes more shop time than on a plain quartz.
Each sink or cooktop cutout runs $100 to $200 (Fixr 2026); SlabWise (2026) lists $150 to $350 for a sink cutout. Faucet and soap dispenser holes are $50 to $80 each. An undermount sink costs more to cut than a drop-in because the edge of the cutout is polished and visible.
A slab backsplash that runs from counter to upper cabinets uses the same stone as the top. It costs $15 to $40 per square foot (Fixr 2026). A 15 foot run at 18 inches tall is about 22 square feet, so $330 to $880 on top of the countertop price, plus the cost of removing the old tile backsplash.
Slabs are roughly 9 to 10 feet long, so L-shaped and U-shaped kitchens need seams. Each seam adds $75 to $150 in labor (SlabWise 2026). Good layout planning puts seams at the sink or behind the cooktop where they are least visible. Premium quartz comes in larger slabs (up to 130 inches), which can remove a seam on a long island.
Most kitchen countertops are 3 cm (about 1.25 inches). A 2 cm slab costs less but needs a plywood sub-top or laminated edge, which adds labor back. Thicker built-up edges (two slabs laminated together for a chunky 6 cm look) cost more because they use more stone and shop time. Ask for the price at 3 cm first.
The old sink, faucet and disposal are disconnected for demo and reconnected after the epoxy cures. Sink reconnection runs $45 to $200 per hour of plumber time (Fixr 2026). If you add a garbage disposal, that is $150 to $650 (Fixr 2026). If the sink moves to a new island on a Houston slab-on-grade foundation, the plumber has to cut the slab to run the drain, which is a separate plumbing permit and a bigger line item.
Houston tap water carries dissolved minerals that dry into a white film on dark polished granite and quartz around the sink. It is not damage, but it shows. Honed and leathered finishes hide it better than a high gloss, and they cost $10 to $25 per square foot more on granite (Fixr 2025). Quartz does not need sealing; granite and quartzite should be sealed about once a year, and a bottle of impregnating sealer is around $20 (Fixr 2025).
Standard quartz is not for Houston sun. Cambria’s product specification sheet states its quartz is not approved for outdoor use, and most quartz brands carry the same note because UV light yellows the resin. For an outdoor kitchen, granite, quartzite and porcelain hold up under a patio cover. Porcelain is the most UV-stable of the three.
Many Houston remodelers sell the countertop and then send the job to a third-party fabrication shop, which adds its own markup and its own schedule. Kitchen Remodel Masters fabricates countertops in its own Houston shop, run by Eduardo, who has 15 years of countertop fabrication behind him. You pick the slab, Eduardo templates the kitchen after the cabinets are set, and the same team cuts, polishes and installs it. One crew, one schedule, no outside fabricator in the middle. See the custom flat panel cabinets with quartzite countertops project for a recent example.
1920s to 1960s bungalows in the Heights, Montrose and Bellaire often have cabinets that are not level and walls that are not square. The template takes longer, the slab is scribed to the wall, and sometimes the cabinets need shimming or reinforcement before a heavy stone goes on. Cabinet reinforcement for granite can cost a few hundred dollars (Fixr 2026).
A complete countertop replacement quote in Houston should list:
Items that are usually extra: the sink and faucet themselves, a new garbage disposal, electrical work for a cooktop, and any wall or drywall repair behind a removed tile backsplash.
Once the slab is picked and the cabinets are in place, template to installation is usually one to two weeks. Templating takes one visit. Fabrication in the shop takes a few days, longer for a waterfall or a book-matched quartzite. Installation is normally one day. The sink is clamped in place while the epoxy cures, and the plumber reconnects the next day.
If countertops are part of a full kitchen remodel in Houston, the countertop template happens after the new cabinets are installed, and the backsplash tile goes in after the countertops. Most full kitchens take 2 to 4 weeks of construction.
Published ranges tell you what to expect. Your price depends on your kitchen and your slab. Kitchen Remodel Masters Houston gives a free in-home consultation and a free 3D design, with the countertop material, edge and layout shown on screen before you approve anything. Call (713) 364-6603 or request your consultation.
Most Houston kitchens land between $2,000 and $7,000 installed for granite or quartz, based on 40 to 60 square feet at $40 to $120 per square foot (Fixr 2026, SlabWise 2026, Sugar Land Stone 2025). Quartzite, marble and porcelain slabs push a kitchen to $4,000 to $10,000. Laminate is the low end at $15 to $80 per square foot.
Installed prices by material: laminate $15 to $80, granite $40 to $200, quartz $50 to $200, porcelain slab $55 to $120, solid surface $70 to $130, butcher block $70 to $150, marble $50 to $200, quartzite $80 to $210 (Fixr 2025 to 2026, HomeGuide 2026). Most Houston jobs sit in the lower half of each range; the top numbers are exotic slabs.
Quartz runs $50 to $200 per square foot installed nationally (Fixr 2026), and most residential jobs settle between $75 and $150 (SlabWise 2026). A 50 square foot Houston kitchen in a mid-grade quartz usually lands around $3,500 to $6,000 installed, before a slab backsplash or waterfall edge.
Granite runs $40 to $200 per square foot installed (Fixr 2025), with a typical range of $40 to $100 (SlabWise 2026). Houston planning numbers from Sugar Land Stone (2025) put a common granite kitchen at $45 to $75 per square foot, so 50 square feet is about $2,300 to $3,800 installed.
Yes. Quartzite is a natural stone that is harder to cut, so fabrication costs more. Fixr (2025) lists $80 to $210 per square foot installed, and Houston planning ranges run $75 to $130 (Sugar Land Stone 2025). Expect quartzite to cost 15 to 25 percent more than granite of a similar grade.
Not always. Removal and disposal adds $50 to $300 for most countertops (HomeAdvisor 2025, Fixr 2026), and up to $500 for heavy granite or marble tear-outs (Fixr 2025). Ask for the removal line on every quote so you compare the same scope.
A mitered waterfall panel on an island adds $500 to $2,000 to the job depending on height and slab complexity (SlabWise 2026). It uses extra slab material and takes more shop time to cut and polish the miter, so it is priced as a separate line item.
Template, fabrication and installation is usually one to two weeks once cabinets are set and the slab is picked. Installation itself is normally one day. Sink reconnection happens after the epoxy cures, often the next day. Kitchen Remodel Masters fabricates in its own Houston shop, so there is no third-party fabricator in the schedule.
Standard quartz should not go outdoors. Cambria's product specification sheet states its quartz is not approved for outdoor use, and most quartz brands say the same because UV light yellows the resin. For an outdoor kitchen in Houston use granite, quartzite or porcelain under a cover.
No. Countertop replacement is cosmetic work and does not need a City of Houston permit. A permit is only triggered if the project also moves plumbing, gas or electrical, for example relocating a sink to a new island on a slab foundation.
