U.S. Countertops 2011: Half-A-Billion Ft²

CLEVELAND – The demand for residential kitchen and bathroom countertops will increase 1.3-percent annually to 540 million ft² in four years, according to a study from The Fredonia Group Inc.
The Cleveland-based industry -research firm, in its Residential Kitchen & Bathroom Countertops, notes that countertop demand will slow from the pace seen earlier in the decade, due primarily to weakness in new single-home construction. And, while renovation expenditures will increase through 2011, it’ll also be at a slower pace than seen in past years.
There’s good news – of a sort – for natural-stone and quartz fabricators. The study also notes that demand for engineered stone will benefit from its ability to combine the minimal porosity of solid surface with the heat and scratch resistance of quartz. Natural stone will be aided by consumer interest in the luxury and style that granite and other stones offer.
However, the study also sees a trend of materials pricing declining, with demand stimulated as middle-income consumers affording more natural stone and granite.
The study also notes that the remodeling segment of construction accounted for 70 percent of volume sales for all countertop materials in 2006. Residential kitchen and bath renovation expenditures are projected to remain positive through 2011, with sales involving kitchen projects continuing to outpace bathrooms.