I would think laminate would be a reasonable choice.
I wonder if you could iron on it, or if you would need an ironing board? (Same q for corian, and thinking youd likely need a separate iron). But that would be my ideal - something that could pull double-duty. But would also be noncorrosive if exposed to spilled detergents, bleach, stain removers, etc.

Laminate can swell if its nicked, but i doubt everyday laundry woudl cause it problems - youd have to thwack zippers like to make a good dent, and actually peel/chip the top coating to get it swell. I dont know if you could lay drying racks and/or hang dripping clothes above it to dry though - maybe test a piece?

Laminate would work well. I used it in my craft room and it's a wonderful surface to work on, durable, easy to clean. I wouldn't iron on it, but for a quick touch up if you put a folded towel down, I suppose you could...but exposure to heat will soften it and make it bendable.

Instead, you might look into getting an in-wall ironing board. We have one and love it. It installs between the 2x4s, it has a space for iron storage, a light to see by, and a timer so it won't run indefinitely. It also has a safety switch which cuts the power as soon as the ironing board is folded up.

Laminate would be a great choice) but ironing on it might be pushing your luck. Another inexpensive choice if you're only using them for "standard" counter size and not over the machines is some of the cheap wooden counters--IKEA has some solid wood counters that are extremely affordable and totally acceptable but are only going to come in standard kitchen widths, ~25".

Laminate has always worked well for us. However, if you're in the habit of spilling bleach, ironing on it and leaving puddles on counters without cleaning up nothing much is going to be of use. Maybe stainless steel?

I managed a number of rental properties at one time. I remember a tenant who complained to me that his concretelaundry tub had broken--when he was hammering on car parts on top of it.

This post was edited by worthy on Sat, Nov 1, 14 at 14:17

I wouldn't plan on ironing on laminate. We have a regular ironing board, but I am curious about that in the wall ironing unit. Annie, do you remember how much of a cost that is? I don't want to save money on counters, only to spend it on something else, but that sure seems useful.

I honestly don't remember the cost, but you can find out easily enough, I'm sure. Looks like plain ones are a couple of hundred bucks from Lowes...as you add more features, the price goes up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Iron away

We used a granite remnant.

aimless-we did laminate in all bathrooms (besides the 1/2 bath that is a pedestal sink) and the laundry room. I like it just fine and haven't given it a second thought. It fits our needs perfectly.

Laminate countertops are the least expensive option, and they'll hold up FINE in a laundry room. They'll get less use than kitchen countertops, and it's not an area that people will see.

I wouldn't consider anything other than laminate -- unless, as someone else mentioned -- unless I were able to find a granite remnant super cheap. Even then, granite costs more to install. I just don't see the laundry as a splurge area.

Another laminate user here. We priced a granite remnant thinking it would be less bundled with the kitchen and master bath. Wrong! The cost was slightly over $1,000 for a 5' counter and laminate was less than $200.

ditto what Fori said, check out ikea's options if you have one within reasonable distance. They have wooden options for under $200 and laminate options under $75.

I have laminate in my laundry room and love it. I wouldn't want granite or quartz in there because I use the sink amd counter top in there to bathe and groom my dog and cat. Laminate is non-slip and the stone types would get too slippery when damp from wet paws.

Thanks for all your comments. Our builder is going to get back to us on where we should look for laminate counters.

And I agree with the idea about the laundry room not being a splurge room. It's larger than I have ever had with having the washer and dryer, some work space with utility sink, room for a 2nd fridge, and an open wall for a hanging rack. They'll be more jealous of the space ;)

Amazon has a broad selection of boards. Just for lookin'. Check them also for ironing mats, which can roll up out of the way.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon drop down ironing boards.

We used a black granite remnant that already had a leathered finish. You can't tell it in the pic, but the texture is beautiful. Not shiny or slippery surface at all. Our laundry room isn't huge and this is the only counter space, so I figured I might as well make it look pretty! :) The other side of the room has a utility closet and the front loaders with cabinets above.

I don't iron a whole lot, so I didn't want to keep a full sized ironing board in there. I keep one in the closet if I do need one though. For quick jobs I bought one of those smaller ones that hangs inside the utility closet door from Target. Wish I had thought of an in wall board, love that idea!

We used granite tiles with matching granite counter edging. Inexpensive, durable, and looks like a solid piece of granite from everywhere but at very the very closest range.

We went to Home Depot and looked at laminate counters and decided on Formica's Argento Romano. It looks similar to the granite we have picked out for our kitchen and wet bar. It's a level B price and didn't have the actual price listed which is irritating but surely it can't cost more than $100 for the material itself. They had some in-stock laminate pieces that were much bigger than what we need but they were the ugly, cheap laminate that looked like laminate. There was an etchings and a crystal finish that look to be upgrades from matte finish. I guess I didn't know that you could have different finishes on it either. Anyway, thanks for everyone's input and u know that money we'll save on this will be useful in other ways.

Here is a link that might be useful: Formica Argento Romano

Check it off the list aimless! Woohoo! It looks very nice. All of our laminates are the matte finish too, we have 4 different patterns throughout the house (master bath, laundry, pantry, kids bath) and I like them all.

I agree with Autumn. That laminate is lovely! I might look at it for our laundry.

Carol

We have laminate in laundry room in our 5.5 year old house. I basically live in there due to laundry needs and some crazy decision to work from home there.....there needs to be a therapy forum so someone can convince me to work elsewhere is our 4000+ SF home.

I'd also make a plug for an ironing board that is stored in a drawer. You open drawer and poof, ironing board pulls out. I love, love, love it! Cabinet installer put it together for me.

This video shows some simple fabrication with a piece of Plane, some thin inkjet porcelain Calacatta tile from StonePeak.
This could be cost effective with a remnant.
1200C is the firing temp for porcelain tile so no problem with ironing.

Here is a link that might be useful: StonePeak Plane

Here's a source for different larger slab sizes for Calacatta pattern porcelain tile. including 30"x60". This is a larger piece used on a table.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fiandre Marmi Maximum