The 5 Best Laminate Countertops that LOOK Expensive...but aren't! Back in the day (you know, 20 years ago) having laminate countertops meant having a surface that scratched easy and looked like a cheap reproduction of...I don't even know, something butt-ugly and boring. Nowadays, laminate countertops 'rock' because not only are they super durable - they look like the real thing! Quartz, granite, marble, soapstone - you name it, laminate has come along way in its effort to 'look like ro..