Your worktop surface is a big part of your kitchen design and with so many choices available these days, different materials can create different looks in your kitchen.
The various materials range in price and how much maintenance is needed. They also each have their advantages and disadvantages. Most of the materials come in a wide range of textures and colours.
Laminates has been around a long time, is still the cheapest, is durable, has the widest range of surface material to choose from and therefore can satisfy a variety of designs, and its smooth surface is easy to maintain. However, scratches and chips are very difficult if not impossible to repair, and the end finishing and front edge choices can be expensive.
Wood countertops are very popular, look beautiful and have a variety of designs, such as Butcher’s Block or Single Wide Stave. They are easy to clean, smooth, can be sanded and resealed if needs be and can be given a more polished look by treating it every few months. Wood countertops can be damaged by water and stains over time and scratches must be oiled or sealed. Some chefs might choose not to prepare food on wooden countertops due to hygienic reasons, but research shows that wood is no more dangerous than plastic alternatives and in some cases, better, as the bacteria eventually dies. Wood also contains an antibacterial agent.
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Natural stones are used on kitchen worktops, such as granite, limestone, marble, soapstone and slate. Often, the initial countertop fabrication takes place at or near where the stone originates and therefore there is no need to ship waste material and it takes less time to prepare clients’ orders. Different details can be pre-machined by the fabricator which allows installation of different sinks and cooker designs.
Not many homeowners choose granite for their kitchen worktop due to its high cost but its beauty makes any kitchen look incredibly elegant and it can last a lifetime. Granite is almost impossible to damage and new sealers ensure almost no maintenance at all. Using granite in your kitchen can even raise your home’s value.
Soapstone counters has a rich, generally dark gray, colour and can create a look of luxury, which makes sense considering it is one of the most expensive materials. However soapstone kitchen worktops is a good investment as they are built to last, are extremely heat resistant and can outlive passing trends. Stone and slate can create a streamlined kitchen. There is still a level of maintenance required. Soapstone needs to be treated regularly with mineral oil.
Another expensive choice, marble is not often seen consistently in a kitchen but is usually used in certain parts only, such as on an island. It is heatproof and looks beautiful but requires constant maintenance as it stains easily, is porous, can scratch and may need resealing periodically.
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Being man-made (from approximately 95% natural quartz and 5% polymer resins), engineered stone is expensive but it is often difficult to tell the difference between the real thing and this synthetic version. They are more scratch resistant and less porous than natural quartz surfaces and they are easy to maintain without the annual sealing that real stone requires.
Using a solid surface as your worktop enables any scratches to be sanded out, can create a seamless look in your kitchen, is stain resistant and made to your specifications. However, it can be vulnerable to heat and expensive.
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The professional chef’s choice, stainless steel counters can have a contemporary or an industrial look, are durable, heat resistant, can be made into a seamless countertop including the sink, is easy to clean and can last a lifetime if good quality. It does have disadvantages, though, such as being pricey, noisy and possibly denting. You can’t cut on stainless steel counters and they eventually lose their shine and become covered in fine scratches. Over time, however, this can create a worn, attractive look.
Concrete suits countertops of unusual shapes as they are often cast in your very own kitchen – the concrete is poured on-site, polished, finished and sealed. Concrete as a high degree of customization because it fills a specific form with a fluid material which hardens to a durable cast stone. Tinting concrete in different colours, edge styles, three-dimensional sculpting and decorative embedments can all be incorporated. Concrete countertops are also heat and scratch resistant. Problems with using concrete include that it can be expensive and can crack, but new treatments can eliminate cracking. Concrete is also porous but additives reduce porosity.
You can also use ceramic or porcelain tiles on your kitchen worktop. This material works well with a more traditional or rustic look. Ceramic tile is durable, easy to clean, inexpensive, heat resistant and installed a section at a time. If the counter surface is uneven, tiles can easily chip or crack and a lot of maintenance is required as grout lines become stained. You can get custom-designed tiles but these are more expensive. You could also decide to get darker tiles with matching dark grout. Porcelain tiles work well for tougher surfaces.
Corian, a man-made product, can also be used to create one long streamlined worktop. It is a solid surfacing material and comes in various colours and textures, some which can mimic plastic or other materials. It is said to be heat and stain resistant. If there is a stain or scratch, it can be sanded out, and new pieces can replace damaged ones if needs be.
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While these are some of the main materials used for kitchen worktops, there are other options as well. This leaves homeowners with a wide variety to choose from, however factors such as the cost of the material and what kind of look you would like to create in your kitchen will help you to narrow down your choices.
