Kitchen Worktops

A worktop will receive the most wear and tear of all the surfaces in the kitchen. It has to endure hot pots and pans, knives, water and dirt. Therefore your worktop has to be made of the most durable material you can afford. But you can do a lot yourself to protect your worktop from too much abuse by using chopping boards and trivets. Here is an overview of the different materials you can use for your worktops and a short description of their usability.

Laminate

This material has been and still is very popular for kitchens and worktops, as it is cheap and it comes in a variety of colours. Do not expect too much durability though as it scratches, burns and gets dirty very easily. It does come in a lot of different colours and textures though, so you will always find your taste in laminate. If you do chooses for laminate, make sure you protect your surface with trivets and chopping boards.

Tiles

Tiles are an easy way to give colour to your kitchen and are not extremely expensive. Costs mainly depend on whether the tiles are handmade or factory produced. Tiles themselves are highly durable, but the grout in between can sometimes cause problems. Try to obtain epoxy grout or similar that keeps the surface clean and complete.

Wood

Once again, wood will give great character to your kitchen. If used for the worktop it is however highly sustainable to scratching and cutting. Hot pans will make their marks on it and it can be unhygienic if used as a chopping block for meat. But it is the only surface that will not damage your knives.

Stainless steel

This highly durable material can be shaped in any way your kitchen goes. The backsplash and the sink can be made into the same piece of steel, which makes that there are no awkward corners that will jeopardise hygiene. It is not the cheapest solution though and you have to make sure that you stay away from the clinical image stainless steel has.

Granite

Granite is the most common type of stone used for a worktop. It is also the most expensive material to cover your worktop with. It is highly durable, it doesn't scratch or burn and it keeps its colour. It's a natural material that will give great character to your kitchen.

A last idea for your worktops is to combine different materials for your worktop as different worktop areas have different functions. Choose for example stainless steel for around your sink and granite for the pastry preparation area. This way you make the most of the qualities of the different materials and it also breaks the monotony of your worktop area. 


Solid surfaces

Solid surfaces in worktop language means that a worktop is not built up in layers, such as laminate or Formica, but that it consists of a solid plastic all the way through. One of the best well-known brand names is Corian. It has been on the market for more than 30 years.

Solid surfaces are hardwearing. They resist scratches, scorches and heat from hot pans. If you do damage your surface, there are repair kits available to fix it.

Solid surfaces are about three times as expensive as laminate and twice as expensive as wood, but it is still cheaper than stainless steel and stone. It comes in a lot of colours and styles and suppliers give a good guarantee.

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