These advance days are giving you the opportunity to renovate your kitchen in your own style. Now no longer you need to work in a boring and conventional kitchen. With the advance technology and different treatments with natural materials, a huge variety of modern and attractive kitchen surfaces, with different colours and textures, are available to suit your kitchen style, size and budget. From stainless steel and sustainable, alternative timbers for the eco-conscious, through to exciting quartz, resin blends and glass, the options are huge when it comes to designing the kitchen. From natural stone and wood to man-made composites and laminates, the material of worktops makes a big impact on your kitchen’s looks and functions.
Know the Types of Worktops
Your kitchen worktop is the main workstations. It’s where the chopping and mixing are done, meals are prepared and the shopping is unloaded, so it’s important to be durable enough to take everything happen on it. Besides that, it is also play as key visual component of your kitchen. Its looks should complement your cabinetry.
While choosing the worktop, the primary factor to consider is material. There are a number of options available in the market, starting from stone, wood to man-made composite and laminate. Each of the material is coming with its own unique properties. With varied colours and features, Natural stone and wood look stunning in a period home and also cost-effective, but requires regular maintenance and sealing to resist it from scratch and stain. Granite worktops are incredibly popular due its strength and durability. As it’s a natural stone, each slab of granite will be unique, and you may not get the same veining and colour as you saw it in the samples. Another natural stone, marble has a wow factor and whatever the pros and cons are nothing can beat the unique beauty of the stone.
A fuss-free alternative is a man-made composite material, such as quartz or Corian. These natural minerals blended with resin create a smooth and durable surface that is non-porous and easy to clean, and offers seamless finish. For man-made composites and laminates, a mild detergent or soap and water is all you need for cleaning. Specialist natural stone and composite worktops are supplied by the cabinetmaker, as they are usually included as part of a bespoke fitted kitchen.
If you have enough budget, laminates is the best choice. Comprising a plastic overlay and design layer, being water resistant these man-made surfaces can mimic hundreds of finishes, from weathered wood to veined marble, at different price list. For natural look and warmth, solid wood worktops are perfect for both classic and contemporary kitchens worktops. For a traditional style, look for oak, maple and beech and bamboo, wenge and Iroko for a modern look. As it’s a natural material, each piece will vary in grain and tone. Wood requires high maintenance than other materials, as it will require regular oiling. Laminates and timber worktops can be purchase in standard sizes or by the metre, then cut to size and fitted as the worktops by a tradesperson.
On the other side, zinc, stainless steel and concrete are becoming increasingly popular, because of their on-trend industrial look.
After investing upon and installing the kitchen worktops, it is important to take care of them, as you surely do not want to go it waste.
