| The Different Types of Kitchen Worktop |
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| Granite |
Granite is a pure stone that’s guaranteed to give your kitchen a real touch of class. It’s available in a glorious array of natural colours, shades and patterns, meaning your worktop’s appearance will be genuinely unique too.
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Not only is Granite great to look at, it’s the second hardest rock known to mankind (after diamond), so it’s incredibly hard-wearing as well as being heat and scratch resistant. As a natural material, Granite is porous and therefore will require sealing periodically to keep it looking its best.
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| Quartz |
Quartz is our most popular choice of worktop for a reason, it’s beautiful! Quartz has a depth and character in its appearance, so it offers a real sense of luxury. Quartz is the perfect alternative to Marble. With countless stunning slabs looking just like marble, it is often very hard to tell that it isn’t actually a natural stone.
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This material is non-porous so spills and stains are not absorbed into the surface, making it stain-resistant. It is also highly resistant to scratches and doesn’t chip easily, although we do recommend the use of a cutting board. While quartz is heat resistant, be mindful that extreme heat can cause damage to the surface. Placing hot pans or pots directly on the surface can cause bubbling or discoloration.
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| Quartzite |
Quartzite is a natural stone which is very hard wearing. This material often has bold, bright colours and beautiful veining, so is the perfect alternative for marble in a kitchen.
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Whilst this material is both heat and scratch resistant, some maintenance is required to keep it looking its very best. Quartzite requires sealing which will protect the surface from spills or staining, however, any spills should be cleaned up before any damage to the seal.
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| Marble |
Remaining popular because of its striking patterns and bright colours, Marble has always been a favourite for pastry chefs because its cold surface is perfect for working dough. Unfortunately, being a variation of limestone, it’s a particularly soft stone and is therefore not generally recommended for use as kitchen worktops.
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Marble is also very porous, making it susceptible to staining. Sealing the surface can make it more oil, red wine and water resistant, but won’t seal it completely. It is also easily damaged by acidic liquids, like lemon juice or vinegar.
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| Ceramic |
The use of ceramic as a worksurface is evolving at a rapid rate; gone are the days of tiling a worktop! Products such as Dekton, Lapitec and Laminam, to name but a few, are ever-growing in popularity.
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Ceramic surfaces are highly heat, stain and scratch resistant making them a great choice for heavily used areas or for people looking for minimal maintenance.
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| Acrylic |
Acrylic surfaces are becoming ever-more popular. With the ability to seamlessly mould the material into any corner, awkward-shaped rooms are never a problem.
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For the same reason, this material is a favourite with people wanting a larger than normal island or worktop run, with no visible joints.
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| Wood |
Wooden worktops can be used in both contemporary kitchens and more traditional settings. They work particularly well in combination with other work surfaces too; such as breakfast bars, butchers blocks or end grain chopping boards.
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Whilst wood is generally a hard wearing material benefiting from the ability to sand down any scratches, it does involve a lot of maintenance. To keep it looking its best wooden worktops require oiling every 6 months. It is also prone to scorching if a hot pan is placed directly onto the surface.
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To see heaps more examples of all these work surfaces, head over to the portfolio page on our website.
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