Guide to Kitchen Worktops
Worktops are one of the most important features of your kitchen with the overall look and feel of your kitchen influenced by the style and colour of the worktops you choose. Kitchen worktops can be made from a variety of different materials, and when making a decision about which would be right for your kitchen it’s important to think about what you want from your worktops – like size, strength and aftercare – so that you choose a material most suited to your needs.
Most worktops will take the strain of everyday wear and tear with hot pans, knife use and all sorts of spills occurring daily. Although you can prevent damage to work surfaces by using chopping boards and pan rests, it is important for your worktops to be made from material that is durable. The strongest materials for hard working worktops are natural stone such as marble or granite. Marble comes in a variety of colours including white, black, yellow, pink, green and blue. It is likely to last you a lifetime if you look after it. Granite is ideal for use next to your hob or oven and fits the feel of both traditional and modern kitchens. Just remember when picking one of these natural stones for your kitchen that they are difficult to transport due the their weight.
If you are after a worktop to give your kitchen some character, wood is the perfect choice. A solid wood kitchen worktop needs to be looked after carefully as it can become scratched and stained if not properly cared for, but any slight surface damage can easily be refinished. Wood worktops are ideal for use in food preparation areas as they are very hygienic and resistant to bacteria, but they should be avoided for use in sink areas. Easy to fit and suitable for use in most conditions, wood can be cut to any shape, ensuring that the design and fit of your kitchen is bespoke to you. Wood also gets better with age, with its colour developing over time, ensuring that your worktops will never be looking tired.
Another great choice for food surface areas is stainless steel. The choice of commercial kitchens the world over, its great for an industrial or contemporary vibe in your kitchen. Easy to keep clean and bacteria free, stainless steel is also heat and waterproof. However, stainless steel is very easy to scratch and can give you kitchen a very clinical feeling if it isn’t used in conjunction with another material.
If you want to increase the feeling of space in a smaller kitchen, the work surface you are looking for is glass. This reflective surface is ideal for contemporary and modern kitchen themes, and can be toughened to improve its durability. Heat and waterproof, scratches can be polished out of it but it needs some careful looking after with glass cleaner to keep water stains at bay and ensure its looking its sparkling best.
If you are looking to make a statement with colour, you might consider a corian worktop. Available in a range of styles and colours, a corian worktop has invisible joins giving your work surface a clean line, and can also be used on cabinet doors, sinks handles and side and wall cladding to give you a uniformed and matching look. Scratching can be a problem with corian, but it is still a durable worktop material.
There is a vast choice when it comes to picking a work surface for your kitchen counters. Its important to decide if you are after a traditional feel, a contemporary style or a classic look before you select your worktop as the colours and materials lend themselves to these styles better than others. If you target the things that are most important to you, you’ll make the right decision when choosing.
