Which Kitchen Worktop? Pros and cons?
Discussion
vescaegg said:
One cup was left on the drainer with a wet bottom (obviously I claim by the missus and she claims by me 
) and we now have a lovely black ring on the corner which will NOT rub off. I will have to sand it down again next year and oil but its a pain.
My OH managed to spill some water out of the iron onto our oiled oak floor in the living room (I have told her before about staying in the kitchen, but you know how it is ) and we now have a lovely black ring on the corner which will NOT rub off. I will have to sand it down again next year and oil but its a pain.
). It left an ugly black splash mark on the floor, but we found out that white vinegar would shift it via a search on the web.I couldn't believe how well it worked as there is no trace of the mark now and I just had to reapply some oil afterwards to a few 'planks'. Should work on your ring mark too and save sanding until you need to.
(I have black gloss granite worktops and I still have to take care with it as ring marks can leave a white mark, but fine wire wool can remove them if left too long). After 4+ years it still looks like new though so the effort looking after it is paying off.
We've got oak, I promised myself we would oil it every month or so, but we haven't done it in the 3 years since I fitted it..... Its picked up marks from tins, mugs, washing up liquid bottles over the years, after the first mark or 2 it now just looks a bit homely and weathered! I keep thinking I'll sand it and re-oil it, but it actually doesn't look that bad.
The Moose said:
If you spend a bit of time looking around and doing your research (not buying from Howdens/Wickes etc) you can do stone for not a lot more than laminate...
Please would you provide links to these suppliers to which you allude.I understood that decent laminate was around £100 per metre whereas stone was £500.
I'm happy to be proven wrong
We have oak work tops, fitted just over 3 years ago. Put getting on for a dozen coats of liberon oil plus a couple of top up coats last year and still looking spot on. Only area that needs a little bit of attention is another couple of coats around the sink.
Worth the effort, they look fantastic and the maintenence is much less time than you spend hoovering.
Worth the effort, they look fantastic and the maintenence is much less time than you spend hoovering.
Riff Raff said:
I was told by a kitchen design place that Corian can also be repaired, so if you knock a corner off a worktop by dropping a pan on it, you can have it fixed. The moulded in sinks also look pretty cool. It's currently top of the list for our forthcoming kitchen re-furbishment (worktops and splash backs).
We were quite keen on it, until I saw how easy it scratched. It does look cool but I was genuinely shocked at how soft it is.sparkythecat said:
Please would you provide links to these suppliers to which you allude.
I understood that decent laminate was around £100 per metre whereas stone was £500.
I'm happy to be proven wrong
We have approx 12m and I think we paid £2500 for granite last year.I understood that decent laminate was around £100 per metre whereas stone was £500.
I'm happy to be proven wrong
Online supplier - Granite4 You
In my opinion, based on 20 years in the kitchen industry, I would personally go for granite or engineered stone. I'm surprised I've not heard Silestone mentioned much on this post? Good product, not too expensive and has a good range of consistent colours. Me personally I like natural granite, as I love the variance of the product and the durability. My last kitchen had Blue Pearl granite fitted nearly ten years ago, and has survived many, many curries, 2 children growing up, more parties than I can remember and has been used by a very keen cook for the whole time. Not a mark, stain or chip on it anywhere, it's why I have gone for granite again in the new place.
IMHO corian will scratch, and less widely known can burn quite easily, it has a lower burning point than laminate. Yes it can be repaired, but usually by using the chopping board supplied with it, once you've run out of the batched colour matched material you can struggle to get a good colour match with it, a problem worse on some colours than others. Of course the pros of corian are the apparent 'joint free' look and flexibility of shapes, but it's the most expensive too!
Timbers ok, although will always need maintenance, and will always need thinking about when using, some woods are better than others, ie Iroko is a lovely wood to work with and very hard wearing, I find oak in wet areas goes black very easily.
The OP mentioned earlier that laminate is £100 a metre? Not so, decent Duropal or Getalit tops are nowhere near that kind of cost. Usually circa £150 per 4.1m blank, depending on supplier.
IMHO corian will scratch, and less widely known can burn quite easily, it has a lower burning point than laminate. Yes it can be repaired, but usually by using the chopping board supplied with it, once you've run out of the batched colour matched material you can struggle to get a good colour match with it, a problem worse on some colours than others. Of course the pros of corian are the apparent 'joint free' look and flexibility of shapes, but it's the most expensive too!
Timbers ok, although will always need maintenance, and will always need thinking about when using, some woods are better than others, ie Iroko is a lovely wood to work with and very hard wearing, I find oak in wet areas goes black very easily.
The OP mentioned earlier that laminate is £100 a metre? Not so, decent Duropal or Getalit tops are nowhere near that kind of cost. Usually circa £150 per 4.1m blank, depending on supplier.
Griff Boy said:
In my opinion, based on 20 years in the kitchen industry, I would personally go for granite or engineered stone. I'm surprised I've not heard Silestone mentioned much on this post? Good product, not too expensive and has a good range of consistent colours. Me personally I like natural granite, as I love the variance of the product and the durability. My last kitchen had Blue Pearl granite fitted nearly ten years ago, and has survived many, many curries, 2 children growing up, more parties than I can remember and has been used by a very keen cook for the whole time. Not a mark, stain or chip on it anywhere, it's why I have gone for granite again in the new place.
IMHO corian will scratch, and less widely known can burn quite easily, it has a lower burning point than laminate. Yes it can be repaired, but usually by using the chopping board supplied with it, once you've run out of the batched colour matched material you can struggle to get a good colour match with it, a problem worse on some colours than others. Of course the pros of corian are the apparent 'joint free' look and flexibility of shapes, but it's the most expensive too!
Timbers ok, although will always need maintenance, and will always need thinking about when using, some woods are better than others, ie Iroko is a lovely wood to work with and very hard wearing, I find oak in wet areas goes black very easily.
The OP mentioned earlier that laminate is £100 a metre? Not so, decent Duropal or Getalit tops are nowhere near that kind of cost. Usually circa £150 per 4.1m blank, depending on supplier.
I've also heard that Corian doesn't cope with heat very well - pouring boiling water down a Corian sink is not a good idea, for example.IMHO corian will scratch, and less widely known can burn quite easily, it has a lower burning point than laminate. Yes it can be repaired, but usually by using the chopping board supplied with it, once you've run out of the batched colour matched material you can struggle to get a good colour match with it, a problem worse on some colours than others. Of course the pros of corian are the apparent 'joint free' look and flexibility of shapes, but it's the most expensive too!
Timbers ok, although will always need maintenance, and will always need thinking about when using, some woods are better than others, ie Iroko is a lovely wood to work with and very hard wearing, I find oak in wet areas goes black very easily.
The OP mentioned earlier that laminate is £100 a metre? Not so, decent Duropal or Getalit tops are nowhere near that kind of cost. Usually circa £150 per 4.1m blank, depending on supplier.
Zelda Pinwheel said:
vescaegg said:
I got oak last year. It looks amazing and I have kept it looking really nice.
But...
I have bloody tried my hardest to keep it this way. Even one drop of water left around the sink after washing up will soak in and eventually turn things black. One cup was left on the drainer with a wet bottom and we now have a lovely black ring on the corner which will NOT rub off. I will have to sand it down again next year and oil but its a pain.
They do however look brilliant when in top condition.
Would not get again. To much effort.
We hope to have an oak top installed later this year, and have a small test piece to knock about in the kitchen before saying yes to the final installation. I've managed to mark it (wet baking tray), and got the black marks out using oxalic acid. It'll need re-oiling, but does mean that it doesn't immediately need sanding back.But...
I have bloody tried my hardest to keep it this way. Even one drop of water left around the sink after washing up will soak in and eventually turn things black. One cup was left on the drainer with a wet bottom and we now have a lovely black ring on the corner which will NOT rub off. I will have to sand it down again next year and oil but its a pain.
They do however look brilliant when in top condition.
Would not get again. To much effort.
Oak is the timber of the devil where water is concerned. We never recommend it in a kitchen. But saying that, I've installed them when a customer is firm they want them. So best of luck with whichever way you go
i replaced an old wood counter top with silestone - much prefer it, its harder wearing, requires little care, is inert, heat resistent to a point and i like the look and feel of it. However, its not the cheapest and you need a good fitter.
however, i think the pointer about consider your needs, cost, what sort of look you are going for, how much up-keep you want, how long you expect it to last etc... will ultiamtely decide the countertop you end up with, as every single one has pro's and con's.
however, i think the pointer about consider your needs, cost, what sort of look you are going for, how much up-keep you want, how long you expect it to last etc... will ultiamtely decide the countertop you end up with, as every single one has pro's and con's.
Wacky Racer said:
Personally, I think granite worktops are overrated, my brother has spent a lot of money on two for his kitchens, can't see what all the fuss is about, and they are cold to the touch.
I don't think I would have one even if they were cheaper than a decent laminate.
(All imho)
I'd agree, I'm not a great lover personally either.I don't think I would have one even if they were cheaper than a decent laminate.
(All imho)
This is PH. Silestone "Fernando Alonso" surely?
http://www.silestone.com/gr/images/group/silestone...
I have the Steel Polished version and it has been a fantastic choice. It looks especially good on my powerfully-built 4m kitchen island where we have "wrapped" the vertical ends as well as the top surface.
For the record, no I didn't know of the Alonso connection until the installers told me! We just chose on appearance.
http://www.silestone.com/gr/images/group/silestone...
I have the Steel Polished version and it has been a fantastic choice. It looks especially good on my powerfully-built 4m kitchen island where we have "wrapped" the vertical ends as well as the top surface.
For the record, no I didn't know of the Alonso connection until the installers told me! We just chose on appearance.
Edited by iantr on Thursday 28th August 15:07
Edited by iantr on Thursday 28th August 15:10
RDBx said:
We have oak work tops, fitted just over 3 years ago. Put getting on for a dozen coats of liberon oil plus a couple of top up coats last year and still looking spot on. Only area that needs a little bit of attention is another couple of coats around the sink.
Worth the effort, they look fantastic and the maintenence is much less time than you spend hoovering.
This is certainly our experience; I put in the oak worktops in our kitchen nine years ago and they look excellent. A light rub-down and some fresh oil and they will be (literally) as good as new. We don't leave puddles of water around the sink overnight, but don't take any particular care of them other than that. Worth the effort, they look fantastic and the maintenence is much less time than you spend hoovering.
I'll confess to being a big fan of wood so my opinion is swayed slightly, but I highly recommend wood worktops. If you don't want the hassle of maintenance then you could put some hard-wearing varnish on them instead. OK, they won't look as good as when oiled but they wouldn't need 30 minutes spending on them every six months.
Oli.
Wozy68 said:
I'd agree, I'm not a great lover personally either.
Out of interest, Wozy, what do you recommend usually? I'm having the same thoughts about what to do.I have had granite, and it was lovely to work on, but I feel like a good laminate is immeasurably cheaper and it isn't ridiculous to replace it once in a while either.
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