Which Kitchen Worktop? Pros and cons?
Discussion
I had zinc tops in my own kitchen for ten years, made them myself on my return from an absinthe break in Paris.
I loved them, despite being non organic they definitely took on an organic appearance, though even after all those years of use and abuse they were only just starting to take on the patina of le zinc.
Everybody else hated them. My good freinds pronounced them 'scuzzy'... My parents looked pityingly at me everytime they visited, my long suffering wife waited patiently for the day we could afford granite.
All this was in the days before the internet, (actually not that long ago) so researching how to solder the joints and patinate the surface was a bit of a hit and miss affair down the library. How many evenings I spent rubbing various beer based concoctions into my worksurfaces, desperately attempting to recreate my own little bit of Montmartre.
I'm sure these days it's all very straight forward and there'll be companies offering a professionally finished product, perfectly patinated to order ... But don't let that put you off spending at least a long weekend in Paris, getting a feel for the material.
Vive la Fronce.
I loved them, despite being non organic they definitely took on an organic appearance, though even after all those years of use and abuse they were only just starting to take on the patina of le zinc.
Everybody else hated them. My good freinds pronounced them 'scuzzy'... My parents looked pityingly at me everytime they visited, my long suffering wife waited patiently for the day we could afford granite.
All this was in the days before the internet, (actually not that long ago) so researching how to solder the joints and patinate the surface was a bit of a hit and miss affair down the library. How many evenings I spent rubbing various beer based concoctions into my worksurfaces, desperately attempting to recreate my own little bit of Montmartre.
I'm sure these days it's all very straight forward and there'll be companies offering a professionally finished product, perfectly patinated to order ... But don't let that put you off spending at least a long weekend in Paris, getting a feel for the material.
Vive la Fronce.
loughran said:
I had zinc tops in my own kitchen for ten years, made them myself on my return from an absinthe break in Paris.
I loved them, despite being non organic they definitely took on an organic appearance, though even after all those years of use and abuse they were only just starting to take on the patina of le zinc.
Everybody else hated them. My good freinds pronounced them 'scuzzy'... My parents looked pityingly at me everytime they visited, my long suffering wife waited patiently for the day we could afford granite.
All this was in the days before the internet, (actually not that long ago) so researching how to solder the joints and patinate the surface was a bit of a hit and miss affair down the library. How many evenings I spent rubbing various beer based concoctions into my worksurfaces, desperately attempting to recreate my own little bit of Montmartre.
I'm sure these days it's all very straight forward and there'll be companies offering a professionally finished product, perfectly patinated to order ... But don't let that put you off spending at least a long weekend in Paris, getting a feel for the material.
Vive la Fronce.
Yup it's true what proper absinthe does to the brain. I loved them, despite being non organic they definitely took on an organic appearance, though even after all those years of use and abuse they were only just starting to take on the patina of le zinc.
Everybody else hated them. My good freinds pronounced them 'scuzzy'... My parents looked pityingly at me everytime they visited, my long suffering wife waited patiently for the day we could afford granite.
All this was in the days before the internet, (actually not that long ago) so researching how to solder the joints and patinate the surface was a bit of a hit and miss affair down the library. How many evenings I spent rubbing various beer based concoctions into my worksurfaces, desperately attempting to recreate my own little bit of Montmartre.
I'm sure these days it's all very straight forward and there'll be companies offering a professionally finished product, perfectly patinated to order ... But don't let that put you off spending at least a long weekend in Paris, getting a feel for the material.
Vive la Fronce.
Neil - YVM said:
I'm not sure that's so. Zinc has anti bacterial properties similar to copper.
That's my understanding too - zinc is one of those essential minerals you need in your diet, so I can't imagine the minute amount picked up though occasional contact with food would be harmful in any way. Instant zinc patina? That'll be a tin of patination oil you'll be after, Sir, followed by a bit of butchers wax.
We have black granite tops with sparkly silver bits in (sorry if it's a bit techy for you). They're 12 years old now and look brand new despite red hot cast iron pots being put straight on them everyday, buckets of gin and tonic and other alcohols spilled all over them and pans, kettles , bowls etc being dropped on them (usual result is a broken pan and a completely unmoved piece of granite).
Someone above posted above having to instantly move a wet cup to avoid black marks on an oak top - madness! It's a kitchen FFS, I couldn't be doing with nonsense like that.
We have black granite tops with sparkly silver bits in (sorry if it's a bit techy for you). They're 12 years old now and look brand new despite red hot cast iron pots being put straight on them everyday, buckets of gin and tonic and other alcohols spilled all over them and pans, kettles , bowls etc being dropped on them (usual result is a broken pan and a completely unmoved piece of granite).
Someone above posted above having to instantly move a wet cup to avoid black marks on an oak top - madness! It's a kitchen FFS, I couldn't be doing with nonsense like that.
Paul Drawmer said:
To correct a misconception I had - is it OK to put oven hot dishes straight onto granite?
I also looked at glass - reformed cullet, not glass/resin; very high performance, but out of my budget.
It wont harm the granite (see my post above) but potentially the pot (say if its a ceramic one) might be at risk of shattering due to the thermal shock of going straight from a cooker on to a cool granite surface. I also looked at glass - reformed cullet, not glass/resin; very high performance, but out of my budget.
If I am going to put something like that straight on to the worktop I usually chuck an oven glove on there first or whatever just in case to protect the pot.
Most of our pots or oven trays are metal, however, and in those cases I wouldn't think twice about putting, for example, an oven tray that has been in the oven for two hours at 200C straight onto the granite.
Edited by FBP1 on Wednesday 3rd September 12:59
teWe've got granite in our kitchen. It's about 7 years old now.
We went for a deep black with those sparkly bits in. I can't honestly say we looked at anything else other than granite.
We're a family of four and the kitchen gets used a lot. It's rarely 'immaculate' but is a hub in our house.
So.... ours has never stained. I leave nothing off it and I never treat it with kid gloves. It's never marked. Ever.
I chop and cut on it. Not a single scratch.
I place hot, often very hot Gas 9 stuff straight on it a lot. Never an issue.
It's cold to the touch. Great for making pastry.
I would have it again without hesitation.
BUT, it's a sod to keep clean. The slightest water spill and it never looks 'just polished' until it's been cleaned properly. We have two granite cleaner sprays. One cleans and the other polishes to a deep shine. Quick and relatively easy but has to be used frequently. Keeping it looking lustrous requires time, so it gets done properly around once a week and 'gone over' every day.
Worth it, though, in my opinion.
I'd go direct to a stonemason for the stuff, though. We bought most of ours via the kitchen manufacturer and only discovered their mark-up when the stonemason visited for a final measure. He gave me a considerably lower price for the splashbacks and windowsill than we'd been quoted previously...
We went for a deep black with those sparkly bits in. I can't honestly say we looked at anything else other than granite.
We're a family of four and the kitchen gets used a lot. It's rarely 'immaculate' but is a hub in our house.
So.... ours has never stained. I leave nothing off it and I never treat it with kid gloves. It's never marked. Ever.
I chop and cut on it. Not a single scratch.
I place hot, often very hot Gas 9 stuff straight on it a lot. Never an issue.
It's cold to the touch. Great for making pastry.
I would have it again without hesitation.
BUT, it's a sod to keep clean. The slightest water spill and it never looks 'just polished' until it's been cleaned properly. We have two granite cleaner sprays. One cleans and the other polishes to a deep shine. Quick and relatively easy but has to be used frequently. Keeping it looking lustrous requires time, so it gets done properly around once a week and 'gone over' every day.
Worth it, though, in my opinion.
I'd go direct to a stonemason for the stuff, though. We bought most of ours via the kitchen manufacturer and only discovered their mark-up when the stonemason visited for a final measure. He gave me a considerably lower price for the splashbacks and windowsill than we'd been quoted previously...
I agree, for a kitchen that gets used there's just nothing better than big lumps of granite hewn from ancient volcanoes. For my next kitchen I fancy a white granite, I've used River White in a couple of kitchen recently and it looks fab. Also, with it being so light it doesn't show fingerprints and marks as obviously as a dark stone.
Simes110 said:
We've got granite in our kitchen. It's about 7 years old now.
We went for a deep black with those sparkly bits in. I can't honestly say we looked at anything else other than granite.
We're a family of four and the kitchen gets used a lot. It's rarely 'immaculate' but is a hub in our house.
So.... ours has never stained. I leave nothing off it and I never treat it with kid gloves. It's never marked. Ever.
I chop and cut on it. Not a single scratch.
I place hot, often very hot Gas 9 stuff straight on it a lot. Never an issue.
It's cold to the touch. Great for making pastry.
I would have it again without hesitation.
BUT, it's a sod to keep clean. The slightest water spill and it never looks 'just polished' until it's been cleaned properly. We have two granite cleaner sprays. One cleans and the other polishes to a deep shine. Quick and relatively easy but has to be used frequently. Keeping it looking lustrous requires time, so it gets done properly around once a week and 'gone over' every day.
Worth it, though, in my opinion.
I'd go direct to a stonemason for the stuff, though. We bought most of ours via the kitchen manufacturer and only discovered their mark-up when the stonemason visited for a final measure. He gave me a considerably lower price for the splashbacks and windowsill than we'd been quoted previously...
Could you try waxing it with car wax (carnauba)? We went for a deep black with those sparkly bits in. I can't honestly say we looked at anything else other than granite.
We're a family of four and the kitchen gets used a lot. It's rarely 'immaculate' but is a hub in our house.
So.... ours has never stained. I leave nothing off it and I never treat it with kid gloves. It's never marked. Ever.
I chop and cut on it. Not a single scratch.
I place hot, often very hot Gas 9 stuff straight on it a lot. Never an issue.
It's cold to the touch. Great for making pastry.
I would have it again without hesitation.
BUT, it's a sod to keep clean. The slightest water spill and it never looks 'just polished' until it's been cleaned properly. We have two granite cleaner sprays. One cleans and the other polishes to a deep shine. Quick and relatively easy but has to be used frequently. Keeping it looking lustrous requires time, so it gets done properly around once a week and 'gone over' every day.
Worth it, though, in my opinion.
I'd go direct to a stonemason for the stuff, though. We bought most of ours via the kitchen manufacturer and only discovered their mark-up when the stonemason visited for a final measure. He gave me a considerably lower price for the splashbacks and windowsill than we'd been quoted previously...
Very nice white granite, Loughran. Will keep that in mind for future projects.
Re keeping black granite clean - we find just washing it with soapy water and then wiping it dry while it's still wet with kitchen towel keeps it looking like brand new. We have never touched it in terms of new coatings or whatever in the 12 years we have had it.
The above is despite PH approved maltreatment like below - the other half wasn't so happy to come in and find bits of car all over the kitchen worksurface. Wimmin, huh
If you don't wipe it dry, then you do get a kind of film on it, but two mins with a couple of sheets of kitchen roll while it's still wet gets rid of that.
Re keeping black granite clean - we find just washing it with soapy water and then wiping it dry while it's still wet with kitchen towel keeps it looking like brand new. We have never touched it in terms of new coatings or whatever in the 12 years we have had it.
The above is despite PH approved maltreatment like below - the other half wasn't so happy to come in and find bits of car all over the kitchen worksurface. Wimmin, huh
If you don't wipe it dry, then you do get a kind of film on it, but two mins with a couple of sheets of kitchen roll while it's still wet gets rid of that.
Just bear in mind that light coloured granites are more porous
More ? than you ever need to know:
http://stone-network.com/absolute_black_granite.ht...
More ? than you ever need to know:
http://stone-network.com/absolute_black_granite.ht...
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