Worktop materials ?

[singlecoil]

I'll state right away that I am not asking for my own kitchen, I wouldn't have anything other than granite, but being in the business I am interested to know what people are having these days, and how they are getting on with it. I usually recommend granite, and have really good guys (one's a PHer) who supply and fit it. I've also used wood when the customer has insisted, though I wouldn't consider it myself (but ok if you really like it and are prepared to look after it).

Corian and similar I think can be very nice, but as it's acrylic one needs to be careful, it's a bit on the soft side and not very heat resistant.

Anybody had anything other than the above, and if so, how are you getting on with it?

[zcacogp]

Oak. Partially 'cos I am a wood fan, partially 'cos I could fit it myself. Having done it, I can't imagine having anything else.

I've cooked quite a lot in kitchens with marble worktops and I personally dislike it (alot!) It's too harsh on the hands, cold, and when you do mark it then it's a professional job to get it looking right again. It's also utterly unforgiving if you knock something glass or ceramic over on it.

But it's all personal opinions and I know they differ.


Oli.

[Matt Harper]

Quartz (engineered stone) - a Du Pont product called Zodiaq. Hard, non-porous, ideal for long counter top runs where seams in granite would be very obvious. Mine was a little more expensive than granite, but well worth the extra. It's been installed nearly 3 years and still looks like it did on day one. No maintenance required.

[tgr]

Similar to Matt, I've got silestone which is a trade name for quarz/engineered stone. Seems pretty durable so far, though understandably I treat it with care. Not sure how it would react if I dropped things on it - I just see that I don't!

[A.C.E]

oak for me. its a new kitchen and i've never had wood before, but i'm glad i made the choice. i know it'll need a bit of care to make it always look good, but it'll be worth it.

[bigandclever]

We've got stainless steel. Up close it scratches to buggery but from a shortish distance (I think) it looks pretty good.

[singlecoil]

A.C.E said:

oak for me. its a new kitchen and i've never had wood before, but i'm glad i made the choice. i know it'll need a bit of care to make it always look good, but it'll be worth it.

I've seen a good few kitchens in my time, but I don't think I've seen one with a settee in it.

[singlecoil]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The Corian itself is only 12.5mm thick, they bond the sides to it to make it look continuous, the rest of it is built up with chipboard. I know that thicker woprktops are fashionable at the moment.

[singlecoil]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Still, you don't want whoever does the cooking to have to do too much mileage in the course of putting a meal together...

[cpas]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Corian is not generally doubled, but just a single thickness for the top, then a front 'apron' to whatever thickness of top is required, then a substrate of MRMDF or Chip to make up the thickness. The bottom won't be sealed as you can't see it unless you look from underneath. We use if for washrooms at 30mm o/a thickness (12mm Corian plus 18mm substrate) or 50mm (12mm Corian, 12mm MDF plus 25mm MDF)

[Bonefish Blues]

We looked at Corian and gulped at the price for our kitchen - ended up with this: http://www.bushboard.co.uk/range.asp?range=encore which is significantly cheaper, and can be routed for drainer grooves, joined etc on site.

Really very good, and we've lost count of the times we've been complimented on our Corian .

[King Herald]

My wife wants tiles on our new kitchen worktops. I've yet to meet anybody who thinks this is a good idea.....

Strangely enough, they actually build the kitchen units out of concrete over here in the Philippines. Sounds weird, but humidity and termites (apparently) play hell with most wood structures.

I have seen concrete worktops used a lot in the USA, but whether it was some fad or whether they are practical is unknown. They can be made to look very nice though, with acid etching and epoxy coatings.

[singlecoil]

King Herald said:

My wife wants tiles on our new kitchen worktops. I've yet to meet anybody who thinks this is a good idea.....

Then you should go to the USA, where you will meet plenty, and find edge tiles that are designed for that purpose.


If you get the chance to see Kill Bill 1, there's a tiled worktop in the kitchen that they go into after the knife fight in the front room.

The main reason, AIUI, why many people dislike tiled tops is that the people who do them tend to use ordinary grout. That's not just inadvisable, that's actually incorrect. The correct grout is either epoxy or acrylic, neither of these is porous and they don't stain. Tiled worktops with glazed tiles and epoxy grout are considered ok for laboratories etc.

[paulwd]

Black granite, looks terrific when clean and polished, however, the slightest drop of water that is allowed to dry leaves hard water marks and if you touch it without washing hands first leaves finger marks. Personally I think the effort is worthwhile but I'm sure others would find it tiresome.

[x5x3]

also take a look at these people - http://www.sile-stone.com/eco/

We had them in our new kitchen, look great, very practical and we can say we are green

[King Herald]

singlecoil said:

The main reason, AIUI, why many people dislike tiled tops is that the people who do them tend to use ordinary grout. That's not just inadvisable, that's actually incorrect. The correct grout is either epoxy or acrylic, neither of these is porous and they don't stain. Tiled worktops with glazed tiles and epoxy grout are considered ok for laboratories etc.

I have heard about using epoxy grout, so I'll have to do some research on it and see if it it available over here. The tile guys who will be doing our whole house, three floors, all tiled, should be able to make an excellent job of it, as long as they can get the epoxy grout side covered.

[Jasandjules]

Well, in the utility room I used whatever Wickes make black worktops out of..... It was cut with a saw to fit.... But still, I got 15ft of worktop for £60.....

[singlecoil]

Jasandjules said:

Well, in the utility room I used whatever Wickes make black worktops out of..... It was cut with a saw to fit.... But still, I got 15ft of worktop for £60.....

That will be what is normally referred to as 'laminate worktop'. Formica type material laminated onto a chipboard base. Usually 'post-formed' which just means that the laminate was produced flat, then formed over the curved edge of the substrate.

[Jasandjules]

singlecoil said:

That will be what is normally referred to as 'laminate worktop'. Formica type material laminated onto a chipboard base. Usually 'post-formed' which just means that the laminate was produced flat, then formed over the curved edge of the substrate.

I call it cheap and nasty but ok for the cat to eat her food on and for the dog's food to be prepared on

[whirligig]

I'm going with Bamboo for my next worktop. Just love the feel and look of wood and find it well worth the extra effort you have to put in to look after it.