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Your Kitchen Worktops Guide

The most popular kitchen worktop materials are:

1. Laminate
2. Granite
3. Quartz
4. Wood

Laminate Worktops ... still account for the majority of kitchen worktop sales, as they are reasonably priced and hardwearing. They are available in a multitude of colour's (often Granite or Wood imitations) and are easily installed by your kitchen fitter. Good quality Laminate worktops will last for years, and are not expensive to replace if damaged. Generally sold in standard lengths (4100mm) and standard widths (600mm, 670mm, 900mm) with either one long edge profiled, or two long edges profiled (breakfast bars). Corner joints are best achieved using a "Masons" or "Hockey Stick" mitre which requires the use of a specialist Worktop Jig [ buy one here ] and a decent Router. The average cost per kitchen is ... £400 - £500.

Granite Worktops ... would be most peoples choice if the budget allowed. Very much a specialist purchase, most Granite Worktops will require on-site templating before manufacture which can extend the overall kitchen fitting time. Imported in large slabs, Granite Worktops are cut and polished by your fabricator off site and before fitting (it's always worthwhile to have the fabricator fit your slabs). Whilst Granite is extremely hard it is also brittle (and could snap during transportation / fitting), so the worktop will be joined in area's you may not be expecting (ask for confirmation of joint positions before placing your order). Normally sold in 30mm thickness but also available in thicker sizes by "sandwiching " the slabs. A variety of edge profiles are available together with matching upstands and splashbacks. The average cost per kitchen is ... £3,500 to £5,000.

Quartz Worktops ... are a good alternative to Granite, and are similarly priced. Quartz Worktops are available from a number of manufacturers [Zodiac] [Silestone] [Ceaserstone] and are generally made from a mixture of Quartz, Polymer Resin, and Pigments. Quartz worktops are normally impervious to fluids and are uniform in colour (the sample you see is the actual colour you get) which cannot be said for Granite. The natural pearlescence of Granite can be imitated with the introduction of mirror chips. As Quartz is man made it offers a greater variety of colour (particularly lighter and,or solid colour's) than Granite. Most Quartz Worktops are supplied and fitted in the same manner as Granite Worktops. Average cost per kitchen is ... £3,000 to £5,000.

Solid Wood Worktops ... are available in a large number of finishes (Oak, Walnut, Beech, Iroko, Bamboo, and Rubberwood being the most popular). Wooden Worktops are normally manufactured using small blocks (Staves) that are glued together to form "blanks" which are easily fitted without the need for specialist Mitre Jigs. The most popular thickness is 40mm although 30mm and 50mm are available. Great care must be taken with maintaining Wooden Worktops, namely the regular oiling required to prevent them from drying out, shrinking, and absorbing water (leading to rotting). Well maintained they will last for years, building up a luster that looks great. The average cost per kitchen is ... £1,000 to £1,800.

We hope this has given a brief insight to Kitchen Worktops, but if you need to know any more information in depth ... [ drop us a line ]