Which worktop material do people recommend?

[Chris Knight]

SWMBO has decided she wants a new kitchen and needs to choose between Granite, Corian and the stone/resin types.

Talking here about usability rather than installation issues, and considering they are all about the same sort of cost, which tops do kitchen users prefer and why? I am thinking for instance of scratches, stains and how quickly pans cool down etc.

I'd be grateful for any pointers.

 

[tim]

Even though we have beech worktops , I would not recommend them - they do require maintenance and water still gets in around sink edges etc eventually.

We are (read - I am) redoing ours as well this year and I think that if we can find the wedge we'll put granite in.

I don't have much experience of Corian etc but i do think it can look very attractive indeed.

Cheers

Tim


edit: Obviously if I had read the question properly (so many exam memories there!) then I would have not mentioned wood. Sorry!

 

[superunknown]

I would recommend Corian. Its excellent. Very hard wearing and easy to maintain. Damages can be repaired fairly easy and you can route it.

http://www2.dupont.com/Corian/en_GB/index.html

 

[RogerS]

Granite...IMHO

we had a Corian sink and eventually it stained - despite following manufacturers recommendations etc.

 

[orangetlh]

hi waterhead, from experience corian does stain. Although you can have some amazing features with it, inlays raised areas etc. Grante is very nice but you always have the joint to look at, shouldnt be too much trouble if its done very well but you always see it. Dont have much experience with the new 'stone' worktops, but they are getting popular with the 'corian and granite are getting to common' kind of people. Just priced a job with one in last week, so if we get the go ahead i will let you know. The nicest worktop i have ever seen was yorksire green slate. was very dark green with almost white ripples going through it. was absolutely stunning. A lot of up keep though as it has to be oiled regulary to keep the finish up. heres a pic...
http://www.stonecraftlimited.com/large/ ... ngreen.jpg

 

[Nick W]

Have you thought about concrete?

 

[Chris Knight]

Thanks for the suggestions - I had expected more partisan views but perhaps people here are more used to installing kitchens than using them :wink:

Orangetlh, I hadn't heard of the slate option before and was more inclined to the granite favoured by Tim until I learnt that it actually needs sealing and that stains can be a problem if the sealing coat is damaged. I do like Corian as Roger and Nola mention but again I had heard stains can be an issue.

Composite stone seems on the face of it to offer the best of all worlds from my limited researches to date but I am hoping to hear from folk who actually live with the stuff.

Nick, I think concrete is a definite non-starter - whatever its merits; the name alone puts me off, let alone LOML!

 

[tim]

Nick, I think concrete is a definite non-starter - whatever its merits; the name alone puts me off, let alone LOML!

Chris, I'm very disappointed in you and your lack of creative skills :?

Why don't you call it:

Composite stone seems on the face of it to offer the best of all worlds

:roll: :lol:

Cheers

Tim

 

[Chris Knight]

Tim,
Its more than my life is worth to get that creative!

Composites made in a factory with granite chips etc and resin are one thing, concrete I might pour in our kitchen having read a book by a chinese living in California is another! :shock:

 

[Adam]

Have you thought about concrete?

Hey, I was gonna recommend that book!

Adam

 

[Jake]

I bought that book, but it doesn't actually come across as a very practical material - it is quite soft, stains easily unless heavily sealed (in which case, why not have plastic in the first place), and is vulnerable to acidic stuff like lemon juice.

Brushed stainless steel for me.

 

[Nick W]

Jake,

I guess that depends to some extent on whether you like the lived-in look or not. :wink:

You can of course easily cast in areas of other materials, such as brass rails for trivets, wooden blocks for chopping, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Losos]

Chris, FWIW we have recently rennovated our kitchen and went for composite stone. From a user point of view SWBO & I are very pleased with it. No staining, no leaks, no marks (from hot frypans etc.) and so easy to clean. What makes it look nice is the little border the installers put around it on the wall.

 

[matt]

I have Granite and my sister specs it in nearly every single bespoke kitchen that she designs for clients (she's the designer for a bespoke kitchen company). When I was a child, my dad installed Terrazzo in our family kitchen and many of his clients (he was an interior designer). It survived 7 years of 'attack' from 4 kids and still looked great when we left that home.

My only advice would be to avoid Black. Personally I find Black Granite very dowdy in a kitchen and it shows all the water marks when it is wiped down. Mine is Azul Platino and is easy to maintain and (IMO) looks great against the Ash cupboards. One final thought... make sure you see Granite samples - don't buy from pictures.

Corian - practical, costs a fortune, but looks cheap and nasty IMO (and where did they dream up those colours?! :shock: )

Good luck

 

[Richard in Smithville]

A good (Canadian magazine/diy) article about concrete counter tops

Concrete Countertop

 

[Chris Knight]

Thanks for the information people. We have prett well decided on composite stone.

The only drawback is that the makers seems to recommend against putting frying pans and roasting tins on the surface though they say it will be fine with normal cooking tempertures (I presumes as in a pan of cooked vegetables?).

Losos, thanks for your observations of this stuff - you mention it withstands heat OK which is good to know. Do you recall what brand of the stuff you used?

Matt, I agree with you about the colour of the granite - fine in a showroom but impractical. Also the Corian - has a bit of the fifties about it!

Richard, even if it had no other drawbacks, concrete apparently scratches a lot in the comparisons I have found.

 

[wizer]

Hi Chris, seems like you have got all the advice you need and made your decision. From a 'chef's' point of view then i'd agree with Jake that steel is probably the best. But I also think it look appauling in a domestic kitchen. My personal favourite is granite, allthough I do not have much experience using it myself. My parents have granite tops and in about 8yrs have never marked it. As a keen cook I know the temptation to put a hot pan down wherever you can (especially in our cupboard of a kitchen), but i'd always recomend having a trivet close to hand. IMO a pan of hot veg is probably not much less temp than a frying pan, especially if you have good thick bottomed saucepans. I've seen that they can inlay steel bars into the worktop for hot pans, might be an idea. Having said all that, I have got away with not burning my chipboard veneer rubbish worktop in the 6yrs ive been here.

 

[devonwoody]

I still prefer stainless steel. At least where this any water around.

 

[RogerS]

Even though we have beech worktops , I would not recommend them - they do require maintenance and water still gets in around sink edges etc eventually.

Cheers

Tim

Was that an undermounted sink, Tim?

How much maintenance did they need?

Going through the same decision making process

 

[Shady]

Roger - dunno about Tim, but my experience mirrors his observations. I love to use wood where possible, but there simply is a higher maintenance bill... I would not recommend it for a kitchen surface unless someone really understood the amount of care required...