kitchen worktop

seckingo

hi,

I am trying to get a new worktop for my kitchen in a new flat. I do not like the laminate ones I see in homebase but I bleieve ther emight be some good quality ones (i.e. I had a laminate one in the flat I was renting but it did not look cheap).

Other alternative is Maia worktop (acrylic and wood) which is ok but still a bit expensive. I cannot afford granite and above. Can anyone suggest what alternatives I might have please for anything cheaper than granite and looking good?

cddc

In price ascending order....

Laminate....Cheap as chips, pay a bit more and get a better one from the likes of Duropal. Matt or High definition ones tend to wear better than Gloss ones which are prone to scratching.

Solid Wood....not a maintenance free option! Can look great if you are prepared to put the work in to keep them looking that way! Some really rubbish cheap beech ones about. Pay a bit more for good quality Oak, Walnut, or Thermo Ash.

Maia/Earthstone/Magna etc..... Resin on Chipboard or MDF backing. Thickness of Resin matters...avoid the ones with only a 3mm resin coating on them. The better ones have 6mm or more. You are now getting into the £400 a length or more price bracket though. Advantage of being able to polish out joins to achieve a seamless look. Avoid very dark colours like the plague though. Resin is relatively soft and does scratch. Not visibly on lighter colours, but on black and dark brown, they scratch white. You can polish the scratches out, but they will drive you nuts in no time. Light colours are good though.

Then you are getting into the serious money above that for templated products - the likes of Granite, Quartz & Corian.

madget_2

I've recommended the Duropal Quadra edged profile laminate worktop many times before. Whilst I love the look of granite and quartz, the laminate is so much more practical for me as I'm pretty clumsy - not to mention considerably less expensive. And the Quadra edge gives it a contemporary feel, rather than the more dated rounded ones.

We have a slightly textured, matte charcoal with a lighter fleck coloured Duropal worktop and absolutely love it. It's now been in-situ for about 4 years and still looks as good as new.

There's no way that I'd have a Maia, Earthstone, etc, worktop. I've seen and heard too many examples of people regretting having it installed. My nextdoor neighbours, for example, are fed up of having to buff out scratches and would never, ever have it again.

elizaclmn_2

I love corian. I thought lots about work tops...willing to pay more to last more. Why I like Corian...and now have since early last year is

1) I love the seamlessness...I have a curved upstand too...no right angles to gather dirt

2) I love the curved corner I have and the bull nosed edges....all seamless

3) it can scratch but it is easy to get the scratches out

4) it is non porous

5) you can clean it with anything...no heavy duty warnings re what you can or can't do...this I found with all the other products I researched

6) elsewhere I read of chippings and cracks if granite bought...I guess its less pliable....also read of staining with red wine.

7) granite needed occassional sealing...corian does not

8) there are mixed reviews about the burnability of all the work tops...so mixed that I went with corian again as if it did get burnt it would not cost an arm and a leg to repair.


I have a soft peach colour...its warm and very 50's in its look. Nor sure why as corian was not out then...maybe its the 40/50's press (old fashioned larder unit with the enamelled pull out shelf) than adds to it. I am very happy so far and am so glad I went for the bullnose edge too. No installer mentioned that too me so do your own research.