Black worktops, would you have them?

TBagpuss

I've recently moved house and the kitchen has black granite look laminate worksurfaces. I wouldn't have chosen them, and it irritates me that the scratches are very obvious (presumably this is les of a problem if you have actual granite!)

My parents also moved to a house - their kitchen is fairly dark and he combination of relatively little natural light and black work surfaces is not a good one as the kitchen always feels dark.

I haven't noticed that they show the dirt more than other colours but they do seem to show streaks more if you have wiped them down, and I *personally* find it harder to see when there are drips and spills of water and other (clear) liquids.

All that said, if you like them, go for it. I think it is very much a matter of personal taste.

muckybutt

anotheruser wrote: »

No good for preparing sandwiches then!

That's what chopping and prep boards are for :beer:

Cornucopia

It depends on the material used.

I've had black worktops in most of the kitchens I've had. One very nice apartment even had black granite, which was great. (I seem to recall it needing cleaning and then polishing to keep it shiny, which might be more effort than many people would want).

If the top is a more typical laminate material, I would steer clear of black with a glossy finish - these scratch easily and show the scratches very badly.

What about a wood finish worktop with white or cream cupboards?

robatwork

I would get a worktop that's a combination of coffee stains, breadcrumbs and diced carrot. Unlike black, easy to keep clean....or at least look like it is.

flashg67

I have black gloss laminate = never again! They scratch easily and lose their gloss, but not evenly - in the high use areas, ours are now matt!

EmmyLou30

Had mart black laminate work top with a grey fleck in it for 9 years. Looks as good as the day we installed it and just wipe over with some multi surface cleaner and either kitchen roll or a microfibre cloth. Not hard to keep looking pristine.

YORKSHIRELASS

Thanks all. So probably best to go with matt rather than gloss as we cant afford granite and we have quite a lot of worktop. We are probably looking at something with a grey fleck in it, the rest of the kitchen will be very light coloured and its an open plan kitchen/diner so not worried about it looking too dark.

OH keeps steering me away from white cupboards which looked great in the kitchen showroom but probably not so practical in a family home!

anotheruser

muckybutt wrote: »

muckybutt wrote: »

...then lightly mist with baby oil

anotheruser wrote: »

No good for preparing sandwiches then!

That's what chopping and prep boards are for :beer:

Good point...
I am a bit too lazy for chopping board though. I use mine for... chopping, not preparing :P

PasturesNew

When I was looking to buy a house I didn't mind what colour the kitchen/bathroom was - except black.

Black is dark and unwelcoming, you can't tell what's dirty/not. The rooms look dark and depressing.

I see black kitchens/bathrooms and just think"eugh, awful, depressing, weird, unnatural, odd and awful".

lostinrates

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Forget the baby oil bit, that's for a different forum, , but hell no, no one prepares sandwiches directly on a work top, well, not for long they don't



Personally I wouldn't have any solid coloured worktop, laminate or granite, it's just too difficult to keep them nice.

Quick waft over with anti-bacterial spray on our multi coloured tops and forget 'em.

muckybutt wrote: »

That's what chopping and prep boards are for :beer:

Prepping on top of work tops, depends what sort of cook you are. Stone especially, one of the benefits is a cool surface for rolling pastry etc. I wouldn't chop on a surface, but I would and do want the surface and cleaning routine that means I can prep and cook using my surface directly for rolling, kneading etc. often this is bigger than boards, and that's why expensive wipe down cool stone becomes better value.