Need advice on kitchen worktop

kah22

Visited my kitchen man last night, everything chosen: taps, extractor, carcass, colour and so on but before making a final commitment there is one disappointment I have and I want to see if there is a way around it.

To be honest the budget doesn’t allow for granite. Quartz or Corian I haven’t priced but they seem to be up there in the high price bracket.

Into the mix I have to add a number of young children so it’s beginning to look like I’m going to have to settle for a laminate type surface. And that’s my problem. My kitchen designer set the island at 900mm wide but the kitchen guy told me that I would have to settle for 800mm as laminate came in standard sizes and 900mm would be to wide. I have to confess that the laminate I would pick looks great.

He also told me that I’d have to have straight sides on the island with a laminate tape fixed along the side, and I can’t help thing that would spoil the look. Solve that problem and I'm good to go. So what to do?

As regards colour and material, the units will be F&B’s Ball Green, my circular top would be a solid oak and my intention would be a suitable matching oak type engineered wooden floor. The carcases will also be in sympathy with the wooden floor.

I could go for wooden worktops and that would probably solve my problem, but to be honest as a family we could be a little more careful!!!. There would also be the issue of matching up. At the moment I’m pretty happy with a wooden circular table, and wooden floor, but add wooden worktops – surely they wouldn’t blend in?

Can members make any suggestions? Surely laminate doesn’t have to be that restrictive? Is there anything else I could possibly do?

phill99

It depends on the manufacturer. Cheap end manufacturers tend not to do such a ramge.

If you go to a better manufacturer like Duropal, then they do 900mm breakfast in what is called 'doible post formed' ie it has a nice coloured edge down both sides, not just one.

Have a look here.

http://www.duropal.co.uk

Don't have an 800mm top with a tape down one edge. It will look horrible and spoil the whole look. So change your worktop supplier. Or change you kitchen man.

kah22

Phill99 thanks for the quick reply, to be honest I'd have thought that myself.

He hopes to have a quote out to me by the weekend and I'll not get back to him until then and basically tell him it's a deal breaker if he can't come up with laminate to cover an 900mm island.

If you're in the kitchen business tell me this, if the supplier I'm thinking of going with doesn't stock laminate for a 900mm island I'm assuming he could buy it in. If he does though, does it come in large quanties or could he just buy to order? I'm also assuming he would have the option of buying from other kitchen people in the area.

Either way what sort of an increse in price would you expect?

phill99

He can buy in single lengths from a range of worktop suppliers. That isn't an issue. It may be that the laminate you have chosen isn't made in a 900 mm double post formed. Not all are especially at the value end of the market.

You may need to choose a different and potentially more expensive laminate. But at least you will get what you want.

To be honest, this is pretty run of the mill stuff for kitchen installers and he should have access to this information. I would be questioning his competency.

No idea what the cost uplift would be, but in the big scheme of things, not a lot!

Meepster

Why not have a look at http://www.laminatesltd.co.uk/ they do bespoke laminate worktops, with a selection of edge details.

I used to deal with them all the time and I'm sure they would be able to deal direct with your chosen kitchen supplier.

kah22

Call me suspicious but perhaps he would have sufficient laminate left over out of the worktop cuttings to fit the island and he's trying to make an extra few pounds.

That said he'll be getting back to me, possibly tomorrow, with a price and I know from the original price he gave me that it will be keen. It's when money is been talked about that I should have an upper hand.

Tell me if I'm right in my thinking. The proposed island is 900mm long and 600mm wide standard enough size. That said there should be little or no trouble having at least three rounded ends?

You make an interesting point phill99 when saying the cheaper end of the market might not do what I want so I best be careful what I'm talking about. This is a long term investment so I am prepared to buy quality makes

In kitchen speak if you were talking to a supplier/installer what would you be saying?

Peter-W_2

As a kitchen designer I have to say to even get two sides with rounded edges (the technical term is 'postformed') at only 600 wide and 900 long and then you would end up having the rounded edges on the shorter sides as to get two curved edges it would have to be dust from a 900 deep prices that's three or four metres long. Different worktop manufactures have different sizes and even in their own ranges different colours come in different sizes. To be fair to your kitchen man, if he's having to buy in a whole length just for your island there's going to be some premium to do it this way.

From Egger:
Length x width
4100 x 600 with one long side being postformed
4100 x 920 with two long sides being postformed


From Duropal
Length. Width
4,100 mm 600 mm - Postformed one long edge
4,100 mm 670 mm - Postformed both long edges
4,100 mm 900 mm - Postformed both long edges


Axiom by Formica:
Length x width
3050mm x600mmPostformed one long edge
3600mm x600mm Postformed one long edge
3600mm x665mm Postformed both long edges
3600mm x900mm Postformed both long edges
4100mm x600mm Postformed one long edge
4100mm x900mm Postformed both long edges
4100mm x665mm Postformed both long edges

If you want something outside those sizes you are pretty much stuck with the 'stuck-on' square edge. The postformed edge is done in the factory and only along the longest edge(s), all other edges normally need to have a flat stuck on edge, certainly the short sides and anytime the worktop is cut to length r depth. It could genuinely be a case that the colour you've chosen doesn't come in the size you need but all the brands I've mentioned above are easily available and reasonably affordable.

Don't go for solid wood, won't last five minutes unless you sell your children and only ever microwave ready meals in you're kitchen

leveller2911

Peter-W wrote: »

As a kitchen designer

Don't go for solid wood, won't last five minutes unless you sell your children and only ever microwave ready meals in you're kitchen

As a Joiner with 25yrs experience I can assure you wooden worktops will last decades if looked after. They can be re-finished/sanded on site far more than any other material.

I'd be happy to show you personally some Oak and also Walnut worktops that were originally made in the early 80's ,re-finished recently by myself that look as good as new. The amazing thing was that both properties didn't own a microwave but did raise 5 children between them.... Must be a one off eh?...

wallbash

Don't go for solid wood, won't last five minutes unless you sell your children

Sure I have been to Castles and Stately homes, viewed the ancient kitchens and admired some, which must be hundreds of years old .

As a kitchen designer I have to say to even get

Could have fooled me.

PheoUK

Just get wood. We fitted Iroko, from Worktops Express. Didn't cost much, could easily rip and replace, but as the previous poster says, they can be sanded and refurbished easily.

They look brill, a million times better than any laminate ever will, and hold up well!

Peter-W_2

leveller2911 wrote: »

... if looked after...

Yes, if very well looked after, that's the rub. I'm not saying the OP won't but most people don't. Or don't want to.