Duropal worktops

Annie1960

I've seen some Duropal worktops. Does anyone have these, and if so how long have you had them, and how easy are they to keep clean?

I've looked at some of the quartz stone ones that seem to have a glossy surface with a matt finish on the raised parts. As they are not flat, I'm wondering how practical they are for cleaning.

EssexExile

Their website says "Melamine resin is the hardest of all synthetically produced organic materials" then goes on to tell you not to cut on it, not to put hot pans on it, don't use abrasive cleaners, careful where you put the kettle & it even warns you not to wear a PVC apron!

I've had quartz for 10 years & it's as good as new. I'm not sure what you mean by "matt finish on the raised parts".

Annie1960

EssexExile wrote: »

Their website says "Melamine resin is the hardest of all synthetically produced organic materials" then goes on to tell you not to cut on it, not to put hot pans on it, don't use abrasive cleaners, careful where you put the kettle & it even warns you not to wear a PVC apron!

I've had quartz for 10 years & it's as good as new. I'm not sure what you mean by "matt finish on the raised parts".

It's difficult to explain without a photo.

If you took a cross-section and looked at the lateral view, the laminate finish would be on top of the MDF.

However, the laminate is not flat. It has hills and valleys, as it were. The valleys appear gloss and give it a shimmer. The hills have a matt finish and do not shimmer.

In view of the fact the laminate is not flat, but has hills and valleys, is it easy to clean using a normal cloth?

Manufacturers' websites often make claims, but it can be more useful to find someone who has used the actual item.

It seems you are happy. I'm looking at either greys or whites, and am thinking about the Ipanema White or Quartz Stone which are both in this range.

GT60

I had them in my old house
Yes they scratch and chip.
But they have a v groove on the under Edge that seemed to work.
Like any thing else if you look after it ......
If you can buy them online ours were from a place in Altrincham and tons cheaper than anywhere else

GT60

Ours had an uneven type fInish (not smooth) and cleaned easy enough

Annie1960

Looking on the website, the description is '3D textured finish', which probably explains it better.

moneyistooshorttomention

Duropal was one of my options under consideration when I planned my new kitchen (just finished now). I understand it's a better-quality laminate.

But I did notice the bit about not using a upvc apron when standing by it and that did put me off personally - and I wondered what other way I would feel I had to handle it with kid gloves.

In the end - I chose Silestone quartz (be prepared for a pretty eye-watering bill if that is your choice...) as it seemed to come out top on the overall pros and cons list of different possible materials. I wait to see whether I made the correct choice now...

EssexExile

Annie1960 wrote: »

I'm looking at either greys or whites, and am thinking about the Ipanema White or Quartz Stone which are both in this range.

Crikey, I wouldn't trust them any further than I could throw them. "Quartz Stone" is a colour, it's not quartz & it's not stone. I have Caesarstone which, like Silestone mentioned earlier, is not cheap but it's good.

jellie

OP, I had a worktop like you've described for over 20 years. It was easy to clean, just like the smooth laminate one I have now.

You do need to make sure you don't put anything hot directly on it, but that's no hardship. I image with quartz/granite, you need to be more careful when putting plates/glasses down than you do with laminate.

You could try laminate and if you decide you really don't like it, it's not so expensive that you'd feel you had to live with it forever.

warez22

I had duropal worktops fitted about 6 months ago - no problems here, I am not particularly careful and it looks as good as new. Easy to keep clean - hardwearing - have no scratches or marks of any kind - I chose a matt plain colour so any little nick would show - but nothing.

I did look at quartz, silestone and granite - all very expensive and have their own problems - if you chip a granite worktop - problem. My duropal worktop was very competitively priced and should last for years.

I love it.

FreeBear

Duropal (along with most of the other manufacturers) will send you free samples of their surfaces. Using one of these, you can see how easy it is to clean and more importantly, whether you like the colour/finish.

I've requested a couple of samples yesterday myself (from Axiom) and want to see what it looks like in the flesh - Don't want to be spending a fortune on worktops if I don't like it.