Worktops

Jonah01

Hi,

Just ordered a kitchen from DIYkitchens and am now trying to sort out what type of worktop to go for.

Have though about granite or quartz but they seem very susceptible to damage. I'm not sure I could handle spending all of that money for it to get damaged easily.

Our original plan was laminate.

What are people's opinions?

Thanks

couriervanman

Wood because any scratches/dinks can be sanded out or left and the wood still looks great......only downside is you have to oil them every couple of years

trailingspouse

Depends on your budget, mostly - laminate is cheapest, then solid wood, then the granites etc.


Also, how long are you likely to be in the house? If you're likely to be moving on in a few years, don't over-spend on the kitchen.


Nothing wrong with laminate - it's what most people go for.

suki1964

I have granite, and it was very reasonable cost wise

I love it because I am a pretty serious cook, its great not having to worry about hot pans, stains etc, plus its great for rolling out pastry on

I have one titchy tiny chip, a large tin dropped from a great height and unfortunately hit the edge, but no one would see it, I just know its there

missile

Laminate is durable.
Granite and quartz are very durable but not easy to DIY. I guess, they will be out of your budget. Who to you they are susceptible to damage?

shaun_from_Africa

I went for a couple of Corian worktops:
http://www.corian.uk/corian-r-for-kitchen-worktops
and after 8 years, they still look as good as new.

Different pieces can be joined seamlessly and I also have the splashbacks joined up to a a Corian window sill, an "L" shaped worktop, a couple of built in sinks and a drainer cut in that were fitted as a number of separate pieces but to look at it you would think that it was all manufactured as a single piece.

Not my kitchen but this is very similar to what I have:

FreeBear

missile wrote: »

Laminate is durable.

The worktop I ripped out of my kitchen had been in place for some 30 odd years. Still quite serviceable. Replaced it with another laminate, and I would hope for 25+ years.

Just make sure the back edge and any cutouts are sealed and don't put any hot pans down on the surface.

cybervic

Quartz & Granitz are very strong and doesn't get damaged easily, friends have them for 10+ years and still looks new.

Wood looks nice but it needs the most efforts on maintenance. I personally avoid it because I rather spend time doing anything but revarnishing kitchen worktop.

Laminate is easily scratched and stained, and loses the shine very soon and imo becomes quiet dull, but its best for budget, can last a long time, cheap to replace too.

Waterlily24

I would have loved a quartz or granite worktop but too expensive for us. We had a laminate worktop which looks ok. I don't like wooden worktops at all. Our kitchen is fairly big and square with worktops along two and a half sides plus a middle breakfast bar.

EssexExile

What on earth makes you think quartz is susceptible to damage? It's as tough as old boots but better looking. Ours has been in for 15 years and looks the same as it it did 15 years ago.

cattie

As technology has improved, some of the more expensive laminates now are pretty good 'fakes' & can also handle very hot pans etc. with no problem. I changed my mind about wooden worktops due to what I found an awful lot of work to keep them looking decent.

As I know people who've experienced damage to both Corian & granite, I decided it wasn't for me & have absolutely no regret in changing to one of the better laminates now available a couple of years ago.