Kitchen worktop options

longwalks1

We are planning a new kitchen and will have 3 straight worktops (2.8m, 1.5m and 1.3M lengths) and an island (1.8m x 90cm)

we’d love quartz but the cost is too high, what other options do we have?  Haven’t fitted a kitchen for 20 years so bit out of touch 

travis-powers

You’re spoiled for choice on alternatives, I like thin worktops and I also had a 4m run to deal with so was concerned about the join.
 In the end we went for 20mm acrylic had read some horror stories about it staining but it’s been in for six months with no problem however it was £399 for a 2200mm length.

katejo

longwalks1 said:

We are planning a new kitchen and will have 3 straight worktops (2.8m, 1.5m and 1.3M lengths) and an island (1.8m x 90cm)

we’d love quartz but the cost is too high, what other options do we have?  Haven’t fitted a kitchen for 20 years so bit out of touch 

I have a top of the range laminate which was fitted in 2012. It has lasted very well and doesn't show marks badly due to a speckled pattern. 

ariarnia

some will reply and say its 'unconventional' but one of the options were looking at are porcelain tiles. it makes the whole surface heat and stain resistant and its cheaper than stone but you can get the same effect/look and feel. smaller tiles mean more grout lines which can stain and need sealing/cleaning but one option is epoxy grout which is non-pores and the other option is large tiles (90cm+ wall tiles). i think its a balance between looks, practicality, and ease of replacing one small tile if it gets chipped vs a big large format one/entire countertop. i know some think they are naff but ive seen some lovely tiled kitchens and it could really work well with the other renovations weave been doing in the house. 

the other thing my OH likes is heat and scratch resistant glass counters, but i would really want to see one in real life and drag a few things across it to see if its really as scratch resistant as they say

FreeBear

ariarnia said: the other thing my OH likes is heat and scratch resistant glass counters, but i would really want to see one in real life and drag a few things across it to see if its really as scratch resistant as they say

Glass is one option - Expensive, and needs to be carefully templated so that you don't have ugly gaps everywhere.

If you are going the DIY route, microcement or solid concrete are two alternatives to tiles - The latter would be a bit too heavy for my taste.

Laminate is the (relatively) cheap "go to" option. There are a few worktops that have a real thick (~6mm) laminate that mimics solid quartz - Don't know how it compares in price, but surely worth a look.

grandadgolfer

We have iroko wood tops the good thing being any marks or scratches can easily be sanded out / re oiled but if you just leave them they still look ok being wood

kdotdotdotdot

I've got solid wood and love them, they look so beautiful, BUT you do have upkeep with them. They'll need danish oil regularly for the first year, then each year after that although not as often.  You also can't put anything super hot down on the surface (unless you want to keep on sanding and re-oiling) and it can stain so you have to be careful about what's splashing around (I'm a bit slap-happy with beetroot and raspberries, so always have a cloth to hand to immediately wipe it up).

Woolsery

katejo said:

longwalks1 said:

We are planning a new kitchen and will have 3 straight worktops (2.8m, 1.5m and 1.3M lengths) and an island (1.8m x 90cm)

we’d love quartz but the cost is too high, what other options do we have?  Haven’t fitted a kitchen for 20 years so bit out of touch 

I have a top of the range laminate which was fitted in 2012. It has lasted very well and doesn't show marks badly due to a speckled pattern. 

Same here. It's an Axiom with a textured finish and it hasn't shown any sign of wear or staining in 6 years. I'm not keen to have anything that needs maintaining or extra care.

silvercar

We have granite that has served us well. It’s now 16 years old without any signs of wear. There is one run over 4m with a single join by the sink, luckily the join is only a few cm top and bottom of the sink, so hardly noticeable.

Bendy_House

FreeBear said:

ariarnia said: the other thing my OH likes is heat and scratch resistant glass counters, but i would really want to see one in real life and drag a few things across it to see if its really as scratch resistant as they say

Glass is one option - Expensive, and needs to be carefully templated so that you don't have ugly gaps everywhere.

If you are going the DIY route, microcement or solid concrete are two alternatives to tiles - The latter would be a bit too heavy for my taste.

Laminate is the (relatively) cheap "go to" option. There are a few worktops that have a real thick (~6mm) laminate that mimics solid quartz - Don't know how it compares in price, but surely worth a look.

Mil had Maia 'tops fitted, and the corner joints were pretty much invisible, so - if needed - straight run joints would be ditto. Very effective.

I think the wear layer was 'only' 3mm, but that's plenty. Scratches can be sanded and polished out, and deeper damage filled. 

Surf for direct suppliers. 

longwalks1

Thanks everyone.  Slight change of plan now, am considering removing a protruding part of a wall in the kitchen and will mean I will need a 5.2m straight piece of 600mm worktop.  does that limit my options at all?   Does any worktop material come in long (5m+) lengths, or what material is easiest for a fitter to join?