How to Choose a Kitchen Worktop
Many of us will only renovate a kitchen once or twice so having the knowledge, confidence and experience to choose some of the more expensive elements can be daunting. When we recently updated our kitchen I had no idea how to choose a kitchen worktop and did extensive research to help me make the right decision. With the help of Worktop Express I’ve pulled together some of that information to help anyone else in the same situation.
If you’re struggling to know what to choose from the myriad of kitchen worktops available, keep reading, and hopefully things will become a little clearer.
How to Choose a Kitchen Worktop:
The first things to consider are the aesthetic qualities and how your worktop will fit into the rest of your kitchen design. You may want it to blend in with the cabinets, feeling cohesive and coordinated, or you may prefer a standout look where the worktop contrasts heavily with the rest of the room creating more of a feature. Once you know the colour and overall design you can start to look at the materials and finishes on offer.
Solid Wooden Worktops:
If you love wood but want something with a little more pattern to the grain, why not try walnut. The darker wood looks delicate and intricate yet still offers a robust and resilient finish.
Laminate Worktops:
White is also very popular and can make a kitchen look light and contemporary. It also offers a great contrast to darker style kitchen cabinets, creating a striking aesthetic in the room. And don’t forget there are subtle differences in white finishes from the ‘granite’ look through to marble effect.
Solid Laminate Worktops:
Constructed of several sturdy layers, these surfaces are a incredibly practical and very slim in profile too. Completely waterproof, resistant to a high level of heat and durable against abrasion and impact they make a great alternative to wood, stone or quartz.
And because they can be cut and installed in a similar way to laminate they are financially accessible for lots of homes.
Stone or Quartz:
Heavier, stronger and more durable than many other surfaces a stone worktop is quite an investment. It’s worth remembering that they’re often cut and prepared offsite so the wait can be longer than for other materials.
So there you have it, my own little guide on how to choose a kitchen worktop. I do hope it helps and let me know what you’ve decided to opt for.
It’s always worth speaking to professionals for advice. If you’re in the West Midlands, Bellagio Marble Ideas have a showroom, so you can check their kitchen worktops in Solihull.
PIN FOR LATER:
Jen x
All images courtesy of Worktop Express except for last kitchen image, copyright Jen Stanbrook
Collaborative post
Hi Jen,
Love the article, especially the solid laminate tops. For me, they really do speak minimalism, modernity and contemporary style. With a strong contrast in colours, i would go for bold, you can get a very bright and open kitchen. Keeping with light tones throughout, especially with strict lines does give a sense of luxury and is pretty pleasing to the eye!
Corians a really nice as a worktop, although it does come with strings attached e.g. cant layer on boiling water. With the right maintenance kit – granite only needs maintaining every 6 months – anyone can get a simple to look after worktop which looks amazing.
Wood personally, is associated with tradition for me anyway, and in doing so it really links back to a natural feel. Its really interesting how variants of even wood can give off a different style and feel!
Again, love the article, and just had to add some thoughts!
That’s very interesting about your own quartz worktop as I’ve been considering this for my kitchen. Some options there that I hadn’t condsidered x
Some great tips here and a lot of great options! Can’t wait to chose my own worktops someday!
Definitely saving this for when we’re making worktop choices, hopefully next year!! I have NO idea how I’m going to choose, thank you for the tips X
I have just installed an oak work top which I love. But I do like the look of the solid laminate – thinks it’s the only one I haven’t tried yet. Perhaps the next house !
Great tips Jen! It’s so difficult to choose when there is so much choice, isn’t it? We’ve had laminate in the past, which i think had long been considered a ‘cheap’ option, but it was brilliant and had no complaints!
I have a white kitchen worktop and I made a last minute decision to change it from a dark grey. I wish I had kept with the grey as it is harder to keep clean. Luckily it has a small flecked pattern like granite in it which does help. I’ve had wood in a previous home and I really loved it.
I wished I’d done perhaps a tiny bit more research on worktops for my first kitchen renovation, even though overall I am very happy with it, it is a Black Quartz worktop and difficult to keep clean as it will show limescale and marks easily. However, when it is impeccably clean, it looks absolutely beautiful!
The worktop can really change the way your kitchen looks and feels. We currently have eau de nil (light green blue) cabinets and oak effect worktop but thinking of changing the worktop to a light quartz. Saving this, will look at the company for sure to get some ideas on prices!
I have always wanted a solid wood worktop for me there is nothing better than the feel of it , but as i am renting laminate wood effect had to be the closet thing i could get – i do love a warmth it gives , your guide is very helpful and i be comming back to it when i am due to replace ours
I’m desperate to replace the worktops in our kitchen – so many choices though! Love quartz but don’t think the budget could stretch to them, so love the idea of a laminate marble/quartz-effect!
This was a really interesting read as we are planning the kitchen next year. Laminate worktops do seem as though they are getting better than they once were.
i was looking at a white quartz or corian so the staying clean thing is good to know, what do you use? Have you had any staining issues?
This is very timely as we have just installed our worktop! I wanted stone but couldn’t afford it and went for a composite called Minerva which I am SO happy with. Going to write my wn post about it soon!
Great tips Jen. We have solid black granite worktops and as much as they’re brilliant for hot pan, pastry rolling etc I wish we’d chosen one with a fleck in it as solid coloured granite tends to show wipe marks etc.
We inherited black granite so will certainly be saving this post for future reference!
My recent budget kitchen makeover (all detailed on my
Blog ) used a white high gloss laminate that mimics a sparkly quartz and it not only looks realistic it’s also cool to the touch. Guests have been amazed when I tell them and it was MUCH cheaper than buying real stone!