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With so much choice out there, picking the right worktop for your kitchen can be a struggle. Here’s a breakdown from the pros at German Kitchen Specialist on everything you need to know about different kitchen work surfaces.
A beautiful worktop really does add the finishing touch to a new kitchen installation. With so many options to choose from however they’re something you’ll need to start thinking about early on in your kitchen renovation project.
There are lots of different kitchen worktop materials available, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks.
On top of looking stunning, your worktop material will need to withstand the rigors of your daily cooking and cleaning activities. Thanks to advances in technology ,the choice of kitchen worktop materials has increased rapidly in recent years - artificial materials can be almost indestructible but still look elegant and eye-catching.
There’s no denying that kitchen renovations can be pricey, so getting your worktop material right can be daunting. Good quality worktops are long-lasting, so you want a look you’ll enjoy for years to come.
Below you’ll find a list of the most popular kitchen worktop materials - take a look through to find the worktop that best suits your kitchen project. Remember, a worktop that’s fit for purpose must be resilient, beautiful, and budget appropriate!
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, start by thinking a little about how you use your kitchen.
Suppose you cook from scratch every day and do a lot of cleaning. In that case, you need a high-quality material worktop that can withstand cleaning products. If you’ve ever cooked with turmeric (or spilled red wine) you’ll understand the importance of a stain-resistant surface!
Suppose you’re not really into cooking and your kitchen stays relatively clean (and wine-free). In that case you can safely opt for a less resilient option, which may look beautiful but not be quite as hard-wearing as other materials.
Before you decide on a material, think about the following:
• What’s your budget? Worktops vary in price, but you don’t want to scrimp if you need a durable material. Ask your kitchen designer for a quote on some different materials before you spend anything – this will help you work out how much budget you should set aside for your worktops.
• Are you prepared to maintain your worktops? Some materials require frequent oiling and sealing, so if you don’t think you’ll keep up with this, go for a different option.
• Do you trust yourself (and your family) to not place hot pans on the worktops? And to clean spills promptly? Some materials are more heat and stain-resistant than others.
With the above worked out, you’ll be ready to start eliminating some options material-wise.
So, without further ado, lets get into it:
For a low budget option, laminate worktops are the best choice. There’s a nearly endless choice of colours and designs with laminate, including wood, stone, metal, and many more.
This makes them a great choice for matching to your kitchen doors for a uniform look (like in the picture above), or to panel material to clad walls.
Laminate worktops come in multiple thicknesses and suit all kitchen types (including modern and traditional kitchen designs) as they are so versatile. They’re not the most durable, but a good quality laminate worksurface will still last a long time if looked after correctly.
● More affordable than other options
● Resistant to stains
● Huge choice of design
● Waterproof
● Easy to install & replace
● Can usually be colour matched to your kitchen doors
● Not as scratch resistant as other materials
● Not fully heat resistant
● Can eventually peel
● Usually don’t allow for under-mounted sink installations (or cut-in drainer grooves)
Minimal effort here is fine really - laminate worktops are easily wiped clean with most cleaning products. Still, you do need to be careful when preparing food not to scratch the surface or place hot items directly onto the worktop!
Generally speaking, you should be cautious with any worktop to keep it in the best condition, but with a laminate material you’ll definitely need to use chopping boards and pan stands to help ensure your laminate worktops have a long and happy life.
If you’re searching for a worktop material that oozes luxury, Granite is a great option. It’s great to look at and very durable, two of the most sought-after qualities in a kitchen worktop.
Granite is generally low-maintenance too, however, being a natural material, it is porous to a degree and will need sealing periodically(so be careful with that turmeric and red wine!)
Thanks to it being natural, there’s a vast choice of shades and patterns available, with most of them being quite busy visually. This means (generally speaking) Granite worktops are better suited to traditional shaker style kitchens, more so than modern designs.
Unfortunately, being this good-looking and high quality does come at a price, so if you’re on a strict budget, Granite isn’t the best option. If you’re in love with the look and able to splash out a little however, it’s well worth it - well cared for Granite will easily stay stunning for years and years.
NB: As it’s naturally occurring, there is a potential pitfall to consider if you ever need to replace a section of your Granite sometime after the initial installation; it’s likely that your new piece won’t have been quarried from the same location as your original material, meaning the patterns/colours on your new piece may not be a perfect match to your existing worktops!
● Long-lasting
● Heat & scratch resistant
● Hygienic
● Huge choice of colour and design
● Easy to keep clean
● Costly to be repaired/replaced (although needing to is unlikely)
● Porous, meaning it needs to be sealed periodically
● More expensive than other options
● Replacement pieces will likely not match your existing material perfectly if replaced years later (naturally formed materials change over time!)
Granite is easy to keep clean! Granite needs a wipe with a damp cloth, using warm water and mild soap. Make sure you avoid any abrasive cleaners and sponges. Your worktop fabricator should supply granite pre-sealed. However, this will need a top-up from time to time, though, so worth bearing in mind.
Stainless Steel is a popular choice in professional kitchens, and it’s all down to the fact metal is naturally hygienic and easy to keep clean! It also looks great in household kitchens too, so don't be put off by its industrial beginnings.
If you think the look is a bit much throughout your entire kitchen however, you can always be selective and use your metal worktops on an island or in another standalone area to create a statement piece.
Steel worktops are ideal for kitchens where a lot of cooking occurs, so if you’re often rustling up lasagnas and large roast dinners, then this is a fantastic worktop choice.
● Non-porous, meaning no stains or bacteria build-up
● Heat resistant
● Waterproof
● Easy to clean
● Clinical feel
● Noisy
● Can scratch and dent easier than other materials
● Liable to patina or discolour over time
Metal worktops are easily cleaned with a soft sponge and warm water, then dried with a microfibre cloth. Here’s a hack to get rid of fingerprints – keep some baby oil handy; it gets the worktop back to looking super shiny (just don’t get it mixed up with your Olive Oil)
If you want something a little more unusual on your modern, contemporary kitchen, then glass worktops might be the one for you!
Glass creates a glossy and sleek look, with a VAST range of colours and designs to choose from (literally everything from printed motifs to custom RAL colours!)
Using recycled glass can even mimic the look of quartz, which makes it a great complimenting material to create a statement area if you want to mix things up.
● Non-porous, stain-resistant
● Easy to wipe clean
● Heat resistant
● Can be produced in any RAL colour for a truly unique flavour
● Smooth surface helps keep your cooking area hygienic
● Prone to scratches
● Shows fingerprints & watermarks easily
● Damaged by acidic substances
● Could crack with excessive weight
● Tricky to install
● Liable to ‘greening’ at the front edge(regardless of colour!)
You can use any glass cleaning product to clean these worktops -glass worktops do need wiping down a lot due to fingerprints and water residue showing up easily. Still, they are extremely hygienic as there are no pockets on the ultra-smooth surface (indents can allow bacteria to build up)
A traditional favourite, if well looked-after solid wood worktops age like a fine wine; they develop a real visual depth and character over the years.
For a more modern feel, you can combine timber with glass or metal. There’s a wide range of wood styles and colours available, helping to add a range of texture to your work surface.
Timber worktops are especially vulnerable however; they scratch and scorch easily and are liable to moisture ingress and ‘blackening’ around the sink over time if not kept dry. They also need to be oiled twice a year to keep them properly protected.
● Improve visually with age (if well looked after)
● Damage can be sanded away
● Naturally hygienic
● Good range of colour and texture choices
● Requires oiling (usually twice a year)
● Not heat resistant
● Not very scratch-resistant
● Not very water-resistant (‘blackening’ around sinks is common over time)
● Porous and stain easily, even when oiled
Of all the materials on this list, Timber is probably the most high-maintenance. Spills need to be cleaned straight away with warm water and a mild cleaning product (even simple washing-up liquid can be better than nothing)
Avoid using abrasive cleaning products as they can stain and scratch the surface. Tougher stains can be sanded away however, provided they haven’t soaked too deeply into the wood. Timber worktops do need oiling twice a year too, to prevent the wood from drying out.
An artificial alternative to Granite and Marble, Quartz is easily one of the best (and most popular) worktop materials out there, thanks to its durability and the sheer number of beautiful design options available.
Quartz worktops are made by combining resin with natural Quartz crystals, making them highly durable and also eco-friendly!
Although not as heat resistant as Granite, Quartz worktops are still very, very tough and almost entirely non-porous, making them extremely scratch resistant and stain resistant.
Beware however, Quartz may be super tough but if you don’t use a chopping board you'll begin to scratch the surface over time (especially visible with polished Quartz) and you will most certainly blunt your kitchen knives.
● Massive range of colours and textures available– in both polished and matt finishes
● Very non-porous & stain-resistant
● Super hard & scratch-resistant
● Easy to clean
● Eco-friendly
● Man-made designs guarantee an exact match, should you need to extend or replace a length of worktop material.
● Available in Jumbo (extra-large) slabs for bigger areas, helping avoid unsightly joints
● Some materials can be book-matched, meaning patters can continue seamlessly where two slabs meet
● Can be more expensive than other options, especially for branded Quartz like Silestone or Caesarstone
● Not as heat resistant as Granite or Ceramic
● Specialist fabrication and installation needed
● Very heavy material
Quartz worktops are very easy to clean and maintain! All you need is a cloth and warm soapy water, since they’re so durable, you really shouldn’t encounter any serious problems with this material.
Just remember to err on the side of caution and wipe up any turmeric/red wine spills before it has a chance to get it’s claws into the surface (definitely don’t leave it overnight)
Ceramic worktops (such as Dekton or Neolith) are extraordinarily durable. Ceramic is even more durable than Granite & Quartz, but is also lighter and heat resistant enough to handle any kitchen activity.
Not to be confused with your Grannys porcelain bathroom tiles, Ceramic worktops are a man-made product composed of various natural materials (including minerals from quartz and glass) which make them environmentally friendly and recyclable.
It’s such a durable material that it’s a natural candidate for a cracking kitchen worktop, and has a beautiful, tactile texture to its surface(can you tell I’m a fan?)
● Highly heat resistant
● Highly scratch-resistant
● Resistant to bending and impacting
● Very hygienic
● Easy to clean, does not absorb liquid
● Available in different sizes and thicknesses
● Has a fabulous natural elegance
● Available in both polished and matt finishes
● Can be expensive compared to other options
● Can be chipped if something heavy is dropped onto a corner edge
● Specialist fabrication and installation needed
All you need to clean Ceramic worktops is a cotton cloth and warm water. You need to avoid anything with bleach in, but you can use acidic detergent to get rid of tough stains. After that it’s all gravy (not literally)
Available in a huge variety of colours, patterns, shade and styles, Corian worktops are a highly popular choice. It’s light, antimicrobial and very malleable, making it the ideal candidate for unusual shapes and thicknesses.
This does mean it can be quite pricey however, but as you can form seamless (coved) upstands and formed sinks with it, it’s well worth the splurge if your design needs a flexible surface.
Caring for your Corian worktops is relatively simple, but it does need to be looked after correctly, as do all kitchen worktops. The material can be damaged by heat, but as long as you take care of your Corian worktop, it will prove to be just as long-lasting as Quartz.
● Highly flexible and formable
● Sinks can be seamlessly integrated
● Stains can be sanded away
● Range of colours and patterns available
● Can imitate other worktop materials
● Opaque so allow slight to pass through it – great for a feature area!
● Can be damaged by heat
● Can be scratched and dented
● Chemically similar to plastic and soft to the touch
Like a many other quality work surfaces, to clean your Corian worktop all you need is a soft cloth and some soapy water. Make sure you dry your worktop fully afterwards, as too much water left for a long time can leave a film to develop on the surface.
There you have it! Hopefully the above list has helped you identify which materials will be best suited to your culinary needs.
If you’re still undecided, remember that when choosing your kitchen worktop material you should take your time to think about what you both like AND need. Kitchen worktops are an investment, so you want to select a material that will look good for years to come and you won’t grow tired of.
Additionally, changing your worktops is a great way to refresh an old, tired kitchen without purchasing a whole new one. A quality stone or Quartz worktop can elevate a kitchen design and even increase your home’s value.
To find out more about high-quality kitchen worktops, why not get in touch! Here at German Kitchen Specialist, we supply kitchen worktops that will look great and last. We have a massive range of colours and materials to choose from, give us a call on 0330 1330376, our designers can help you make the right decision!
