Kitchen work surfaces - what's beautiful but robust?

[Caprimulgus]

Hello all,

Can anyone offer advice on kitchen work surfaces, in terms of what is hard-wearing, won't stain or mark easily and doesn't need constant care in order to look good? Any other advantages and disadvantages?

Thinking of solid wood, granite, quartz, marble. Colours including white (quartz or marble), or dark (granite, wood).

I am wondering, for example, how white quartz or marble would respond to things like curry spices cooked in oil - the sort of thing that would stain some materials quite easily. Wipe clean, or possibility of some soaking in?

Really, how child / careless adult proof would any of them be, long term?

Wiping clean easily and not having to polish, to make a shiny surface look good, would help too.

[inquiquotiokixul]

Granite, with a dark shade an a large-scale (ie more like Christmas pudding than sand) grain.

Lighter shades do indeed stain with curry etc.

[Caprimulgus]

Oh, my dream of white marble may be shattered. I feared as much.

Isn't the downside of shiny granite that maintaining the even shine takes more cleaning than the quick wipe you could give a wooden surface? I mean that it will look 'wrong' if not cleaned to a higher, perfectly shining standard?

Maybe non-shiny granite is the answer. Or solid wood.

I do like the coldness, heat-resistance and robustness of stone.

[Lindtnotlint]

Look into Neolith and Dekton. Literally indestructible.

[fortyandfrumpy]

I've got a black/grey granite. It's super easy to clean using micro cloths. I buff it only when we have a special occasion - looks better buffed but still looks good just wiped. The straight black granite needs a perfect shine to look good. That's a lot of upkeep.

[seastargirl]

We've got a white with flecks/sparkly bits quartz worktop, only had it 6 months, but love it. No stains so far everything had wiped straight off, but I do clean up should straight away. We've had black granite at a rental and that always looked a mess die to streaking. We've also had would which I hated, the varnish had to be done regularly, it dented really easily and the varnish used to gather at the sink seal and look awful!

[PestymcPestFace]

Another one for dark granite.

It has survived ME (and sometimes obsessive cooking) 2DH, 3DC, 2SDC, 3 fosterDC, one insane au pair and one quite nice au pair. 20 years on and it still looks fine.

[fabulousathome]

I have blue peal granite. Nothing shows and it always looks amazing. I wipe it with water and washing up liquid. 7 years old.

[fabulousathome]

Blue Pearl granite.

[dontcallmelen]

I have a sort of brown with dark & light flecks granite, I use microfibre cloth on it & comes up well, had for about fourteen years no issues or staining.

[starbrightlight]

We're looking into having Earthstone, (Gemini or Nordic Melange). I've read up about it and it sounds ideal. Anyone have any experience of Earthstone worktops? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[amazonianwoman]

Marble looks fab but is porous, wouldn't recommend for a kitchen. If you like marble I'd go for a quartz that looks like marble.

Black shiny/sparkly granite a bugger to keep clean. Have inherited star galaxy or whatever it's called and I hate it with a passion.

Last house we had dark grey honed granite - much easier to live with.

[Caprimulgus]

Thanks all, this is really helpful.

So how do people live with pale marble worktops? I see many pictures on Pinterest...

[Peachypips]

White worktops are fine! When mine get tea-stained etc I just rub some neat bleach on the marks and they disappear instantly.

[offupop]

White quartz! Beautiful and indestructible

[CoperCabana]

We have plain white. It is stunning. It scuffs a little and you can get the odd stain if you don’t wipe straight up but bar keepers friend or the Matt paste the worktop people gave us work a treat. And because it is plain white, we don’t have to worry about any marbling or speckles also fading when we give it a scrub.

[Bluntness100]

I have black granite, i love it, the depth of Sheen you don't get on anything else.

Cleaning is a doddle. I use method daily granite cleaner, buy it from amazon or any supermarket, just spray on, wipe off, all shiney and lovely. Takes two mins for the whole kitchen, and only where and when needed.

Some folks say you get limescale build up by the sink etc, I don't understand that, we all know you need to let water pool continuously for limescale to build up. i often have water pool behind the taps and no limescale, it just wipes off, like water on any surface.

[Bluntness100]

Amazonian woman this is the stuff you need, if you're finding it difficult to clean, use this you won't look back, I've never had any problems and love mine.

www.amazon.co.uk/Method-Granite-Marble-Surface-Cleaner/dp/B0036TGO1G/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?smid=A1TYAMTWZM94D2&psc=1&keywords=method%20daily%20granite&ie=UTF8&qid=1536955339&sr=8-1-spons&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[amazonianwoman]

Thanks, I use that and it does work, but I still maintain black sparkly granite shows up more crumbs and smears than pale quartz or honed granite.

[namechangedtoday15]

Have had a whole host of different work tops.

Wood (oak) - island (nowhere near water) looked fab, not really hard to maintain but it marked- black marks - around the sink despite being quite careful

Dark granite (greyish black) - only in a rental property but was too dark for me, smeared really easily and had to be buffed all the time.

Quartz - for the last 4 years, have had quartz. First a very very pale grey then extended after 2 years and got new kitchen. Ended up selling quartz work tops for pretty much what I paid for them such was the condition of them - two years on they looked as good as new. In new kitchen I have white marble effect quartz. Again, been in for 2 years, look like new. Never had a problem with staining, no need to buff, just wipe it over. It bounces light round the kitchen & is gorgeous.

We also have off white quartz in the bathroom as countertops - all manner of potions and lotions spilt over them, never stains.

[Bilingualspingual]

Definitely Dekton. We have it in a pale marbled pattern. It’s lovely and very tough.

[Bluntness100]

I suspect from a tonal point of view you're right, crumbs would be more visible on a dark surface than a light one. I don't tend to leave crumbs all over my work surfaces, and tend to wipe them up so can't really comment, I've had light surfaces in the past, but also wiped crumbs off them too as opposed to leaving rhem there,

I don't have smearing issue though. I'm surprised you're getting that if you're using that product, it would maybe indicate the surfaces are greasy? A wash down with soapy water and dry them, then some method cleaner should sort it for you, not sure how else to advise really. Sorry.

[EddieVeddersfoxymop]

I've got pale grey silestone with sparkly flecks and it's coping fine!

[ourkidmolly]

Silestone is the biz. Forget marble unless you're super on and so is everyone else. It's stunning but even a teabag left on it for 2 minutes ruins it.