Kitchen worktops - please summarise my options

[befuzzled]

Replacing laminate.

Granite and wood obviously.

Is quartz a type of granite? or something else entirely.

What do they mean by stone worktops? Marble?

Concrete?

What is composite? Is this what Corian is?

I am after a very light/white surface that can be cleaned/bleached ideally.

Confused by the options.

[Lizcat]

Can't help you with the options. However, prior to buy a house with granite worktops I thought they were a waste of money. Now I could not be without them, I cook a lot for large numbers and having lots and lots of heat resistant area is amazing. I also have wood which I hate with a passion every time I strip and re-wax DH puts something silly on it and stains it again. If you have a sensible husband wood maybe for you.

[said]

If you're after light or white, that would rule out wood, I think. I used to have granite and it is very useful for putting hot stiff on. I hate the look though and stuck out for wood in kitchen re-vamp. It looks great and we cook and are messy.

Corian is some sort of man made thing, I think, that can be moulded to shape and size?

Concrete is concrete but buffed up to be smooth.

No idea re difference between quartz/granite - one is more sparkly? Suspect both look pretty similar and I imagine they are what you're after?

[Gotarty]

Granite is natural stone, prone to acid damage, hard and brittle. Quartz and Compoiste and the same thing and are a manmade option around 95%quartz, 5%resin available in more colours than granite - less heat resistant than granite but more acid resistant. Both are hard wearing very hard to scratch but edges can chip and it's non repairable. Both around the same price. I wouldn't use bleach on either.

Corian is warmer, silky feeling can be moulded into sinks and splashbacks but easily scratched and stained, bleachable, can be repaired I suspect at great expense.

Stone/granite interchangable.

[amazonianwoman]

I'm sorting out new kitchen too.

I've been told by several different kitchen people that if you want a very light surface to go for Silestone/Caesarstone over light granite because the latter stains much more easily.

Am leaning towards this sort of colour

[befuzzled]

so they're quartz right? So basically I think I want quartz or corian - which is more expensive generally?

[Gotarty]

Depends what brand of quartz you go for and then which price range you opt for, also which type of edging you choose. I had quotes from £2.5k to £6k for quartz - and around £4k for Corian. Check online quotes to give you a better idea.

[Gotarty]

Befuzzled I got a sample of something similar - the edges cut across the glass looked like bits were missing. A smaller fleck solved the problem.

[BonyM]

I have quartz and it is lovely . It's very pale with grey flecks and sparkly mirror bits that catch the light, and unlike my friend's black granite, it doesn't show the smears so easily! Very hardwearing, doesn't stain and is heat resitant. We are moving house soon and I'm really going to miss my quartz worktops...

[BonyM]

Ooh - amazonianwoman - I just looked at your link and that looks exactly like what we have.

[amazonianwoman]

Ooo fab! So I won't ruin it with red wine stains will I?

I guess you don't put hot pans on it? I'm very slack with our horrid existing inherited laminate with a wooden edge - yuck!

[amazonianwoman]

Bonym - what colour cupboards do you have with your quartz?

Sorry for hijack!

[Ungratefulchild]

We have corian and i love it. It doesn't stain or scratch very easily at all.

[BonyM]

We have cream painted ash shaker units and it looks lovely (I'll stick a photo on my profile in a mo. so you can see). I do put hot pans on mine sometimes although they say you shouldn't. I've not had any problems so far although tbh, I prob. wouldn't put a VERY hot one directly on. Red wine just wipes off without staining .

[PigletJohn]

Although some of the others look beautiful in the showroom, I have come to the reluctant conclusion that for hard-wearing, easy to keep clean, and easy to replace, you can't beat laminate worktops and stainless sinks.

[Gotarty]

Every worktop choice is a compromise - PigletJohn you still compromise with a laminate worktop - they don't look so good and for many of us we want good looks with good performance.

[PigletJohn]

I don't know what else gives such good performance when it is actually used (not just looked at).

Not wood (marks easily and needs re-oiling)
not marble or concrete (dissolves in kitchen cleaner)
not corian (marks from teastains and aluminium objects)

I'm all for something that looks good and gives good performance, but haven't found it.

My kitchen is primarily for cooking in, it isn't an art gallery. It's part of a machine for living. Function over form.

[CointreauVersial]

I wouldn't be without my granite; it is bombproof. It does need drying after you wipe it, to prevent streaks, but I just whizz a tea-towel over it - job done. We had matching upstands, and a splashback for the cooker, and it still looks good as new.

[noddyholder]

I am looking at recycled glass atm. I have always had oiled oak or iroko but fancy a change and have used the glass in a bathroom but it has moved on since then and some of it is gorgeous.

[noddyholder]

this is nice

[amazonianwoman]

Oooh I like some of those noddy

Any idea how price compares to granite or quartz?

[noddyholder]

About the same I think i was quoted 350 per linear metre for the red one

[amazonianwoman]

That's not too bad. Do you know how it compares to granite or quartz? Would it chip/crack more easily? Stain & heat resistance?

Will have to go on a hunt for some...

[befuzzled]

i like that too. I saw a glass one in John Lewis the other day and it was already scratched - that looks more hardy though.

[noddyholder]

The recycled glass is definitely tougher than just plain toughened glass

[PigletJohn]

how so?