Drainage grooves in quartz worktop?

[Caprimulgus]

Worthwhile, or not?

My concern is that they won't drain perfectly (so what's the point) and will accumulate dirt and become discoloured (despite cleaning).

But, if not, how does washing-up drain and do we get water trickling off the worktop onto the floor?

We do have a double sink, so one idea would be to find a drainer that fits over one sink. Or a plastic drainer to go on top of the worktop (and put away between times). There is a dishwasher, so we're not doing heaps of washing-up but bits and pieces regularly.

What are people's thoughts and experiences?

I had them put into mine, on the side of the half-bowl of the double sink, as it seemed a bit weird not to have some.
I don't use them as such as I have a dishwasher in the kitchen.
We also have a stainless steel sink/draining board in our utility room, so any washing up of things like posh glassware or the cat's dishes gets done out there.
Very occasionally a guest will rinse out a mug or something and put it on the grooves but I don't think they'd cope with full-scale washing up.
My worktops are Silestone and are very easy to clean.

We had quartz worktops put in last year and after a lot of consideration we didn’t have drainer grooves. And I’m really pleased with the decision. We do do some washing up by hand and just put these on a draining mat with grooves so the water drains into the sink initially. We then just dry up and put the mat away and wipe the quartz.

The only negative I can see is that people expect them so visitors have been confused.

If you have a dishwasher and a double sink you won't need them. I think they look a bit naff and are dirt magnets so I didn't bother.

My plan is to have a very shallow recessed area carved out (with a slight slope towards the sink - so it meets the sink at one end and the rest of the worktop at the other iyswim). This should contain any draining water but will be easier to clean than grooves, and also easier to use as regular worktop if we need to.

Pic attached of what I mean

Although our sink will be undermount stainless steel, but the idea still works.

We've just had a new kitchen installed, with quartz worksurfaces, and have a drainer just like the one in mini pie's photo (with a stainless steel undermount sink).

It works well and seems easier to keep clean than when we had drainage grooves cut into a granite worksurface.

We have a large single porcelain undercount sink, and drainage grooves in the granite to the right. They don't collect dirt at all. I like them as it gives more worktop than a drainer on a sink.

I love mine! No regrets. They really work and prevent pooling.

Yes that looks much better.

I'm following this thread with interest! I've asked for grooves in my new worktop but it's going to be on the island and I'm worried it won't look well.

If the sink was on the wall side it would be easier I think. As it is the island catches a lot of light so it might look very obvious.

We have drainage grooves in our white quartz worktops and they are fine - minimal pooling and dirt

I don’t have a draining area as I have a dishwasher and one and a half sink. I was originally going to get a drainer to put on the half sink but found I don’t actually need it.

On the very rare occasion something needs to be washed by hand I put it on a tea towel to dry.

To me draining boards/grooves were just another thing to keep clean and free from water marks/limescale and I didn’t want that.

Also, I agree with @A4Notebook that visitors are sometimes confused when they want to be helpful and eg wash up a mug.

Oh, split opinion but some very helpful points.

This is the sort of thing I imagined might work instead:
over-sink drainer

Or maybe something like this, that can be put away:
drainage rack with side-spout

Don't have grooves / draining area. Not once has anyone ever said (in 2 yrs) 'where are the grooves?'

I have grooves. Even though we have a well used dishwasher, we still wash certain things. Big pans, sharp knives (blades get ruined in the dw), wine glasses (too tall/fragile), big serving dishes for things like cooked on cauliflower cheese. On a Sunday roast, we create more dishes than the dw can cope with, so need the sink.

I have pale quartz. My grooves don’t collect grot, nor do they pool water. The side is wiped down after use and kept spotlessly clean. The grooves have an ‘open’ end that drains into the sink (avoids pooling).

The over sink drainer thing will work if you have a second large sink to put it on (we won’t)

The Oxo one is big and hard to dry up after use for storage - I suspect by the time it had air dried enough to be put away, it would be needed again...

If you’re not going to have any built in drainage I think the best solution is just a tea towel laid on the worksurface that gets washed after use...

We've got no grooves. It took a bit of getting used to. We drain on a tea towel, but we don't wash that much by hand. Mainly just plastic tubs.

The metal drainer looks better than the Oxo. Less hassle with cleaning limescale.

We have a big drainer like the Oxo one, which was handy when we didn’t have a dishwasher. Now we only pull it out on very rare occasions. I wouldnt suggest something like that for occasional use, it’s more of a permanent fixture.

I’d never seen or had the grooves/draining board before moving to the UK. If I washed dishes by hand, I used a microfibre drying mat. Something like this.

www.lakeland.co.uk/23868/Diamond-Dish-Drying-Mat-For-Glasses-and-Cups---Black

It absorbs more water than your standard tea towel.

I have black silestone with grooves. Got totally messed up with limescale and looks terrible. I got a Joseph Joseph drainer to put over it. It collapses down after use so doesn't take up much room.

I think it's partly a hard water / soft water thing isn't it? People with hard water may be getting limescale in their grooves, which is harder to remove and more likely to discolour over time than everyday dirt.

Maybe there's a difference in groove angle or cut, so some are more effective, too.

We have grooves, no problem with keeping them clean, although I do wish they had been a little deeper.

We had a slope and grooves carved into our Corian, they need an occasional wipe with a (non-scouring) sponge as they're not steep enough to fully drain dry. They're much better than just flat though. We have a rack on top of that.

I live in a hard water area and have no limescale (loads on the bloody bathroom taps and shower heads though ). I suspect because we keep the side dry, rather than leaving water hanging around on the surface.

We have quartz worktops, no drainage grooves.
I decided against after seeing the cloudy, limescaled grooves in a friend's kitchen (which she pointed out to me as the reason she wouldn't have them again).
We have a dishwasher and for the larger things / delicate glass etc I use the over sink drainer and the drying mat referred to in previous posts.
Love the over sink drainer because it rolls up small and stores under the sink.