Kitchen worktops - some advice required, please!

[wickedfairy]

Hi,

We are getting our new kitchen (my first EVER new kitchen!) and have decided we are going for white - either gloss or possibly matt and the cabinets will most likely be from ikea. Originally we thought dark wood worktops, but with 2 dc's I am not convinced that is a good idea. I want something that doesn't need maintaining constantly and think that we would forever be oiling, or most likely never oiling and they would end up looking terrible! Plan on having dark grey slate (effect) floor, probably a good quality vinyl.

So - I fancy a light coloured (poss light grey/off-white) worktop - what material is best? Silestone?? Something recycled glass? It needs to be hard wearing - I have heard granite stains (we sometimes make curry, so wouldn't want something too porous that stains).

Can anyone suggest something or tell me that a particular material is a no-go please?

Your advice would be much appreciated! Thanks

I have grey quartz. It seems fairly bulletproof - no stains, marks or scratches. It looks fab with my white units too.

I know this doesn't actually answer your question, but we are just having a new ktichen fitted at the moment and chose a dark wood ("wild walnut") laminate and it actually looks really nice - not like tacky laminate at all and far far more practical than real wood (I also didn't want to be faffed with oiling, and within 5 mins I'd've stained it / made coffee cup marks/ made burn marks on it etc etc).

Our worktop is from Howdens (bit more expensive than Ikea but actually not that much more). Pic here.

Also have white gloss units .

We fitted laminate last year after thinking hard about all the alternatives. Laminate is hard wearing, cheap and easy to fit so fitted the bill very well and we're very pleased with it.

I've heard of marble staining, making it generally unsuitable for kitchens, but afaik polished granite should be a good option.

But i could be wrong.....

We've got silestone or corian and it's fab.

I have white corian worktops, with paler flecks of greys going through it. I have lots of bench tops so not only gets kitchen use but dc draw, play dough etc on it. It is virtually indestructable. Even permenant marker comes of it with the little scourer you get with it. Had granite in last house, it got chipped with use. Corian is pricey but very worth it.

Thanks for all the advice so far!

DH not overly keen on laminate as he thinks the edges chip/peel a bit like in our current kitchen but we reckon that kitchen is probably 10 years old. Also, I am sure laminate will have improved in the last 10 years, quality-wise!

Still liking some kind of quartz - I am not sure we could afford corian and I know I don't want granite.

Is quartz in the same price bracket as granite/corian?

Thanks!

Hi - where shall i start - Laminate is the cheapest option - Quality of laminate has NOT improved over the years because it is made to be cheap - so now is not so cut & burn proof as 20 years ago - however has improved in looks - more natural & contemporary patterns available - also the way it is finished off is better now if you go for PP edging so wont chip off - Silestone & other quartz's have same properties as Granite so cannot burn or cut & would only chip if it had a fault or you dropped a sledgehammer from a great height - only available in slabs up to about 2.5 Ms long so may need several joins - mostly plain colours or small regular patterns - Natural Granite available in loads of natural colours & large irregular patterns - Quartz & popular Granites similar price - Granite should be sealed after installation which prevents staining - Any dark coloured worktop will show water marks especially in hard water areas so always dry off with teatowel - Corian best for hygene concious as no visible joins for dirt to hide in - can be made to any size + shape - mostly plain colours or small patterns - mam-made look & feel - can be cut & scorched but any damage can be repaired either with scothbrite pad & ajax powder or sander - Phew - hope that helps

I've checked, we have Stellar Blanco silestone - it's sparkly.

Someone at work has silestone (in a dark colour) and he says that there is a noticable "bloom" on the worktop - basically from light reflecting unevenly, i.e. it's not as flat and polished as granite.

PCS - Is it obvious on the lighter colours? Stellar blanco is one of the colours i like! Do you have any regrets about the material or the colour you chose? TIA

Perhaps he should clean it more 3) Bit of fairy liquid in hot water & a microfibre cloth and it buffs up lovely. The colour is more grey than white (which is what I thought we'd ordered) but the best bit is the sparkles.

My black granite had a bloom so to speak - in a hard water area it was a big mistake you couldn't use an acid cleaner on it - definitely going for a pale colour quartz this time and no granite!