Which work top would you choose?

[sleepdodger]

White gloss handle less kitchen
Wood look ceramic floor tiles
Old house but contemporary extension which is cliche kitchen family room

We liked wood to sifted but matching to floor seems naff
I don't think we can afford granite etc
Wondered about a marble look something in grey?
9metres needed inc breakfast bar need to come in under £1k
Ideas pls!

It really depends how much the house is worth and whether a cheaper work top would spoil the overall look and quality of finish. Personally I hate cheap work surfaces so I would grit my teeth and have what you really want, not a third rate solution that you will hate. You kitchen sounds lovely, so why not complete it properly?

Thanks for reply
House at c340 when done but the kitchen is part of a significant build refurb thing and the costs are getting so very tight - we have already used the 'let's make sure it's done properly' on several things and it's looking very very lean now hence hoping someone would be able to say I bought this and it looks fab etc!!!
Thanks- maybe that's what a MasterCard is for

This sounds very like our kitchen. We went for a white composite work top with grey flecks in it. From wickes. I love look of wood but find it very impractical.

We had a beech worktop and although it looked gorgeous it was actually really impractical. It soaked up every oil stain, a spilt curry left an orange stain, water marks round the sink made the wood go black and it burnt easily! You can never just put a hot pan or dish down, you need a trivet or a glass worktop cover every time. It needs sanding and re-oiling every year and it also scratches easily too.

We've got granite now and it's brilliant. Withstands everything you can throw at it. Hot pans, knives, anything. It's pricey but it lasts forever.

I'd look out for a composite work top. Just about to have my second one installed. First one did about 12 years with hardly a mark or scratch.

My first thought was slate. I have a nice sample of a green grey mid tone slate. I would think 9m would come in well under £1,000 but fitting is going to me the main expense. Some granite is not a lot more than slate when the cost of raw material is compared (going by the quotes I have had) but again the templating cutting and fitting is expensive.

I have had a great quote for corian PM me if you would like the contact info. But 9m I think fitted would be way over your budget.

Ikea have some chunky square edge laminates with metallic edges and stuff that are very reasonable. I'm yet to see them in real life but they look great online. The problem for me is joins. I will need one length of 3.6 m and a shorter length and would prefer the seamless look of a composite like corian.

What about polished concrete? We had our hearth done by these guys... They are really reasonably priced and you can choose the colour...

inspiredbyconcrete.com

I've posted about them on another thread today. They are definitely worth a look, we're very happy with our hearth!

Where did you get your composites from?
Also interested to know what u paid for granite- the prices seem to wildly vary!
Thabks for concrete link- we had looked at concrete pour floor but for various reasons couldn't (namely being a wonky multi levelled/ entry house!)