Quartz work top suitable for big family

[wallywobbles]

My DP and I are about to start a very large renovation project on 15th century house. The kitchen will pretty much need to do service til we die - we are mid 40s, so it's all being done with old age in mind - so no excessive bending/lifting.

I have lived in France 20+ years and DP is French, but we are most likely going to import the kitchen from the UK - we have been looking at DIY kitchens.

We talked to a local kitchen fitters yesterday and he tried to sell us ceramic as a better option to quartz, but we are not keen on the colours or the fact that he takes a shed load of glue to stick it to the chipboard and the glue in the chipboard. (DP works in nuclear research so he already gets enough crappy stuff going into his body).

We both like silestone doradus quartz, but really need to know if it's really going to be suitable for our needs:

4 kids from 8 - 11

Meals for 8 people or more at least 10 x week

I'm a serious cook and run a food company, so everything is prepared from scratch, with kids helping.

We regularly have chefs staying/using our kitchen

I want to have a separate gas hob and an induction hob inset into the island, again using the quartz. Will thermal shock really be an issue.

I'm not sure if its relevant at all but we have 2 spaniels with seriously filthy feet etc - maybe dust relevant.

We will be using a 480AL gas rayburn, which will be set into a stone fireplace, for cooking, heating and hot water, so not in contact with the quartz at all. (We have already used this for the last 11 years - so we will be taking it with us).

Thanks for any help or ideas.

I can only speak from experience.
We have had Silestone in our kitchen for 2 years and it looks like new. I'm a big, messy cook and have two careless teens.
The majority of prep takes place on the 3m island and a wipe down with Cif gets all the cooking stains off.
I also have an induction hob, not on the island, set in Silestone that I love.
I had Granite in my last kitchen and TBH the upkeep is the same.

When I was looking at worktops I was told serious cooks should have granite, quartz or SS.
HTH.

I run a catering business from my home and while DRIVING MYSELF INSANE researching this, we are going for quartz in our current kitchen reno.

It seems fairly indestructable.

Just FYI, the euro rate is making it worh my while going over the border (I'm in Northern ireland). I'm not sure if it the same in France, but worth thinking about nbeacsue it is such a huge purchase. I'm saving nearly £800. part of that is going to a granite supplier (they make headstones and stuff), teliing them what silestone I liked, and them showing me which slabs of their own quartz match better (and I'm so please dI saw the huge slab, it completely changed my opinion from wanting a totally flat finish to opting for something with sparkly bits in).

We gave a lot of thought about this when we chose our worktop and considered corian but eventually went for quartz (arctic blast). We have found it v durable and due to colour hides a multitude of sins

Is it best to have an undermounted sink with quartz?

That's what we were advised on and went for

Also told draining grooves were a waste of time

We have a Caesarstone worktop. It's 6+ years old and is as new.

Nothing in your post is an issue but you shouldn't put very hot things on it (I think 150c max is ok) and I don't find it best to cut/chop on but that's my preference. It'd probably blunt your knife.

Thank you all so much. It's so helpful. And I see there's a gas hob in there too. Brilliant

Our Silestone worktop has been in 2 years this week and so far it's been brilliant. It's pale cream and not stained despite putting it through its rigours by pickling lots of beetroot this year, having my Blackcurrent gin explode over it and various other kitchen disasters. We are serious cooks and it's been put through it's paces and so far is holding up well. We have a gas hob set in and inset ss sink, we have a dished drainer cut in but not grooves, we had these in a previous kitchen and the collected gunk.

Limesoda would you mind telling me where you got your quartz top?
I'm in n Ireland , have 4 quotes so far & all kitchen suppliers quoting lamonts in cokeraine !

I've just had a new cream silestone worktop put in. Whilst cif cream does work well on it, it seems to "hold on" to tea and coffee rings until they are scrubbed with cif.
Have those of you who are happy with your silestone tops put everything on mats / coasters? It just doesn't seem as robust as I expected!

lili ciff works for tea stains on mine but overnight curry left orange marks that came off with Barkeepers Friend. Might be worth a try.

Touch wood, had no problems with ours, quick wipe down and good as new. We got a special fibre cloth and cleaner provided with ours but haven't needed to use it. Normal kitchen spray does the job just as well

Greybird, it's stone-tec in Clontibret www.stone-tec.ie/

Only an hour and a half away from belfast as well

Notafan, thanks, I shall look for Barkeepers friend. The marks did all come off with cif, I guess it just felt like took more elbow grease than I expected. There had been a whole day though of workmen having cups of tea and putting them down though.
Would have been awful to have marks before we'd even started the proper cooking though!

OP, I hope you get the kitchen surface sorted. Sounds like a fab kitchen!

Our cream Silestone is fine with tea (and so far other stains) I just use Method kitchen spray and a cloth. I have got a Silestone cleaner spray that the joiner gave me but I prefer the smell of Method.