What kitchen worktop do you have?

[alecguinnessgenuineclass]

And would you buy it again?

We're trying to choose a worktop for the kitchen in our new house. Currently there's a mix of wood, granite and stainless steel.

I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices! We had wood in our last house and I found it a pain to keep oiled. Granite feels a bit heavy and cold to me. There seem so many new materials I've never heard of! Just wondered what other people have?

Thanks, that's really good to hear! Was it one of the thin ones?

@SnowWouldHelp

Thanks, that's really good to hear! Was it one of the thin ones?

Yes we have handle less doors on the units so the compact laminate gives a really sleek, minimalist feel. Our breakfast bar is oak though just to add some warmth and one stretch of the laminate is over 2 metres so needed to break it up a bit

@IamnotwhouthinkIam would you be willing to post a photo of your worktop? It sounds exactly what I'm after, but I'm not sure what to Google! Don't suppose your supplier was in London..?

I have off white quartz.

Regarding stains by the way - we get stains around where people make cups of tea and coffee and don't wipe the rings away straight away, also curry etc. Just spray with Flash with Bleach or wipe a bit of neat bleach on a cloth over the stain. It wipes clean after about 5 mins and doesn't change the surface at all. (ie doesn't make it dull or pitted or anything).

@HBGKC I think a kitchen picture would be too outing, sorry (as I've mentioned personal info in other threads - I should have name changed!). I couldn't afford the real Compac Snow so managed to find a supplier in the North West that did a clone, but they don't do it anymore unfortunately .

But to be honest I was looking at my worktop again last night, and while I still really love it, there's a lot less beige/light brown in it than I thought (just the odd fleck here and there). From a distance it just looks like shades of grey flecks on white (it reminds me of the popular white mirror quartz that many people have, just without the shiny mirror bits so it looks more subtle imo). The pictures on this website look pretty accurate: www.shawstone.co.uk/products/compac/snow/

No worries @IamnotwhouthinkIam, thanks for the link. It looks lovely; now I just need to find a solid laminate lookalike that I can afford!

@Imiss2019, what does yours look like?

@HBGKC - I didn't realise you were looking at laminates too. I found "Duropal Quartz Stone" laminate very similar in appearance to the Compac Snow Quartz (just without the odd beige/brown fleck - all the flecks in the Duropal are grey shades and it has a more matt appearance than the slightly glossy real quartz). I was very tempted - it looked really good in the showroom and I've been impressed by the hardiness of Duropal in the past.

@HBGKC

We have this zenith one - have the same white units too

I was looking at zenith but can't decide between that at corian (or something else I don't know about!)

I currently have black walnut butcher block. It’s been in for eight years and has never needed resealing. It was oiled using osmo oil when it was installed. In my new kitchen though I’m about to go for quartz

We got ours from here and they send out free samples which was helpful as actually I found that the photos don't reflect the true colour

oop link

www.worktop-express.co.uk/solid-laminate-worktops/zenith-worktops/caldeira-zenith-worktop-3000-650-12mm?msclkid=3a6ce96966ce1775a3fdb69629e9a800&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shop%3ASolid%20Laminate&utm_term=4581802393490606&utm_content=Solid%20Laminate%20Worktops

I had granite in my last house - got it from a great place where you could look at lots of different examples and choose exactly which granite you wanted. I choose between several different greys - and it was much much nicer than the ones you get from Howdens etc. You can put a hot pan down without causing damage.

I have siltstone and would go for quartz in a new kitchen. Not wood or granite.

Thanks both - Worktop Express has lots of good options.

I have white Encore which is Corian by another name. Coming up six years and it still looks like new. I love it.

Encore

A friend of mine has a glass worktop like this which looks fabulous.

So I'm a quartz newbie - it was installed last week. I love it but am nervous of it. Previously we had a dark granite and I'd put heavy hot pots on it/casserole dishes etc with no problem. Now we have white sparkle quartz and the company said you can put anything on it but the fitters said to be careful with hot things. Can anyone advise please? It's Innova from DIY Kitchens which I think is their own brand but supplied via a third party (who were brilliant and said DIY prices are cheaper than they supply direct).

I have white sparkle quartz and put hot things on it... no issues thus far.

I'd be more wary about rusty things (le creuset / my cooling racks drip rust after washing) staining as I've got marks around my sink.

Thanks @opinionatedfreak that's really helpful.