Best kitchen counter tops? Must be easy to clean!

[GreySkiesSunshine]

Not quartz, not granite. I was hoping for wood but that seems like it needs a lot of TLC . The cabinets are white and those won't change but the counters are old and need replacing. It's a small kitchen in a flat! Any other types of counters I should consider?

What's an easy to clean but stylish kitchen counter?

Why not quartz or granite? If it’s due to cost, then if you don’t need long runs it might be worth ringing up local worktop places and ask if they supply offcuts for cheaper.

Corian is very easy to clean, even more so if you get it with the mould upstand so there’s no corner.

Laminate is very easy to clean and looks much better than it used to IMO.

Ply with a formica top layer is “in” at the moment.

Porcelain, Dekton, recycled glass, are all quite cutting edge, probably not cheap though.

Thanks. It's not a cost issue but rather an upkeep issue. We have a previous quartz counter which stained easily but wasn't not able to be removed. Now I want something easy to clean /upkeep which will never stain!

Watching with interest - for next time.
Not wood! Dents easily, and needs re-oiled periodically. Unless you like the shabby chic look. DH does ours about twice a year, and it's a total faff.

Our granite has been down for 14 years and no stains yet

Doddle to clean - Tesco £1 glass cleaner and a microfibre mitt

It depends if you’re bothered by trends. Quartz and granite have been around forever and seem to have had their day, although I know they still have their fan base.

Our Howdens laminate worktop is very easy to clean with a damp cloth.

We have wood effect laminate. It's easy to clean and no stains so far.

Modern laminate in the square cut looks pretty goid & is durable & easy to clean.

If you want something bombproof I would look at Dekton or Neolith.

However, there is a big variety of durability in quartz - both between brands and even different colours within the same brand. So I wouldn’t write off all quartz due to one bad experience necessarily.

Dark granite won’t stain and is very low maintenance IME, and heat resistant.

Laminate quite honestly. If you have a life to live and don't want to dedicate it to kitchen maintenance then laminate all the way. No oiling, chipping, polishing or scratching. No trivets.

A good quality laminate is still the most durable and can be stylish enough while being cost effective. Good installation is key with skilled application of sealant.

Wilsonart laminates are the best.

Laminate, ask about quality. Easy to replace. We’ve gone for quartz, getting fitted today, and I’m not sure we shouldn’t just have gone for laminate.

weve got duropal laminate square edge and over a year after having our kitchen put in it still looks brand new and is so easy to keep clean spray with kitchen cleaner wipe off with a microfibre cloth sorted

Do not get wood - we have it, hate it. It was done as a stop gap was we had intended to redo the kitchen within 5 years (have now lived there 10 years, 1 additional DC and no new kitchen !!!). It is really hard to clean crumbs and spills and has to be oiled regularly.

We had wood and hated it. It stained, was hard to dry, always looked rubbish and dirty.
Also had granite which we managed to crack and it always looked dusty.

Have laminate now and it’s so much easier than both of the above plus it was cheap!

Wood, is beautiful, but very high maintenance. Granite is also high maintenance, I just want to wipe over a work surface, not have to buff it up each time. Laminate all the way for me, very low maintenance.

Quartz shouldn't stain. Unlike granite, it's not porous.

I have stainless steel. Heatproof stain proof probably bombproof. Does scratch and obviously looks industrial.

We have a granite surface in the bathroom and it lost loads of its black colour

Love Corian. Have had wood and stainless steel and prefer Corian.

I'm in the market for this too and am undecided between wood and laminate. Am concerned about environmental impact of laminate tbh. Wood needs periodic oiling but apart from that - ?
I like wood generally in that it can be sanded etc.
Generally dislike laminate but understand it has its place.
Kitchen company were negative about wood compared to laminate, but maybe that's because they don't offer wood worktops and we'd have to buy elsewhere...

@TiddleTaddleTat I think the issue with wood is that you need to be precious with it. Even when oiled, if you aren't careful round the sink area it may go black. An overlay sink with taps is probably a better choice rather than inset. Wood does look lovely if you're prepared to make the effort though. I couldn't have wood effect laminate simply as I have an issue with things pretending to be something they're not

How did you manage to stain quartz? It’s usually so much better than anything else in that respect

My wood worktop looked lovely but I was scared to put anything hot/stainy on it when it was new, including wine bottles that had dripped, tea drops etc! Kept wiping water from by the taps etc.

I'm
Having laminate in my new kitchen. Wood effect with white cupboards. My sister has solid oak in hers. I can't see any difference between what I've chosen and what she has.