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?

@CellophaneFlower yes I see what you mean. We have an overlay sink with laminate at the moment and tbh we do tend to splash a fair bit.
I think wood effect laminate looks better than the stone effect from what I've seen. I just resent paying for the chipboard core and like the feeling of wood, but I appreciate it may be for tidier and more careful types than us!

I'm going for laminate when we do our kitchen. We've got wood currently (was there when we moved in), previous houses had laminate and we've experienced granite/quartz in various holiday homes. I like laminate the best for cost and zero after care.

@TiddleTaddleTat

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...

Wood worktops can look great but they are just so high maintenance. I like hardy surfaces that can take a bit of a bashing and still look great. Wood is a needy bugger.

I vote corian or granite. Had both with kids and both virtually indestructible. Had a white flecked corian worktop in one house and it was a dream. The most we ever had to do was wipe with a weak bleach/ water solution near the coffee machine but otherwise it got water with a spray of washing up liquid and looked beautiful. Mind you we have a dark wood worktop in our current house and it must have been in since the 1980s and still looks perfect. It’s not next to the sink though.

For those saying laminate, doesn’t putting something hot on it completely ruin it? Or is there a new improved version now?

We had laminate in our old house - must have been in 15 years when we moved in and we lived there 15 years. Bomb proof. We never put a really hot straight off the hob pan on it - but I don't think you would on anything.

But it definitely had pans on it - cups of tea, spilt wine.

I had some really ugly dark granite laminate in my old flat. It was absolutely indestructible. I put hot pans on it and chopped onions on it and everything else and it remained pristine. Ugly but pristine.

For those saying laminate, doesn’t putting something hot on it completely ruin it? Or is there a new improved version now?

We had laminate installed in our previous house, used it for over 15 years, and have put laminate in the current one (temporary kitchen). No issues with hot stuff whatsoever. We use oven a lot and have always put trays with things like Yorkshire puds or roast potatoes (the hottest examples I can think of) straight from the oven onto the worktop - no problem.
I think the older, formica-type surfaces or cheapest laminates with shiny plasticky coating may be an issue.

Stainless steel

Quartz and granite are supposed to be the most durable materials and are pretty impervious. What are you staining it with?
No plastic type surface will survive hot dishes or pans straight from cooker or oven but some will be stain resistant.
Stainless steel is most durable, as per commercial kitchens but it will develop fine scratches with use, it's quite functional.

Darker timbers or sustainable hardwoods (if you can find them) are more durable but sounds like you want a "pristine" showroom look which you won't get with timber.

Stainless steel reminds me of a morgue 😱 Perhaps as I'm currently binge watching Silent Witness

I’ve had sparkly white quartz for 9 years, I would recommend it like a shot. Easy to clean, always looks fab, very low maintenance. Doesn’t stain.

@NotMeNoNo I'm not bothered about pristine. Can you suggest any sustainable woods that aren't as delicate? I've heard of iroko but don't know how sustainable it would be. I've seen the old science desks on eBay, reclaimed iroko, but they all have sink cutouts and I would need a 2.5m run

Actually 2m

I've done the reclaimed teak/iroko worktops, they were finished in Osmo hardwax oil which is a durable treatment for timber.
We had to make do with a few joints as they were 1.6m artroom desks, but the carpenter made them look very neat.

They weren't pristine to start with, even after sanding there were some residual marks/graffiti, but they certainly didn't stain, in fact they shrugged off water and everything. And you can sand and re-oil patches if necessary.
I'd do it again any day. They were so tactile and interesting.

With reclaimed materials you have to accept the limitations and there will be variations, joins and repairs as part of the history.

I'm a big fan of Osmo products but after an experiment with a baked bean tin on a worktop sample, I was still cautious about oak.
However I suspect a lot of timber worktops don't have a suitable waterproof finish or people misinterpret the black staining on oak (Tannin) as mould. I believe oxalic acid will take out those stains from oak.

Sounds like reclaimed iroko is a viable option for me.
Much more sustainable than laminate too

My new kitchen.

Laminate worktop.

Just a warning about laminate - when I had my cracked ceramic hob replaced, which was integrated, small bits of laminate around the edge of the gap on which the hob was mounted came off. The workman repaired it (it's since come off again), but at the time he said it was "always a problem with laminate" worktops. So for this reason I would choose something more durable the next time.

For those less clumsy than me who don't need to replace hobs, laminate should be ok though. Anyway, my laminate is 16 years old so may be of inferior quality to today's products.

Have granite for 17 years. Teens cooking. Absolutely no care taken. It's as perfect as the day we got it. Not one mark.

I love wood and stone, I even have wood floors in the kitchen, but wouldn't have either stone or wood for a kitchen worktop.
Wood is high maintenance if you're anywhere near a sink. Stone/slate is too heavy for cheaper built units, costs a fortune, and will chip or break anything you drop on it, it's very unforgiving. If it doesn't chip itself. And some stones stain with grease or oil.

It's laminate, for me, all the way. One of the few times when the cheapest type of surface is actually the best, in practical terms, though I'd go for a decent quality one if you can find a colour you like rather than the cheapest. And not a dark colour, because you can't see if it isn't clean.

My one beef with laminate at present is there are few good creamy colours. Traditional old 'onyx' was great, had several slivers of colours in it, and looked good with wooden and solid-coloured fronts. Even the more recent onyx was okay. But neither are now available. It's very much '276400 colours of dreary grey' at the moment. I am having to settle for a Formica one called crystal granite- not really what I wanted, a bit cold and a bit 'busy', but the best of what's available in terms of what will 'go' with my kitchen colours.

@Toddlerteaplease

My new kitchen.

That's the look I want! Can you please share more details? What brand is it?

I’ve had wood for years and don’t find it terribly high maintenance. Oil every 6 months. Some marks and dents don’t take away from it in my opinion. Wood effect laminate can look really good too though.

Slab tech is fabulous, less expensive than corian but beautifully solid and hardwearing