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Original poster

Laminate or quartz worktop for utility?

32 replies

millefeuille2 · 31/08/2022 15:35

We've been waiting to do our utility for a year now. The time has finally come. It's a small room, roughly 2.4m x 1.7m.

Having read good reviews for DIY Kitchens, I'm going to get the cabinets and worktop from there. My question is whether to get a quartz worktop or laminate. The price difference is stark, as you can imagine. £1300 vs. £90. We have quartz in the kitchen and it's lovely. I'm not planning to redo the utility again anytime soon, and we're not planning to move again. We can afford the quartz, though obviously the opportunity cost is massive - it's like 40 takeaways!

What should I do? What other considerations are there?

OP posts:
Unbridezilla · 31/08/2022 15:39

For a utility room, it wouldn't be worth the cost of quartz for me. The only exception might be if your utility is actually easily visible from the kitchen, ie it's more of a utility corner than actual separate room.

I can vouch for the duropal laminate from DIY kitchens. I didn't have the budget for quartz, but it looks great. Laminate is also warmer and less noisy than quartz, and I could cut and fit it myself (mine really was a diy kitchen!)

Original poster
millefeuille2 · 31/08/2022 15:47

Thanks @Unbridezilla is it the sort of thing that could last say 20 years? Or will it start looking tired or chipped after 5? We use the utility room to store tools, and my husband is always pulling them out and dumping the tool boxes (not gently!) on the worktop. I'm worried about what this might do to the worktop! (I've only ever had wood or quartz before)

OP posts:
Surtsey · 31/08/2022 15:48

It is rather a large price difference, isn't it?

Too large perhaps...

Original poster
millefeuille2 · 31/08/2022 15:52

The price difference is partly explained by the installation cost for quartz (which is around half of the total). No installation cost for laminate, except, well, our builder.

OP posts:
Ariela · 31/08/2022 15:54

I'd go for a good quality laminate.

We have a Magnet one, only after 30+ years is it beginning to suffer from wear and tear in a couple of places - yet I can take pans off the hob/out of the oven straight on to it.

Africa2go · 31/08/2022 16:01

We have Duropal laminate in a utility room - when we had an extension, we used a piece of the laminate that had been in the kitchen for the utility - so I'm guessing its about 7 or 8 years old now. We've not been careful with it in the utility room, and it has a few marks / scratches in it now so I'm looking to change it. We have quartz in the kitchen too - thats about 5 years old and still looks as good as new. Having said that, £90, even if you have to replace is a few years so its 2 x £90 is still much cheaper than £1300.

MyBuggyIsOutToGetMe · 31/08/2022 16:04

I would consider what kind of sink you have/want and positioning of taps. I learned from bitter experience that if you inherit a laminate worktop with a tap hole drilled through it, if the tap ever leaks, you will have to change the entire worktop.🙄

So laminate is fine with a standard stainless steel sink that has a tap hole. But if you want a Belfast sink or similar, you’d need a different type of worktop.

nokitchen · 31/08/2022 16:07

Laminate in the utility here. Especially when I think what goes on in the sink in there.

Original poster
millefeuille2 · 31/08/2022 16:07

@MyBuggyIsOutToGetMe ah that's good info! The sink I'm looking at (there's not a huge amount of choice at DIYK but this is fine for me) doesn't have a tap hole so the hole would be in the worktop.

OP posts:
Original poster
millefeuille2 · 31/08/2022 16:08

Is it not precisely because of what goes on in the utility that quartz would be better? Sturdier and more able to handle knocks and bumps?

OP posts:
LadyEloise1 · 31/08/2022 16:17

If you're dh dumps his tool box on the countertop I'm not sure laminate will be strong enough.
Will quartz ? Will it chip ?

Original poster
millefeuille2 · 31/08/2022 16:20

I think quartz would be strong enough to withstand his dumping! I'm just not sure laminate would. I mean, I'd ask him to be careful and he would TRY, but can't be policing him and worrying about it all the time.

OP posts:
Original poster
millefeuille2 · 31/08/2022 16:27

Also, can any DIY kitchen pros here explain why some laminates are 6x more than others? For example, 'white sparkle' laminate is over £600 vs. £90 for 'abruzzo colore'.

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TheTeddyBears · 31/08/2022 18:00

Laminate for utility room. We got quartz in the kitchen but I cld not justify the extra for a wee tiny bit of worktop for the utility. It's 4yrs old now but both still look great. No regrets!

Sanch1 · 31/08/2022 18:39

We have quartz in our utility but that's only because we had to buy to slabs for our kitchen and had enough left over for our utility. I would have had laminate otherwise. Having said that its very robust, the kids and DH treat like a complete dumping ground and its doing well! Its also through from the kitchen so looks nice it all being the same!

Rosemarypots · 31/08/2022 20:21

I'm just about to get quartz in my utility, but I'm doing the kitchen at the same time. In our case we need three 300cm slabs for everything we want in the kitchen, and we're actually going to use an off cut for the utility rather than eat into a fourth slab - i.e. a bit of quartz left over from somebody else's kitchen project. It might be worth seeing if a local supplier could do you an off cut for a cheaper price - in our case as long as we can get one that's white or grey then we're not bothered about the pattern.

You sound like you want quartz... if you can afford it and keep thinking about it then I'd say go for it. But that's just me!

FrogFairy · 01/09/2022 00:31

The middle ground would be compact solid laminate which is 100% waterproof.

Ramona75 · 01/09/2022 06:28

Quartz all the way, it really sets the kitchen off, no having to edge the exposed ends as it solid through and through. If you have the budget then go for it. You only get to see the 40 takeaways 40 times, you'll see the worktop forever!

BarrelOfOtters · 01/09/2022 06:36

We got laminate for utility. I find quartz very ‘clinky’ and noisy. We have it in the kitchen. So if I was putting tool boxes etc down I’d go for good quality laminate instead. If it was a more pantry utility I could see from kitchen….then quartz.

Isseywith3witchycats · 01/09/2022 20:02

i have the duropal square edge laminate from DIYK in my kitchen and its exceptional quality for laminate the top layer is very thick and dosent look shiny and plasticky im well happy with it and a year later looks like brand new the sink i went for the innova stainless steel one from DIYK

ManAboutTown · 01/09/2022 20:09

Have you checked out granite - don't think it will be as expensive as quartz

Ifyouknowyouknowyouknow · 01/09/2022 20:14

We got quartz in the kitchen, laminate in the utility. Both 5 years old and both looking great. Like others have said the laminate is warmer and quieter. For £90 I’d go for that and you can always get the quartz later if you end upnregretting it (suspect you won’t).

Original poster
millefeuille2 · 01/09/2022 21:45

Thanks all. I'll have a think. I'm leaning towards quartz I have to say. I've never seen a laminate worktop that I thought passed for quartz or granite before that's all. I don't want anything that looks cheap or scruffy, as I really don't want builders in the house again for a long time after this job.

I did look at granite but the price was the same on DIYK. The installation cost was around £650, same as for quartz.

OP posts:
NeedAHoliday2021 · 01/09/2022 23:33

We’ve got quartz but that’s because you walk through it to the back door so visible and not shut away plus we have a big Belfast sink with shower head tap for bathing the dog so quartz was the only sensible option. My mum’s had top quality laminate before and that was really good in her utility with dad’s tools and clumsiness.

Apl · 01/09/2022 23:40

Be aware that you can get a DIYK kitchen but also buy your worktop elsewhere - we got a compact laminate (minerva) which is basically a solid slab of plastic that looks like quartz. Think was from worktop express, can’t recall.

You sound like you want to be talked into quartz tho. If everytime you see the utility you wish you’d got quartz, then do it…