Dullsville thread: new kitchen worktops

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We’ve got attractive wooden worktops inherited from the previous owner, but we’re bad at keeping them dry and have now got a huge black streak along one wall and a gash near the tap… what’s your favourite worktop and why? We’ve got a kitchen of slightly mixed messages with glossy white cabinets and a metal roll down on one cupboard, but soft Egyptian Cotton walls and of course the wood currently sends it back towards a more organic/country feel.

I am about to get a new kitchen and have gone for quartz with a rolled edge - off white with not too crazy warm brown marbling- this will be with cream shaker cabinets and a walnut island with brass handles. Also inherited wooden worktops and they now look like arse because I didnt maintain them. I just need lower maintenance.

We have this one in the 20mm. They gave us lots of choices for the edge profile but we kept it pretty square with a little bevel. We also have a 10cm? upstand with washable paint which seems to work well and we had them cut a piece to make a new windowsill too.

https://purplegranite.co.uk/products/bqs-opus-white.

Actually, that wasn't the supplier we used (the kitchen guy arranged and I can't remember who it was). It comes in loads of different colours etc and it looks like you can order samples.

I had wood effect laminate in my previous house. They looked and felt just like wood, didn’t stain or scratch and didn’t need any maintenance.
I’ve now got a kitchen with wooden worktops that need oiling but it’s a total pain of a job apparently, and you’re supposed to do it every 6 months or something. I don’t know why people think wood ones are better than a good quality laminate.

They obviously are not. Quartz or granite is the best though. Granite is indestructible.

‘Obviously’? In what way?

Wood is obviously not better. I agree!

We have laminate. We've got proper wooden cabinet doors and expensive oak shelves but we knew we couldn't look after a wood worktop. I still think it looks okay enough!

Thank you all!

Hi, I’ll add my 2 penny worth…

Wood - warm, cosy but a pig to keep looking good around water.
Laminate - easy to clean but knives mark it and don’t put hot thing on it.
quartz - Great with water and looks great, but the resin in it can burn if a hot pan is put on it.
Granite - is great, but very expensive- only downside is it can chip.
Dekton (ceramic) - is cheaper than Granite, you can chop on it (but will blunt your knives) and put cast iron jam pots on it without burning. It doesn’t stain - even with red wine and turmeric on a white one.

I put in a Dekton one for DM 4 years ago. It proved itself “mum-proof” and is still lovely.

I’m struggling to see how you get knife marks on a work top. Do people really chop things up straight on the worktop and not use a chopping board? Why would you do it if you knew the knife would damage it?

I never had any problems with knife marks or from hot things with laminate, and that was with two teenagers who weren’t the most careful about bashing things around.

I wanted a recycled glass one but they were quite pricey. We went with quartz. It's good and our house is very messy and clumsy!