Kitchen remodelling can be an expensive undertaking. Kitchen fittings – even in new homes – can cost a great deal when the costs of plumbing and appliances are factored into the equation. Interior designers will all agree that the kitchen is probable to be the most expensive room to refurbish in any home – or at least on a par with a large bathroom. However, kitchen redesigns and refurbishments also offer a great return when it comes to investment in the property. So it’s a great idea to invest in a good kitchen worktop. In the past, function over form was what was important. But with today’s technological advances, function does not have to take precedence. A kitchen worktop can look truly breathtaking, with no loss of its primary purpose, which pertains to cooking and preparing food and cleaning up afterwards.
There are numerous cheap alternatives to the stone kitchen worktop you might be considering. But are they themselves worth the lower costs in terms of time and money associated with installation and upkeep?
Take laminate, PVC or plastic worktops. The ease with which a laminate kitchen worktop surface can be wiped clean ought not be underestimated. There is no comparison when it comes to cost. The adaptability of these surfaces to any kitchen due to the wide variety of colours and designs that are available makes them attractive too. They are also maintenance free relative to other surfaces, and they won’t require any special kinds of cleaners or detergents. But let’s look at some of the disadvantages: However well they have been chemically treated, they can melt and burn in ways that hardier surfaces can’t and won’t. Often, marble or granite kitchen worktops require a simple wipe down with a damp cloth to clean them – and a cleaner can be applied if necessary. These surfaces can also be treated to make them less porous and water resistant. Laminates will of course have a great resistance to liquids. However, a laminate surface can cause germs to spread due to standard kitchen activities.
For instance, laminate surfaces can sometimes be damaged, and a scratch mark can be more significant on these surfaces than on others in terms of spreading germs. They aren’t fashionable, and although they can be mocked up with speckling, graining and various other design elements to appear as another surface, one touch, a second glance or a quick inspection puts paid to any thoughts that you are in a kitchen with a stone surface worktop. As a result, they often look like cheap knockoffs of the more expensive surfaces that they mimic.
Those who specialise in the manufacture and installing of granite or marble kitchen worktops – as well as worktops of other kinds – will agree that granite and marble stone is of the highest quality when it comes to choosing your surface. However, there are other options available.
Granite is heat resistant and tolerant of staining, with a durability and a strength that combines with its elegance to achieve both an aesthetically pleasing and utilitarian style.
