Worktops are an important feature of the kitchen and can be often overlooked when it comes to the initial stages of planning and design. However, when it comes to the worktops it’s just like choosing paint colours, where they can make or break the way a space feels. They are without a doubt the workhorse of the kitchen.
There are many options available to choose from when it comes to deciding what worktop is best for you and your home. A marble top is absolutely stunning but the surface is porous and can stain easily, so it may be worth looking at a low-maintenance quartz option in a marbled style as an alternative.
In this blog, we will look at Quartz, Marble, Wood, and Granite in detail to give you a better understanding of what to choose. We will also show you examples of each one in our handmade projects.
Top Tip: If you include a kitchen island, be mindful of the size and try to get the worktop in one piece to avoid any joins if possible.
Quartz
Quartz is a very popular material to add to the home especially to a handmade kitchen. At The Handmade Kitchen Company by Nicholas Bridger, we supply the finest Quartz worktops on the market, letting you have a choice of the manufacturer to use, all made with the standard process of production – 93% quartz and 7% of pigments and resin. A Quartz stone is non-porous, scratch & stain-resistant, and extremely hardwearing making them easy to maintain – all you need is a little soapy water.
A quartz worktop will look just as amazing as it did the day it was installed 10 years later. We have to remember that warm items above 70°c placed directly on top of the worktops could cause damage. Avoid this by placing something beneath the hot object such as a wooden board or trivet, you could even have a worktop saver made in the same material as your worktop.
To add a timeless design to this classic shaker in our Golders Green, Barnet project our client opted for a Carrara style quartz to top the cabinets off with a hard-wearing surface. The crisp white background and subtle sinuous grey veins matched perfectly with the aged brass hardware and the soft black known as Railings by Farrow & Ball.
Granite
Granite is naturally different and is a traditional luxury style of worktops, with the material being carved from the rock faces of quarries around the world. This material is 100% natural and therefore every slab of granite is unique. They are beautiful, durable, and extremely robust. There is a slight drawback to granite and that is that it could cause some staining if not careful.
Cosmic Black granite was chosen for the island piece in the Broxbourne project. It provides the space with a striking statement all the way from Brazil finished with naturally occurring bands of quartz and mics, along with red garnets that create the white and copper coloured swirls on the black background.
Marble
A marble is a natural beauty material that consists of exquisite markings. It is inexpensive compared to other surface but a porous product, so you have to be comfortable with the damage that it could occur in a working kitchen. Ingredients such as lemon and other acids will eat into the marble while spices like turmeric and chilli powder can cause everlasting damage and stains.
To create the ultimate backdrop in this large open-plan space located in Stock, Essex, a Calacatta Oro marble is found with subtle gold and grey colour running along the veins in a gorgeous design.
Wood
Solid wooden worktops are popular with clients who are looking for an ‘all-wood’ kitchen. They are attractive to look at and are very functional. Wood has a soft, textured, and warm feel to it creating a family-friendly environment. As a general rule of thumb, wood and water do not mix well and wooden worktops will quickly deteriorate, so choosing a quartz or granite for the sink area is the best idea.
In the Upminster, Essex project the island is made up of two surfaces, including a quartz and a solid wood section to make the breakfast bar creating a warm and homely feel.
If you would like to design and build a handmade kitchen contact us today – we look forward to hearing from you.
