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The kitchen is at the heart of every home, and for many kitchens, the worktop is at the heart of it. But because of that the worktop is subject to a huge amount of wear and tear, experiencing contact with knifes and hot pots and pans on a near daily occurrence. It is because of this that the material you choose for the worktop is of great importance – ideally you want something that not only looks great and fits in with the décor of your kitchen, but that is also very hard wearing, so that it will last for years to come.
One of the most popular types of materials for use in the modern kitchen is stone. This includes marble, limestone, granite and sandstone.
The hardest wearing, yet also the most expensive of the stones is granite. Granite can easily cost in excess of £150 a metre, and for good reason – the material is notoriously difficult and expensive to obtain and if properly looked after, it should last a lifetime. However, over time, small chips and scratches may occur but thankfully there are simpler ways of overcoming these problems than replacing the whole surface. Granite worktop repair is a quick, simple and relatively cheap procedure which if executed in the right hands, can achieve almost invisible results, ensuring that the worktop looks as good as new.
Slate is a fantastic alternative to granite, particularly as it costs around half the price, and due to its colouring will perfectly complement a kitchen decorated in dark or subdued tones. However, despite common belief that slate is only available in grey, it can actually be found in a range of colours including cyan, purple and green. Slate also offers the benefits of being highly durable, resistant to heat and difficult to stain.
Another beautiful stone for use within a kitchen (or in many other parts of the home) is marble. Its beauty has meant it has been used as a building material for thousands of years, and despite its cost, it is still relatively popular today. However, while marble is a durable and heat resistant material it is quite prone to staining, and liquids commonly found in the kitchen such as oils and vinegar can pose a hazard. However, this doesn’t mean marble isn’t suitable as a kitchen countertop material – it is – it just requires a little more care than other materials such as granite. However, marble does benefit from the fact that like granite worktop repair, marble repair is also very quick and simple. People trained and experienced in marble repair should also be able to achieve near invisible results. With this is mind, marble is worth the expense due to the ease at which it can be repaired and therefore the length of time that it will last.
However, the most popular material for the kitchen worktop is in fact, laminate – the reason being that it is versatile and (generally) cheap. Yet like with most things in life, you get what you pay for, and laminate worktops are available in a vast range of price bands, starting with the cheap and wasteful through to more expensive laminates that are built to be very hard wearing as well as stain and moisture resistant. Considering the durability of cheaper laminate worktops, it may be worth spending the extra on a more expensive grade-laminate; to ensure a replacement countertop isn’t needed shortly down the line.
Other options are wood and stainless steel. Although wood looks fantastic, and will perfectly complement a ‘rustic’ kitchen, it isn’t the most hygienic of materials, and can become damaged quite easily through use of knifes and other sharp kitchen appliances. Stainless steel worktops tend to be found in restaurant kitchens, due to how hygienic the material is. Despite this, it can look out of place in a home environment, since it can appear somewhat ‘clinical’.
Therefore, despite how tempting it may be to save a little cash and opt for the cheaper worktop materials such as laminate, it can often be more financially viable to spend more initially on a material such as granite or marble. This is because both granite worktop repair and marble repair are very cheap and easy procedures to complete, meaning that the worktops should last for many, many years, rather than cheaper materials which may need an entire replacement after a seemingly short amount of time.
This article was written by James Harper on behalf of Hometech. James is a talented writer on a variety of subjects including home design and repairs.
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