Kitchen Essential

TOPS

The requirements of a worktop are that it should be tough enough to cope with all sorts of attack, yet sufficiently good-looking to be a design element in the kitchen.

The worktop is probably the most hardworking part of the whole kitchen; over the years it has to stand up to all sorts of abuse from knives, hot saucepans, water, kitchen chemicals and certain foods.

Some materials wear better than others or are relatively easy to repair; think about these things when you’re deciding what to use for your worktop. You should also consider what maintenance will be required, and how often; whether splashback edges and corners can be well sealed; if you have a long worktop, how many joints there will be; and then, look at the relative prices of the different materials. These are the practical considerations — after that it’s a matter of making your decision purely on aesthetic grounds.

Laminates

The most economical worktop material, laminate is also one of the most practical. It comes in an extraordinary array of colours, designs and textures from subtle and sophisticated to zany and eye-catching; one type or another is certain to be suitable for your kitchen, whether you want a country look or are more into high-tech. Some of the newer designs also offer quite realistic, and much cheaper, alternatives to expensive timber, marble and granite.

There are different types of laminate — the standard variety, which is a thin coloured layer stuck down to a particle (chip) board or plywood base, and, a more recent development, solid laminates which allow for softer curved edges and eliminate the black edging joins seen in the conventional laminates. The solid variety also makes scratches and chipsharder to see.

Horizontal-grade laminates are reasonably hardy, and can withstand a reasonable amount of abuse, but it’s important to use heatproof mats to avoid buckling and scorching, and chopping boards to avoid scratching. Prolonged exposure to water may cause warping. If looked after carefully, they have a long life, but once damaged, they’re very difficult to repair.

Laminates are easy to maintain — they resist grease and stains, and clean up well with mild household detergents and warm water.

Corian

Corian is the registered trade mark for a manmade worktop material which looks like marble but is much tougher than the real thing, being highly resistant to heat and stains. It can be cleaned with abrasive cleaners and scourers, and has the added advantage that if scratches do occur, they are easily sanded or scoured away.

Corian can be worked like timber, and such features as rounded edges, non- drip edges and juice grooves are often incorporated into the worktop design. It is certainly not a budget option.

Avonite

This is another manufactured composite material which has the appearance of granite, can be worked to form almost invisible joins and comes in about a dozen colours. As with Corian, it’s virtually maintenance-free, and is resistant to staining and heat. Any scratches that do occur can be removed with light sanding.

Timber

While undoubtedly an attractive material, timber, in solid planks, glue- laminated or recycled forms, is not always the most sensible choice for worktops. It can deteriorate and lose colour after constant wear from hot and cold liquids, eventually exposing the grain. The only thing to do then is to strip the timber back, sand it and reseal it. Hot saucepans and timber worktops do not make a good combination, and neither do chopping knives and timber. If it is washed down too often with detergents, it can lose its natural oils and split.

Having said all that, timber will acquire a rich patina over time and you may feel the scratches, nicks and stains add character rather than look unattractive.

However, if the imperfections would annoy you, and you’re determined to have a timber kitchen, your best bet would be to use either one of the plastic laminate timber look-alikes, or restrict the use of timber to shelves and cupboard doors.

Stainless steel

Much more popular for commercial than domestic use, stainless steel is, nevertheless, making inroads into the home kitchen. First seen as sinks and draining boards, it’s now often used to form complete worktops. It’s hygienic, easy to look after (as long as you don’t scratch it with scourers or abrasive powders), doesn’t stain and is impervious to heat. On the down side, though, it can be noisy; insulation boards gluedto the underside of the worktop can help reduce clatter. It is also expensive, but does look especially good with other industrial- type components such as commercial ovens and wire mesh shelves.

Marble

An expensive choice, marble is not altogether practical as a worktop. It’s slightly porous, and

Therefore stains easily, with the biggest culprits being some reasonably common foodstuffs such as certain vegetable dyes, wine and citrus juices. Being quite a soft material, it also scratches fairly easily.

Some types of marble are less porous than others, so if you are determined to use it in your kitchen, it is worth seeking expert advice before you decide on the variety. For those who enjoy baking, marble provides a naturally cool surface for pastrymaking; however, a marble inset may provide a more practical alternative than surfacing the whole worktop in the material.

Soap and water can be used to clean marble; abrasive cleaners are unsuitable as they scratch. Severe stains can be polished out by professionals, and the use of commercial sealers will prevent some staining.

Granite

This would have to be the ultimate worktop choice, if budget concerns were not taken into consideration. It’s virtually indestructible, impervious to heat and liquids, scratch and chip- resistant, and non-porous. It’s available in fabulous colours from greys and greens through reds and blues to black, and comes with square, bevelled or bullnosed edges. One thing you have to be careful about, though, is that granite is a very hard material, and unforgiving to dropped china and glassware. When it’s first installed you have to adjust the force with which you put down the china to avoid chips or breaks.

Ceramic tiles

With the increased choice of worktop materials over the years, ceramic tiles are losing their popularity for this particular job. That’s probably just as well, as they are not particularly suitable. The grouting, unless epoxy, can very quickly become discoloured and is difficult to clean; the tiles themselves are noisy, and can crack if hot saucepans are put onto them. They are also quite fragile, and can chip or break if anything heavy is dropped onto them. Highly glossed tiles tend to show wear fairly quickly, too. All in all, it’s probably sensible to restrict tiles to floors and splashbacks.

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