Buying Kitchen Worktops
Replacing kitchen worktops can completely, transform your existing kitchen, breathing new life into it. You can choose from a large selection of materials as well as colours to change the appearance and functionality of your kitchen. Today, you will find some of the traditional materials along with new and improved materials such as quartz. This newly engineered material for kitchen worktops ranges in size from coarse grains to rock salt size. However, when the quartz is ground up, the crystals are blended beautifully with colour and bonding agents. From there, the process includes heating the material and then vibro-compacting it so an impenetrable surface is created.
The benefit of quartz, kitchen worktops is that the material will never develop cracks or fissures. Being a solid surface, it is also unyielding to water, bacteria, or moisture, a huge benefit for the kitchen. Quartz, kitchen worktops are simply gorgeous. The slabs are perfectly finished by using wheels of different sizes. The result is a gorgeous shine. Again, the colour is solid and the mottling natural, which means the quartz, runs throughout the entire worktop.
Obviously, quartz, kitchen worktops will cost more than other materials but well worth the investment. However, if you find yourself on a budget, you can still enjoy beautiful worktops but for less money. The key when choosing your kitchen worktops is to look for specific factors such as stain resistance, strength, durability, burn proof, and of course, elegance. The one material that meets all of these requirements is granite or natural stone, which is the top seller.
If you want to choose natural stone for your kitchen worktop, take time to look at a variety of finishes, colours, types, thickness, texture, and of course appearance. You can visit a number of stores that sell granite and natural store and be amazed at the variety. After all, with this material, no two pieces are alike, which means you end up with kitchen worktops that are a "one of a kind". When you talk about natural stone, this encompasses a number of materials to include granite, soapstone, slate, limestone, marble, Jerusalem stone, and so on.
Now, when looking at the hardness of the kitchen worktop material, again, granite lands at the top of the list. Since granite is a composition of quartz, feldspar, and mica, you get the best of the best. Just remember that unlike the new quartz material, granite and all other forms of natural stone are porous. Therefore, you want to have the piece you choose for your kitchen sealed. Although granite is naturally resistant to acidic products, it is porous so it is highly recommended that you have it sealed before being installed and then again once every year.
Another great material for kitchen worktops is soapstone. This material was the original stone used for worktops and although it faded from the spotlight for a few years, it has again surfaced and become a top contender. Soapstone has the same appearance as marble, making it a great choice. However, soapstone is made from composites of chlorite, dolomite, magnesite, and talc. The difference between soapstone and granite is that soapstone is soft to the touch. The disadvantage to this material is that it scratches relatively easy but it is a great choice regardless and available in beautiful colours of grey, blue, and green.
Now for slate, because of its natural ability to resist heat, it is also a good choice. However, if you are considering this for your kitchen worktops, remember, it does scratch easily. Slate is a composite of seabed, slate stone, which is wonderful for reflecting colours of black, blue, and deep green. To enhance the appearance, you can apply mineral oil and the colours will pop. Finally, you could go with Jerusalem stone, which is like a sandy colour of limestone. The difference is that Jerusalem stone is not nearly as porous and it has a soft feel.
As you can see, when it comes to kitchen worktops, you have a huge variety from which to choose. If you have a contemporary kitchen, then granite or marble would look stunning, if your kitchen were more traditional, Jerusalem stone or slate would be a gorgeous choice. However, because these materials are so versatile, you can mix and match, and still have a kitchen to make everyone jealous.