Kitchen Benchtop Ideas

Coming up with great kitchen benchtop ideas is one of the key tasks you must undertake when designing your kitchen. The benchtop is one of the most visible parts of the kitchen and is also the most heavily used surface so you have to get it right when choosing. Today there are a wide variety of products to select from to suit different applications and budgets. Presented below is a breakdown of some of the different types of kitchen benchtops available making it easy for you to pick the best one for you:

Laminate: Consisting of a thin laminate material bonded to particle board or MDF using resin and high pressure. It is a very popular product due to the amount of colours and textures available. Laminate benchtops are a factory produced material which accounts for the economy of the product. In most cases it is supplied as a modular, ready-made product for DIY applications, but placed in the hands of a craftsman it can have stunning results for your kitchen.

Granite: Granite in most situations is stain, chip, scratch and burn resistant making it a good natural stone material for use in food preparation areas. There are many colours and patterns to choose from but not all granite slabs are the same. The majority of granite benchtops are supplied from overseas in modular sections, making it virtually impossible to have an entire benchtop without visible joins.

Solid Surface: One of the great kitchen benchtop ideas is to use a solid surface material. This blend of natural minerals and polymers mimics the look of some natural stone materials but is more flexible to design with. It can be moulded around corners and when installed, all seams are invisible. Better still, if the surface is damaged in most cases it can be repaired.

Glass: Glass is a non-porous, relatively stain-proof, hygienic, and heat resistant material for kitchen counters. It is wonderful for creating a sense of lightness and openness in a kitchen. No glass is free of imperfections – it may have warping/distortions due to heat tempering, surface marks and air bubbles trapped inside the material. For the best glass – don’t go to a typical window glazier – visit an up market kitchen cabinet maker who will already have found the best glazier.

Marble: Marble is a top of the range material for benchtops because of its beauty and rarity in large slabs. Finding the right marble slab for your benchtop is a challenge in itself as there are many different kinds and the one you want may not be available in the size you need. Ensure you go to a quality supplier or kitchen manufacturer where you can hand pick the slab yourself rather than just from a sample – by picking a slab yourself you can avoid slabs with inconsistencies like rust marks, cracks, pitting and veins. Like all natural stones they require regular sealing.

Stainless Steel: Stainless steel benchtops entered the domestic market some years back but are still proving a popular choice. Much of its popularity arises from its ability to be cleaned easily and the fact that it will match in with stainless steel appliances. When first installed the surface will have a uniform brushed look but over time it will form a patina that will stay with it for the life of the product (just like a stainless steel sink). Make sure your stainless steel benchtop is made by a quality domestic stainless steel fabricator and not a commercial fabricator. Stainless steel fabricators who cater to the commercial kitchen market may not be able to provide attention to detail and the end product will not be the refined look you are after.

There are more materials that can be used for kitchen benchtops out on the market but the ones represented here are the most common. Like with any product, try to get unbiased and expert advice to help you find what’s best for you.