To understand what the optimal worktop is, you'd have to know what you care about. Separately, it'd be good to know if all worktops of the same material behaves exactly the same. For example - are all quartz worktops equally easy to stain?

 

Does anyone know a list?

 

I'd love to see something like:

 

wood (type?)

- easy to stain by water

- easy to stain by curry

- impossible to crack

- heat resistant up to 100C

 

corian

- heat resistant up to 200C 

- impossible to stain by water.. 

- easy to crack

 

.. etc

 

Or am I wrong? Is there a perfect uncrackable, unstainable, super heat resistant material?  Obviously price is also a thing but let's start with does it even exist?

Well we have both Granite (Italian I think) and Oak, treated with 3 coats of 2 pack varnish.

 

BOTH do not stain (well I have not found anything that has stained them yet, certainly not curry or red wine) and certainly not plain water.

 

The granite I am sure would crack if I dropped a sledge hammer on it, but has not chipped or cracked or scratched in normal use, but drop a plate on it and the plate definitely breaks.

 

The Granite is not bothered by hot pans or boiling water.  We take care (use a trivet) not to "test" the oak with a hot pan.

 

The oak won't crack but drop a heavy pointed object and it will dent very slightly.

 

Deckton is similar to corian but stronger and more durable with a higher price tag to match. That's the Roll's Royce of solid surfaces that I know of. It would be better than Corian, Hi-mac, stilestone, etc. I couldn't afford it so went with Corian but have a timber worktop in the pantry which is also perfect but doesn't get as much abuse.

Edited October 9, 20215 yr by Dudda

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

Well we have both Granite (Italian I think) and Oak, treated with 3 coats of 2 pack varnish.

 

BOTH do not stain (well I have not found anything that has stained them yet, certainly not curry or red wine) and certainly not plain water.

Welllll I've had a few wood surfaces and both of them would very very easily stain even after being 'properly' treated. Of course I'm not necessarily talking about right in the middle but for example the place where the sink is embedded in the worktop - there's often waterdrops sitting on that seam and they will make their way into the worktop.

 

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

 

The granite I am sure would crack if I dropped a sledge hammer on it, but has not chipped or cracked or scratched in normal use, but drop a plate on it and the plate definitely breaks.

 

Sure, but lemon juice on granite..

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

 

The Granite is not bothered by hot pans or boiling water.  We take care (use a trivet) not to "test" the oak with a hot pan.

 

The oak won't crack but drop a heavy pointed object and it will dent very slightly.

define "slightly" - I guess aesthetics are a funny thing, many people like wood (I do too!) but I guess I like "perfection" more than I like wood, so indeed wood with some discoloration or even a small-ish bump in an otherwise smooth surface will bother me. Some people are absolutely fine with a deeply battered surface!

52 minutes ago, Dudda said:

Deckton is similar to corian but stronger and more durable with a higher price tag to match. That's the Roll's Royce of solid surfaces that I know of. It would be better than Corian, Hi-mac, stilestone, etc. I couldn't afford it so went with Corian but have a timber worktop in the pantry which is also perfect but doesn't get as much abuse.

Hmm, I should look into dekton. I believe @joth has sapienstone which was/is my go-to, its main problem being the brittleness but as long as you don't have big overhangs or perhaps some protective strip of metal (?) around it it might be fine?

Edited October 9, 20215 yr by puntloos

I went for Silestone on mine - have been sticking it into my schemes since 2016 (or the Symphony Earthstone variant) and haven't had any issues tbh. £5k on mine (at developer pricing for multiple plots) was enough to spend imo and then some.

@ Puntloos...

 

Pro Dave used two pack to finish his wooden tops, so theres no risk of staining whilst that finish is intact.

 

That is a hard "surface finish"" and not as many wooden worktop suppliers may suggest, as in an oil finish. Oil finishes are not a surface finish because the oil is meant to penetrate the surface,  whereas surface finishes, such as lacquers / varnishes and so on are not. Oil finished wood can and will accept liquids penetrating to some degree, depending on how well oil has been applied, and also, both how thorough and how long ago that finish was done. Oil finishes do tend to require replenishing, and are generally nowhere near as resistant or durable as surface finished timber (done well that is)

I am perfectly happy with our Silestone.

 

We had black granite then white/grey granite in our last house and I liked them too. Granite is more heat resistant than quartz and harder to stain. I think most of the staining issue with quartz though is that people go for lighter colours. You wouldn’t have known if the black granite was stained.

 

We have a small amount of Dekton that our BBQ is set into and objectively it seems to have the best qualities for a worktop in that it is heat resistant to 500C I think as well as stain resistant. There seemed to be less variety available and less polished surfaces but looking now it seems that there are more choices.

 

I think though all of these are quite durable and I would go with what you like the look of and price of.

 

Corian to me seems too easily damaged and stained, the same with wood.

I saw a big dekton island top that was spectacular. Beautiful colouring and finish. Looks a very good surface but does come at a premium.

 

 

Also @ Puntloos...

 

Wood certainly can crack, and occasionally does unfortunately.

For most people a good quality laminate is fine. 

 

Just be careful with pans. 

That’s right.

 

We used to have butchers block effect laminate in the utility room that I really liked.

 

But as I’d tell my daughter a stone worktop is “swanky”. Apparently this is a word only old people use.

Yeh I agree, laminate does the job well, lasts years and can look good enough in a kitchen of many styles.

 

Trouble is, many of us get seduced by the apparent superiority (and beauty) of stones, which although in reality are better in many ways, have their own "issues".

Only ever seen stainless steel work areas in all the commercial kitchens I have worked in.

Edited October 10, 20215 yr by SteamyTea

20 hours ago, puntloos said:

I believe @joth has sapienstone

 

Sounds like something from HHGTG!

 

16 hours ago, Iceverge said:

For most people a good quality laminate is fine.

 

Yes. We installed a Silestone worktop in our last kitchen, which was nice but not worth the ludicrous cost.

 

The kitchen that came with this house has a laminate worktop that looks just like a quartz worktop until you inspect it fairly closely and it seems to have survived well for a few years.

We're now having Dekton, i'm so excited about it, it's so beautiful and indestructible, it makes me salivate 

 

On 10/10/2021 at 13:04, SteamyTea said:

Only ever seen stainless steel work areas in all the commercial kitchens I have worked in.

 

this.

Quartz has to be a good all rounder?

 

Huge variety of colours, heat, knife, scratch resistant. No risk of stains, happy to accept bleach & house hold chemicals etc. Cheaper then granite. 

Agree with Andehh. Quartz is perhaps still the best all round. Not happy to accept bleach though.

 

Only thing with Dekton is, the design is only on the outside. Once you cut into it, it's plain. Good if you are cladding and mitring though.

Stainless steel for affordable practicality.

Glazed lavastone for those with deep pockets - strong & resistant to everything.

Zenith compact laminate for us. Good price and seems to very hard wearing. Was a pig to to drill through for a tap, really hard stuff and when you cut it the edge is very sharp.

I did see white corian in a show room, it looked stained and scratched, salesman said they had works party and that was from wine glasses which was surprising. 

On 13/12/2021 at 15:24, Mike said:

Stainless steel for affordable practicality.

Glazed lavastone for those with deep pockets - strong & resistant to everything.

 

Lavastone never heard of it - interesting.

It's using glazing though, and the glazing isn't resistant to (knife edge) scratches. - source: https://www.remodelista.com/posts/remodeling-101-lava-stone-countertops-pros-and-cons/

 

 

14 hours ago, puntloos said:

Lavastone never heard of it - interesting.

It's using glazing though, and the glazing isn't resistant to (knife edge) scratches. - source: https://www.remodelista.com/posts/remodeling-101-lava-stone-countertops-pros-and-cons/

Resistant = resists, not 100% proof against, however the crazing of the surface is a good camouflage if you fail to use a chopping board.

 

Objectively, on the Mohs scale of hardness / scratch resistance - where 10 is most resistant - Glass (and therefore glazed lavastone) comes in at 5 with marble at 4. Granite scores 6, Dekton is rated at 8, diamond at 10 (if you afford diamond worktops). However Dekton can chip, granite and acidic foods don't mix, etc...

1 minute ago, Mike said:

Resistant = resists, not 100% proof against, however the crazing of the surface is a good camouflage if you fail to use a chopping board.

 

Objectively, on the Mohs scale of hardness / scratch resistance - where 10 is most resistant - Glass (and therefore glazed lavastone) comes in at 5 with marble at 4. Granite scores 6, Dekton is rated at 8, diamond at 10 (if you afford diamond worktops). However Dekton can chip, granite and acidic foods don't mix, etc...

 

It's a good point, I have zero plans to start cutting the surface, whilst chipping feels somewhat more likely. Silly question but how does chipping happen anyway? Banging a metal pot against the side of the worktop?

Just now, puntloos said:

how does chipping happen anyway? Banging a metal pot against the side of the worktop?

I've certainly done that.