We open a discussion about kitchen countertops, a topic of great interest for any custom furniture design project. The countertop is one of the most important and durable surfaces in the furniture composition, the material you interact with most often in the kitchen, the main work area, which integrates the stove (even the hood – downdraft or in the stove) and the sink. When we talk about countertops, we are referring to the worktop, whether for bases, for the island or for the snack table.
Choosing a material for your kitchen countertop is a multi-criteria decision, both in terms of cost and the material’s impact on the aesthetics and practical function of your kitchen. In terms of costs, the worktop can represent a significant part of the kitchen production budget, but a well-chosen worktop does wonders for the kitchen in terms of utility, maintenance, and design.
Can it be chopped directly on the countertop?
We do not recommend it, a chopper would be preferable (made of hardwood or bamboo for cutting vegetables, bread, fruit and/or plastic – polypropylene or HDPE – dedicated for raw meat and fish because it is washed at high temperature).
The more serious questions we receive most often about countertops concern the costs of different types of kitchen materials, as well as practical characteristics – resistance to abrasion, impact, thermal shock, cleaning. Once the objective questions have been checked, we come to subjective matters – the aesthetics of the materials – colors, textures (matte, glossy, porous, smooth, material), veins, including how they interact with other materials.
Before discussing materials, we start from the shape and conditions of the kitchen space, as well as criteria regarding the practical functionality of the countertop, depending on the client and how they use the kitchen and work surfaces.
We work with materials according to context.
It is advisable not to take a material out of context, any material must be considered in the context of the project – what is the destination of the material, what materials it can be associated with, what type of interaction the surface involves, whether horizontal or vertical.
For example, we do not recommend natural wood for the worktop due to the intense activity that can damage the surface, but we can find a wood finish on an HPL support that resembles the natural texture of wood.
The countertop is the most visible and tactile surface in the kitchen, so the countertop material may involve a more significant investment than the materials for the fronts, but compared to the dimensions (square or linear meters of material), the costs are justified for special materials, see the stone countertop categories – granite, quartz, ceramic.
To expand the discussion on countertop materials, we will present a series of recommended material categories, organized by price categories, but the hierarchy is purely general and excludes different quality levels of each material that can lower or raise the price.
HPL laminate
HPL panels are made from a number of laminations or layers of paper fiber, similar to the paper we use every day. These layers are impregnated with a phenolic resin and are heated while simultaneously pressed under high pressure to obtain a thin, tough panel, made for a multitude of applications, from guitar bodies to furniture.
Advantages
- HPL is an economical countertop material, but very technically serious, with variable resistance to scratches, humidity, high temperatures, it is hygienic, non-toxic, non-porous, easy to clean and maintain to keep the kitchen neat.
- HPL allows for a multitude of finishes and uniform colors, it can reproduce textures and veins of natural materials, such as the look of natural wood or stone.
- HPL is flexible in terms of glossy or matte finishes, to work aesthetically with the kitchen theme and customer preferences.
- HPL is easy to cut, offering options for obtaining any panel size without major losses during processing work.
Disadvantages
- Low resistance to bacteria, chemicals and corrosion
- Does not hold up well in environments where water and excess humidity are present
- Mimics natural materials, but not their properties
Laminated HPL
Laminated HPL is a high-quality alternative to HPL, with 12 layers of superimposed HPL, made with a composition of layers of cellulose fibers impregnated with phenolic resins, pressed under high heat and pressure. Laminated HPL is an ideal material for countertops as well as kitchen fronts.
Advantages
- It allows the integration of flush-mounted sinks, at countertop level, and undermount sinks, which cannot be done with normal HPL.
- It allows for very varied finishes, from uniform colors, metal finishes (stainless steel), to wood essences and stone veins (quartz, ceramic).
- HPL has native edging, the edges are not applied, so they cannot peel off.
- It is easy to maintain, impact resistant, anti-bacterial, waterproof and oil resistant.
- It has high resistance to steam, temperature changes, chemicals, even corrosive substances.
- It is easy to clean and offers a high level of hygiene, making it the perfect solution for hospitals, pharmacies and wherever high hygiene standards are required.
- Very good material for outdoor kitchens, summer kitchens.
Disadvantages
- The price may be double, but the quality of the material is superior
- Low resistance to bacteria, chemicals and corrosion
- It imitates natural materials, but not their properties
Fenix
Fenix is an innovative material in the high-pressure laminate category, developed and produced exclusively in Italy by Arpa Industriale, whose outer part is made up of a surface with nano-technological particles (less than 100 nm) applied to raw panels with minimal formaldehyde emission (class E1), glued under pressure and heat with acrylic resin.
Using high-tech processes, nanoparticles are evenly distributed throughout the coating. After the coating dries, these particles are completely integrated into the outer layer of the material.
Advantages
- Fenix is very soft to the touch and has anti-fingerprint properties
- It is water resistant and thermal shock stable
- Can be used anywhere in the kitchen: furniture doors, countertops, wall cladding, near the hob burners and even inside the sink
- It has hygienic, anti-bacterial, anti-mold properties
- It is resistant to impact, friction, solvents, and is repairable in case of micro-scratches.
- It allows for a unified design – we can create a perfect monolith consisting of countertop, fronts and sink, all built with the same material.
- Combines ultra-modern aesthetics with functionality in a variety of matte or glossy finishes
Disadvantages
- Can become stained over time with traces of various ingredients if not cleaned after each use
- It can function as a countertop, but is especially recommended for fronts.
Granite
The discussion about countertops inevitably comes to stone, an ideal material for a worktop.
First on the list is granite, a premium countertop material, a purely natural stone that comes directly from quarries and is then cut into thin slabs, polished, and fabricated into countertops. Granite is a common igneous rock that forms naturally beneath the Earth’s crust at considerable depths and after the slow cooling of lava.
In addition to its aesthetic appearance, the most important property that distinguishes granite is undoubtedly its hardness, a particularity which makes it particularly suitable for uses where a high level of wear and impact resistance is required.
Granite and marble are materials made by nature (cold slabs), and quartz, ceramic, Lapitec, Dekton, are materials technologically processed by man (hot slabs, obtained by baking in an oven).
Advantages
- Granite defines classic elegance in a kitchen. Even a modest kitchen becomes a luxurious space when the natural beauty of granite countertops stands out.
- One of the advantages that natural granite has over a technologically processed stone is that each granite slab is slightly different in mineral pattern and color, which means that a granite countertop will be unique.
- The price difference between types of granite depends on the origin of the stone, as well as the profiling of the edges or special cuts.
- You can choose a more expensive granite for its appearance (cheap granite is unsightly), but the quality of the granite is very important, and the quality, as well as the price, varies depending on the stone quarry.
- Historically, granite was an expensive material, but its cost has decreased as supplies have increased and technical, processed stones (ceramics, quartz) have become more common.
- It works great for casting the sink into the countertop of the same material (undermount sink), giving it a one-piece look
Disadvantages
- The weight of the granite countertop does not allow for self-assembly
- The price of a granite countertop can vary depending on the stone quarry and transportation costs.
- A granite countertop can be very heavy
- Granite is a relatively porous stone, and if not processed correctly, it can be prone to the accumulation of bacteria.
- Granite slabs may have structural defects that can lead to cracks
Quartz
Quartz countertops are engineered stone products that can contain a high percentage of natural quartz, but can also include other minerals, along with polymer or cement-based binders.
Quartz slabs are not natural stone slabs, but are made from an aggregate of stone by-products (pieces of granite, marble, or recycled industrial waste such as ceramics, silica, glass, mirrors) that are ground and formed into slabs for countertops and other products.
We work with quartz countertops from the manufacturer Santa Margherita in Italy, one of the leading suppliers of high-quality quartz and one of the few manufacturers worldwide certified by GreenGuard and NSF.
The Santa Margherita offering includes glossy quartz countertops and textured native matte quartz countertops, a Santa Margherita specialty. This detail is very important because matte quartz must be polished, and this process diminishes its qualities, but Santa Margherita obtains native matte quartz through innovative technological processes.
Advantages
- Quartz slabs have the hardness and appearance of natural stone, but the material is more durable, less porous, and easier to work with than granite slabs. The quartz countertop production process saves the hardest mineral (quartz) and removes softer minerals and impurities. This means that quartz countertops are harder and more durable than natural granite.
- Quartz countertops have a more uniform appearance, although many unique colors and patterns are available, including patterns that look nothing like granite (natural stone), and at the level of preference, some quartz countertops offer a better appearance than natural stone.
- Some types of quartz countertops include fragments of mirrors and other glass, brass filings, and various mixtures of granite and marble. Considerable effort is directed into creating blends that produce a unique look.
- Quartz is recognized for kitchen or bathroom countertops, but it is also used in shopping malls or airports for flooring or wall cladding, so quartz can be integrated into a kitchen design for walls or floors.
- Quartz is no longer a competitor for natural stone (granite), it has become a stand-alone material, in its own style category, with its own advantages.
Disadvantages
- Price may vary depending on the quartz pattern and veining
- Quartz (as well as granite) has small dimensions, small slabs, so discontinuous joints may appear.
- Quartz is not suitable for base fronts due to the weight of the material
- Low resistance to contact with high temperatures compared to granite
Ceramics
One of the technical reasons why you can choose ceramic for your kitchen countertop is that ceramic provides a bridge between functionality and aesthetics.
Ceramics, in itself, is a reproduction of processed stone or natural stone materials.
With ceramic, you can achieve the appearance of a type of natural stone with more advanced properties than granite, for example – resistance to abrasion, impact, waterproofing, as well as with a much reduced weight. In itself, if you choose ceramic with a granite look, you will achieve qualities superior to granite.
Advantages
- Ceramic is a very homogeneous and hard material, waterproof, scratch-resistant, acid-resistant and easy to maintain, including being very safe for food.
- Ceramic works great for fronts – see Slimtech ceramic tiles (4-6 mm), it is a very versatile, large-surface material that offers the possibility of a unified design
- Ceramics combine the aesthetics of natural stone with the functionality of artisanally processed stone
- Very good material for outdoor kitchens, summer kitchens.
- It works great for casting the sink into the countertop of the same material (undermount sink), giving it a one-piece look.
Disadvantages
- Unlike granite, it can chip/break (under high mechanical shocks) more easily than granite
Choosing a material for the worktop
Above technical criteria, choosing a material for your worktop is a matter of personal preference, but it is important that the choice is not simply based on appearance, but rather on performance related to daily use, depending on how you interact with your kitchen furniture.
Therefore, it is always important to keep in mind the usage, cleaning and maintenance recommendations provided by the kitchen supplier.
In episode 2 of the countertop discussion, we will consider issues of countertop edge profiling, as well as the joints between the countertop, fronts, and door opening mechanisms.
Schedule a design consultation meeting
If you want a personalized kitchen project, schedule a consultation meeting and we can discuss all the details about your kitchen together, from materials, design, and production.
