Your kitchen worktop is the most-used part of what's undoubtedly the hardest-working room in the home, but with so many options available, picking a material can be tricky. With so many colours, textures and styles, deciding what worktop is best for your kitchen can be challenging.
This worktop guide will take you through all the different worktops we offer at Minerva ad will help you figure out which style of worktop is best for you and your kitchen.
Q U A R T Z
Quartz worktops are a combination of raw and manufactured materials; 90% are natural materials, and the other 10% is the resin that bonds the quartz pieces together. There are many advantages to having a Quartz worktop; they are hard-wearing and non-porous, making them ideal for everyday use. Quartz worktops are the most popular worktop we offer; we have a wide variety of designs available, allowing us to easily suit everyone's preferences and design choices. Our Quartz worktops also have an extensive price range meaning they are suited to anyone's budget.
You must be very cautious with hot items and your Quartz worktop; the resin used to hold the Quartz pieces together will burn if anything hot is placed on it; we recommend placing a trivet or pot holder over your worktop to prevent this from happening.
P O R C E L A I N
Porcelain worktops are 100% Quartz and are sintered when crafted. Sintering is when the 100% natural stone is put through extreme heat and pressure. The material is pressed together without the need for resin, resulting in an extremely durable and high-performance worktop.
There are several advantages to having a porcelain worktop. They are hardwearing, scratch-resistant, non-porous and stain resistant; they are also heat-resistant and easy to maintain. A Porcelain worktop is your best choice if you have a modern kitchen and use it often for various activities like cooking and socialising.
N A T U R A L S T O N E
Natural Stone worktops we offer include Granite and Quartzite.
Granite worktops are appealing because they are mined from 100% pure, natural stone; the stone is quarried straight from the earth in the form of a large sheet or a single chunk, after which it is sliced into individual slabs and polished to give it a smooth, shiny look before installation.
The Granite worktops we offer have a thin seal coating on the top of the stone; this allows the stone to become water-resistant, heat-resistant and stain-resistant (that's a lot of resistance!). Granite has quite a bold, striking look, but when paired with the perfect cabinetry colour and accessories, you can create a truly unique kitchen.
The one thing to remember with Granite worktops is that the seal locks in the natural air bubbles, so when heat is applied to the worktop, there is a tiny possibility of the stone cracking as the air bubbles cannot escape.
Quartzite is an abundant metamorphic rock; it occurs naturally when sandstone or chert rich in quartz experiences heat and high pressure. Quartzite has a glassy appearance and resembles marble in some cases; This desirable appearance has made Quartzite one of the most popular countertop materials.
'Sensa' is our chosen Quartzite worktop brand, the Quartzite they use comes from Brazil and India. These worktops have a 4mm seal; the thicker seal means the worktop is waterproof and highly stain resistant. The seal on the Quartzite worktops is designed to allow the natural bubbles to escape when heat is applied, meaning there is no chance of the worktop cracking under heat.
H A R D W O O D
Hardwood countertops come in a large variety, including oak, maple, walnut, cherry, teak, and many more. Furthermore, they can be stained in various shades to create a unique look. Hardwood countertops are typically associated with traditional, rustic kitchens.
The Hardwood worktops we offer have many advantages; they are budget-friendly, the grain pattern is attractive, and it creates a warm and natural look that adds to your kitchen's homely vibe. A slight disadvantage to hardwood countertops is that they can stain and burn quite easily, but this will unlikely happen when correctly cared for.
I hope this post has broadened your knowledge of all the worktops we offer at Minerva and helped you decide which is best for you.
If you want to know more about Minerva, we have a Behind The Scenes section on our website filled with helpful information. We can show you our Design Process, and Our Journal is full of exciting topics.
Thanks for reading!
Laura.