Kitchen design is a daunting subject. You’re building what is, essentially, the heart of your home, or someone else’s, from scratch. Or perhaps you’re refitting a kitchen that turned into an absolute disaster? Either way, you’re going to be faced with thousands of different options, styles and materials that you could use. Calling it daunting would be an understatement of the highest order. In this article, we’re going to look at the best possible material for your worktop: good old fashioned rock and stone.

When it comes to buying a stone worktop, you’re faced with a dizzying amount of choice. Where can I get the right materials from? How heavy can they be? What colours are available? And most importantly, what kind of price can you get them for? We’re going to examine all of these considerations, and more.

Quartz is a combination of resin and stone, and it’s non-natural origins make it far tougher and low-maintenance than other materials here. Heat can be an issue, however, and the sheer weight of quartz requires special support and professional installation. Definitely not a DIY material! It would probably be wise to invest in wooden or rubber mats to keep hot items from scorching the quartz surface!

Marble is luxurious, and often pricey. It’s tough and makes for a beautiful worktop, but trying to clad an entire kitchen top in it requires some serious budgeting considerations. It’s also not as tough as other materials, particularly when faced with acidic substances. If you value style and sophistication above all else, marble is the way to go. After all, if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, it might as well look as good as you can make it.

Granite is the classic choice for stone worktops, standing firm against heat and scratches, but vulnerable to edge chipping and incredibly heavy. And if you don’t get it resealed at least once per year, stains are inevitable. This level of maintenance makes granite a controversial choice at times, as few people want to keep investing time and money in their countertops once they’re installed. On the flip side, it looks fantastic and is compatible with a host of different kitchen designs. There’s a lot of reasons why granite is popular, and an equal number of reasons that may turn off potential buyers.

Final Thoughts

Working with stone has always been a challenge, for design projects of all sizes and scopes. The three options listed here are the most common and accessible materials available. While this might seem like a limited selection, any decent supplier should have a variety of colours, sizes and textures to offer. When it comes to kitchen design, being able to express yourself and build exactly what you want are the most important factors of all.