If you’re looking to update your kitchen, one of the most important things to consider is the worktop itself. Not only is the worktop a key element in the overall design of your kitchen, but it’s also an incredibly functional piece of the puzzle. Something that you’ll use every day, during cooking or preparing food and drinks.
Thankfully, there are plenty of great options available when it comes to kitchen worktops. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular materials for kitchen worktops, including granite, quartz, and laminate, and discuss how to find the best prices online for your new worktop.
Finding the right kitchen worktop online:
When it comes to kitchen worktops, finding the right one can be a daunting task. Not only should you require something that looks appealing, but it also needs to be functional and long lasting. This is where researching kitchen worktops online comes in. By shopping around online, you can easily compare prices, materials, styles but above all different benefits, advantages and disadvantages, to find the ideal worktop for your kitchen.
Granite worktops & Quartz worktops
One popular choice for kitchen worktops are granite and quartz worktops.
Known for its durability and resistance to heat and scratches, both quartz and granite worktops can add a touch of luxury to any kitchen. Plus, with a fantastic range of colours and textures to choose from, you can easily find a granite worktop that matches your kitchen design.
Like granite, quartz is incredibly durable, but it stands out because it is highly stain resistant. The added benefit of non-porosity makes it a hygienic choice for kitchen surfaces. Granite can be made stain resistant, if it is regularly sealed with special agents. But quartz worktops are already imbued with those properties, therefore they remain stain proof forever. With a huge range of colours and textures to choose from, you can easily find a quartz worktop that suits your style and budget.
Laminate worktops online
If you’re looking for a more cost-effective option, laminate kitchen worktops are a decent choice. Made from high pressure laminate, laminate worktops are uniquely durable and can mimic the look of more expensive materials like stone and wood. They are also easy to clean and maintain, making them a popular choice for many homeowners.
Wooden worktops online
For those who prefer the appearance of organic wood, solid wood worktops are a stunning option. Not only do they add warmth and character to a kitchen, but they are also very, very cheap. Wooden worktops are probably the cheapest kitchen worktop material on our list. Plus, with a comprehensive range of wood species to choose from (e.g. solid oak or timber), you can easily find a solid wood worktop that matches your kitchen design.
Despite wood and laminate worktops possessing a few good advantages, like their cheap worktops price, there are a lot of drawbacks to these worktops.
Why stone worktops, despite being more expensive, are the most recommended investment?
Granite worktops have long been a popular choice for UK kitchens, and it’s easy to see why. Not only are they immensely durable and long-lasting, but they also offer a unique, natural beauty that is hard to replicate with other materials. Indeed, quartz suppliers are probably best at this imitation process, which is why the marble look quartz range has been very popular these days.
Unlike laminate or wood worktops, granite is a heat-resistant stone, which makes it ideal for use in a kitchen, where boiling pots and hot oven pans are constantly at use. Unlike the wood-based materials, granite and quartz do not sustain burns or blemishes from contact with hot metal. The same applies for scratching or mechanical damage. If you drop a mug or utensil on your wood or laminate worktop, you’ll instantly find a dent, meanwhile granite and quartz worktops repel all threat of damage.
Both of these stone materials are also easy to maintain. Thanks to their smooth, polished texture, they can be easily cleaned with nothing more than a damp cloth. But above all, they are the hygienic products, because of their resistance. A laminate kitchen worktop will warp over time due to the exposure to moisture. That warping will eventually crack, food particles will enter the crack, thus making it a great habitat for growth of bacteria. If the worktop doesn’t chip, crack or warp, it makes it far easier for you to 100% wipe it clean.
Last but not least, quartz kitchen worktops are the prime choice of modern architects and designers. They are contemporary, beautiful solutions to kitchen design and home décor. They are sleek, contain vast styles, patterns and colours. They are the epitome of modernity and class.
If you’re looking for a high-quality, stylish worktop that will last you for years, granite and quartz worktops are definitely worth considering.
Where to find & buy online worktops?
When it comes to finding the best price for your granite worktop online, there are a few things you can do. First, it’s worth taking a look at the different UK suppliers available online.
Many companies offer a fantastic range of granite worktops or quartz worktops e.g. Polish Granite, who list their kitchen worktops online in a form of a sample gallery. They showcase hundreds of stone colours that they have available for your kitchen worktop project.
On their website, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. From marble effect, white quartz worktops to black, mirror chip options. In addition, because of their established renown, online suppliers like Polish Granite offer trade prices, which can be significantly cheaper than kitchen worktop online prices you’d find elsewhere.
However, please bear in mind that kitchen worktops aren’t really a product that you can simply purchase online straight away. Online websites like the one belonging to Polish Granite offer you special tools such as their worktop price calculator, which generates different costs. But buying them outright, as might be the case with kitchen appliances, is impossible.
This is because there’s a lot more processes that go into buying a kitchen worktop. Each project is individual, because each kitchen in the UK, across millions of households is different. You can get an approximate worktop cost estimation by using these online quote tools, but to order your products, you will have to contact the company directly. In Polish Granite’s case, this can be done via phone, email or online contact forms.
Once you contact such company, they will grant you a more precise, tailored quote that will take into consideration your kitchen plans, individualised demands and all extra choices. Once you familiarise yourself with the price plan, you’ll be able to arrange a templating and fitting date.
To conclude: which kitchen worktop is best for your project?
When it comes to choosing the right kitchen worktop, remember to consider those few factors: first and foremost, you want to choose a material that is highly durable and hard wearing, so it can withstand the daily wear and tear of a busy kitchen. When it comes to selecting a worktop, you shouldn’t be looking at a price, because long-term durability is far more important than saving £500.
Yes, that’s right, quartz worktops are not that more expensive than high grade Wilsonart or Formica worktops (laminate kitchen worktops). Quartz is very affordable nowadays, and a medium-sized kitchen can be completed even under £2,500. Given that with that price you’re getting a lifetime guarantee of longevity and resistance, it’s worth to invest a little extra now. At least you won’t have to worry about replacing your kitchen worktops ever 5-6 years – a headache that often afflicts owners of laminate kitchen worktops.
You should also elect a material that is timeless and suits contemporary kitchens. One that has many designs and colour options, as you don’t want to restrict yourself, and pick a solid surface kitchen worktop that truly fits your kitchen.
The granite and quartz worktops sold by companies that we list above are some of the main candidates. They are our recommendation, but it seems the UK public would agree with us, since they have been selected as the most popular choice of worktops in the UK in 2022.
Which stone worktop supplier and manufacturer to choose?
If you’re planning to look around online, compare prices or you simply feel like selecting your local worktop provider, please ensure you consider these factors:
Do they?
- Have a physical showroom with a beautiful selection of samples?
- Offer many colour worktop ranges of their products?
- Grant any other services? E.g. turning offcuts into a coffee table or breakfast bars
- Have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that could help you with queries?
- Offer a fast, reliable delivery, across the whole of UK?
- Cooperate with professional, expert team of fitters and installers?
- Hire specialists that can adhere to complex demands and challenges e.g. create complex shapes, edging or grooves?
- Provide attractive, competitive and affordable kitchen worktop prices?
These are only some of the questions you could ask yourself, or your kitchen worktop provider, before selecting them for your worktop project.
A kitchen worktop manufacturer and supplier should be dedicated to helping their customers base create a dream kitchen, utilising their fantastic range of high quality kitchen worktops at trade prices. At the end of the day, your satisfaction should be priority. How they achieve that will differ, but the main goal is to have a high quality kitchen worktop fitted with utmost professionalism.
