Choosing a bench top

Your kitchen bench top is one of the defining features of your house. As more homes move towards open kitchens and living room space, the bench top is the design statement that leaps out at any visitor to your living area. But with such a range of options available what is the right bench top for your needs?

Most of us would love to have a marble designer piece but this is not always affordable or practicable for your cooking or family needs.  Besides design you need to consider price, maintenance and suitability for your kitchen use. Professional kitchen renovation specialists can help you with your choice and installation. 

The following are some key points to get you thinking about your plans for your dream kitchen. 

MARBLE           

Pros

• Attractive and can add value to a home
• Unique pattern and colour variation
• ‘Soft’ look for the kitchen
• A smooth surface that is excellent for work with dough/pastry or similar

Cons

• There are many costs involved in a marble bench top:

Not only the material itself, there is added cost because marble needs to be prepared and shipped especially for your needs; because it is so heavy there can be also be the cost of preparing and stabilising your cabinetry to hold the weight; and the material requires regular sealing and maintenance over its lifetime or it will stain.

• As it is a soft product marble is easily scratched, chipped and cracked.
• A very porous material meaning it will hold and be damaged by acidic moisture even with sealing 

GRANITE

Pros

• Granite is a very hard and tough surface so it is long lasting
• Heat resistant so you can place your hot kitchen items on the surface
• Very easy to clean
• Individual colour variation makes it a unique product
• High value

Cons

• Expensive. Another costly material with similar additional costs to marble due to weight, unique nature of the stone and ongoing maintenance required. Less porous than marble though so sealing is required less often.
• Limited number of colours 

Notes: when purchasing a granite bench top, due to natural colour and pattern variation it is advisable to check the slab, not simply the showroom piece. 

ACRYLIC

Pros

• Appears seamless which is particularly good for bench tops that bend and would require joins with other products
• A seamless sink from the same product can be included
• Hygienic and stain-resistant non-porous surface
• Can be repaired by sanding
• Easy to clean
• Different colours available

Cons

• An expensive option
• Easily scratched
• Easily damaged by heat 

ENGINEERED STONE

Pros

• Most durable stone option
• Non-porous and resistant to stains
• Low maintenance and no sealant required
• Not easily scratched or damaged
• Reasonably priced

Cons

• Doesn’t have the same appeal of marble or granite as a mixed product 

CONCRETE

Pros

• Can be molded into any shape
• Reasonable heat resistance
• Can be coloured and even patterned

Cons

• Needs to be sealed regularly to prevent stains and water damage
• Easily chipped and scratched
• Price is variable - product can be cheap but custom pouring expensive 

LAMINATE 

Pros

• The cheapest and most efficient option, laminate can be ordered by the metre, cut and installed on site
• Laminate is available in a broad range of styles, colours and patterns to suit any design taste, including a marble look
• Reasonably durable

Cons

• Seen as a cheap option and can devalue a kitchen
• Easily damaged by heat and can be difficult to repair
• Doesn’t have the durability of stone 

STAINLESS STEEL

Pros

• Stain and heat resistant
• Gives a kitchen a contemporary look
• Very hygienic 

Cons

• Can be scratched easily and should be cleaned with non abrasive products
• Leaves fingertip marks
• Can be highly reflective in direct sunlight
• Can be expensive if joins are required 

TIMBER

Pros

• Warm and attractive option
• Can be sanded and resealed

Cons

• Can be costly depending on wood choice
• Needs regular treatment to protect against moisture, heat and scratching
• Easily damaged in comparison with other bench tops
• Bruises easily