It is difficult to imagine a cozy kitchen without a countertop. Modern manufacturers offer the most interesting, unexpected and stylish types of countertops for the kitchen. This provides an opportunity to stop the choice on the option that is preferable for the hostess, taking into account the appearance, durability and cost.
Types of kitchen countertops
In order to determine the choice, you need to know what are the countertops for the kitchen. To date, the market offers a variety of options: from simple and inexpensive - to the elite and extraordinary, which in addition to functionality can become a real decoration of the kitchen space. When choosing, as a rule, take into account such basic criteria:
- Appearance and aesthetics.
- Resistance to moisture and water resistance.
- Resistance to external factors and mechanical effects.
- How well the surface meets hygiene requirements.
- Resistance of coating and its color to the influence of external factors.
Plastic countertops for kitchen
Plastic - a budget version of kitchen countertops. Manufacturers offer a variety of design solutions, so plastic surfaces can successfully imitate natural materials (wood, granite, marble). Many people mistakenly believe that plastic and acrylic kitchen countertops are identical, but it's not. They are confused exclusively in appearance, although their qualitative characteristics have cardinal differences. In order to have a complete picture, you should consider the pros and cons of plastic surfaces.
Among the main advantages:
- Low cost.
- Heat resistance and color fastness to UV rays.
- Relative ease of care (plastic is resistant to detergent chemicals and cleaning devices).
- Easy to install and dismantle.
- Large selection of different colors and textures.
The minuses include:
- Visible cheapness of the material, which is difficult to hide.
- With mechanical damage to plastic and moisture, it swells and stratifies.
- Toxicity of cheap materials.
Table top made of wood for kitchen
For those who love naturalness in everything, there are wooden types of countertops for the kitchen that produce and different grades of wood. Such surfaces are often mistakenly considered short-lived and problematic in care, but this is misleading. Certain woody European breeds (oak, walnut, cherry, cherry) is an excellent combination of hardness and durability. The question of which table top is best for the kitchen, wood or other material, it is worth considering the pros and cons of wooden surfaces.
Advantages of tabletops made of wood:
- Texture and aesthetic appearance.
- Ecological compatibility.
- The ability to perform any, even the most bizarre form of the table top.
- Wood material can easily be updated if necessary.
The disadvantages of the wooden surface:
- High price.
- It requires careful handling and careful care.
- Periodic necessity of restoration.
Table top from tile to the kitchen
Ceramic tiles have long been used as a material for countertops, but it has become popular in this direction recently. A large selection of tiles on the market has opened up new opportunities for design kitchen design with this material. A kitchen table top made of tile can be an excellent alternative to the materials used to decorate such surfaces. Tiles are competitive not only in price, but also in design solutions, thanks to a variety of color, texture and artistic options.
Other advantages of the tiled worktop:
- Price accessibility (there are many budget options).
- Beauty (the opportunity to make the table-top a real work of art).
- Durability and resistance to temperature.
- Easy to clean (resistant to acids and alkalis).
- Ecological compatibility.
There are also disadvantages:
- Complexity in grooming (joints should be made as tight as possible).
- Care should be taken when handling heavy objects so as not to break the surface.
Quartz countertop for kitchen
No coating will surpass the kitchen countertops made of stone according to their performance characteristics, when it comes to quartz. This material has the following characteristics:
- Such surfaces are very difficult to scratch, they are easy to care for (they are not susceptible to various acids), are durable and durable.
- Another undeniable advantage of these types of countertops for the kitchen is the resistance to temperature changes. For example, unlike acrylic and stone, the quartz surface can withstand temperatures of up to 280 ° C.
- The surfaces of this material are environmentally friendly and hygienic (due to the absence of pores, nothing is absorbed into the material).
- To maintain the purity of the quartz surface, you can do with detergent without abrasive particles and warm water.
- For kitchen design this material is a real find. With a skillful use and creative approach to interior design, you can create a real masterpiece.
- By cons, you can include high costs, complexity in installation and restoration.
Granite counter top for kitchen
If the main criteria for choosing among the different types of kitchen countertops are beauty and cleanliness, then in this case the best option than granite is not found. If we talk about its merits, we need to pay attention to such characteristics:
- In addition to beauty and strength, granite does not have a porous structure, which makes it possible to keep the working surfaces in perfect cleanliness without much effort.
- Choosing the material for the countertop for the kitchen, it is worth paying attention to one more winning quality of the stone - resistance to high temperatures.
- Due to the hardness of the material, the countertops will not be particularly susceptible to mechanical stress.
There are disadvantages to granite countertops:
- This natural material is able to absorb moisture, so it requires the use of special water repellent in the care.
- Granite is very heavy, which causes difficulties in its transportation and installation.
- Natural granite is worth a lot, although in this case the high price is justified.
Marble worktop for kitchen
Marble will effectively fit into any interior and decorate the kitchen, giving it a chic and aesthetics. Besides beauty, there is an opinion that this stone is favorable for a person thanks to the energy that it radiates. According to psychologists, marble gives a sense of calm, warmth and coziness. To understand how useful the countertop of marble for the kitchen, you need to find out the advantages and disadvantages of the material.
Advantages of the marble surface:
- Uniqueness - the stone pattern is unique (no one plate is like the other).
- Hypoallergenicity - marble absolutely carries no danger to health.
- Durability provided proper care.
Disadvantages of countertops made of marble:
- High price.
- Instability to temperature changes (stains from hot dishes may remain).
- Marble is able to absorb a variety of liquids, so spilled tea or coffee will leave stains on it.
- The material is not resistant to acids.
Glass table top for kitchen
If you have wondered how to choose a kitchen countertop, then pay attention to an interesting option - glass. Thanks to modern technology, this material has gained strength, and the exclusivity of the table top made of glass is beyond doubt. Designers recently paid attention to this material, but today there are such interesting interior solutions that many simply do not want to hear anything about other types of kitchen countertops. Particularly interesting are the creative approaches in the game of glass and light.
The main characteristics of tabletops made of glass:
- The material is resistant to temperature changes and various contaminants.
- Does not require special care, hygiene.
- The choice of different shades and textures.
- Material is expensive and requires careful handling.
Kitchen worktop made of concrete
Many people do not realize that concrete is a strong, durable and unusual material from which countertops are made. A kitchen set with a table top made of this material can have a variety of modifications and color solutions, and this is an opportunity to make the kitchen interior unique and stylish. However, as for the colors applied to the material, it is impossible to predict the result and give any guarantees. However, this point can be omitted, because the concrete surface is very easy to restore without much effort and expense.
Table tops for the kitchen MDF
The variant of a table top made of MDF is budgetary and this is not the last advantage of the material. Colors of kitchen countertops from MDF can be very different, due to the fact that the surfaces are made using lamination - it means that the pattern and shades can be any. This is used by designers, creating exclusive kitchen headsets. If we talk about the disadvantages of such material, it is worth noting the instability to high temperatures and mechanical influences. Another unpleasant moment - with prolonged exposure to moisture, the laminate is blown at the joints.
Kitchen worktops from chipboard
This option is the cheapest and the most interesting, because in the presence of a large number of drawbacks, 2/3 of our market is occupied by kitchen countertops of chipboard. Such products are laminated with plastic, which is relatively resistant to sunlight, chemicals and mechanical damage. Hygienic to this material adds a laminate, which does not absorb moisture and is easy to clean.
The main disadvantages are:
- At the joints and in damage can swell under the influence of moisture.
- It is not safe for health - there are formaldehyde in the composition of the material.
Stainless steel kitchen worktop
No wonder the majority of professional kitchens in the world have countertops made of stainless steel. This material is very durable, easily repaired and hygienic. In addition, the maximum moisture-resistant worktop for the kitchen - stainless steel. If you properly operate such a surface, then it will last a long time, and will not cause any special trouble to care for it. Other types of countertops for the kitchen are inferior to this and in resistance to temperatures - stainless steel is absolutely "indifferent" to high temperatures.
If we talk about such tabletops from the design point of view, then here you can find many pluses.
- Great for modern styles (for example, High-tech).
- The surface can be matte or glossy, which can also be applied with advantage in the design of the kitchen space.
- Can have a textured decor that will suit lovers of something interesting and exclusive.
Height of the kitchen countertop from the floor
In most cases, the size of the kitchen countertop and its height have their own standards. If the kitchen set is made by individual order, then the dimensions can be any. In any case, you need to know the parameters and criteria for making calculations based on ergonomic convenience.
| Growth in centimeters | Distance to elbow in cm | Table top height in cm |
| 150 | 133 | 805 |
| 155 | 137 | 832 |
| 160 | 141 | 859 |
| 165 | 146 | 885 |
| 170 | 150 | 913 |
| 175 | 155 | 939 |
| 180 | 159 | 966 |
| 185 | 164 | 992 |
| 190 | 168 | 1020 |
| 195 | 172 | 1047 |
| 200 | 177 | 1073 |
Installation of countertops in the kitchen
An important and often key moment in the assembly of a kitchen set is the installation of a countertop, the quality of which depends both on the overall appearance and functionality of the devices and devices that will be built into it. It is best to entrust this work to professionals who know which fastening of the kitchen top is necessary for this or that material. In addition, if the material from which the coating is made is heavy and not easy to install (marble, glass, granite), then you can easily spoil it and pay your stinginess twice.
The simplest process of installing a finished table top made of MDF or chipboard:
- The finished table top is applied to that part of the headset, where it is designed and carefully leveled.
- From the inside with a screwdriver and screws it is attached to the headset through the holes prepared during the manufacture.