Kitchen worktops

Exactly MOnica . I certainly don't pretend our wood effect is real but it looks good! Mostly!

We intended granite but ran out of money and had Formica. That was ten years ago and of course we just got used to it and never changed it. It's functional but not beautiful.

Why?

I can't understand why people like black granite work tops, they are so funereal. I have thick textured formica tops in a cream colour which I bleach when they get stained, and they look as good as new. Pseudo wood surfaces are so dishonest.

I moved to a house with black granite worktops and was very unsure of them when I arrived. I love them now. I thought they would be too dark, but hadn't realised how much they reflect light. The trick to easy maintenance, and I love easy, is to use microfibre cloths. One smooth one to use wet and a fluffier one to dry. No chemicals needed and no more difficult than wiping laminate.

I've had black granite for about 12 years now, still love it. Yes it does show up smears, but that's as much to do with how the lighting above is positioned as it is to do with being granite. The occasional squirt and polish with glass cleaner brings it up lovely.

Unexpected bonus of granite - I'd read that it can be as good as marble for making pastry as it keeps cool; I hadn't realised that the same properties would mean that frozen food would defrost faster if left directly on it!

Forgot to say when I made my original post, when we had our new kitchen installed, we had a fitted dresser built in as part of it and that has a solid wood surface, which I also love but we don't use it for food preparation, just the rest of the surfaces which are a speckled quartz.

I've a grey granite flecked with other colours and Carrara marble backs.
I've no trouble with maintenance and am very pleased with it. It was all done by a local stonemason who are a family firm. They restore old classical buildings. And are real professionals

Where 'natural' materials have it over laminates is, of course, when you have to cut it on a curve. We had a very good kitchen fitter who made a good job of it, so I am happy with it, but it will never look as good as a natural wood, granite or similar material. I tried to post a picture but it came out upside down!

me too...how clebber as my 4 year old (GD) would say

I have a wooden work top (light oak) and I love it. Its the second one I've had. You do have to be careful, keep it oiled and not let too much water seep into the parts around the sink area, as it will go black with the damp! But I had this part replaced and now take much better care that its not left soaking wet. It hadn't been oiled enough, when my granddaughter put something on it that left a ring mark, but her daddy came along and simply sanded the mark off, then I re oiled. In fact I will oil it again today, this conversation has reminded me. Not a big job in the scheme of things. . So fingers crossed it'll last longer. It does look lovely.

I use a dishwashable red plastic board for meat but don't use separate board for anything else.

glass boards put my teeth on edge, like chalk on a blackboard. Wooden board for bread, plastic for meat. I really don't see where the high maintenance comes in with granite........but marble is not recommended for kitchens as can be porous and may stain.

Second kitchen with black granite (we moved) and would never have anything else. It really isnt hard work to look after and we are in a very hard water area. All it needs is a wipe over with method granite spray and a glass cloth, no harder to look after than laminate and far easier than wood.

I do keep separate ones for veg, bread and meat.

I don't

I didn't know that!
You learn so much on GN

I do keep separate ones for veg, bread and meat.

There is no need to scrub wooden chopping boards - wood is naturally antibacterial!

We have laminate iroko wood block effect. Needs a bit of a buff up with tea towel after cleaning but that's all. Goes nicely with cream gloss slab doors.

Like coolgran I also use glass cutting boards.
I was told that they would blunt the knives, so I use wooden ones (and scrub them well afterwards). I just use the glass ones for putting hot dishes on.

I would definitely have a quartz surface again.
I suppose I should!

I would love a new kitchen but it is such a good solid one that we couldn't afford to replace it with anything of similar quality.
My friend has just had a lovely new kitchen with wooden work surfaces but, after reading this thread, I really don't think I want the upkeep of them or granite.

Juliette what kind is it?

Work on the new kitchen came to a grinding (literally) halt this afternoon because the router DH borrowed from a friend to cut out the bit where the Belfast sink will go, turned out to be old and not up to the job.

Off to hire one tomorrow.

#shouldhavedonethatinthefirstplace

This is mine, after eight or so years it still scrubs up well.

big standard bog standard.

PS are we missing some phot opportunitues here?

For me it is laminate every time, easy clean, no maintenance. I have had mine nearly 20 years and they are still in perfect condition.

I would not have granite or marble for environmental reasons. As I understand most of the granite and marble used in worktops is imported from India. This means huge quarries and few health or safety rules to protect the health and safety of workers. Sooner or later granite or marble work surfaces will go out of fashion and what will happen to them? How can they be recycled or re-used? Will this natural irreplaceable resource just be put into landfill sites?