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What Granite And Marble For Luxury Kitchen Worktops?

Each have their pros and cons, and there is no right or wrong answer. However, if your marble surface is sealed and the offending material is removed quickly, you should be fine. In our experience, because granites are the post popular kitchen stone worksurface, they also tend to be more susceptible to trend, meaning that they can also quickly go out of trend. Now it tends to be less so, and whenever we install it now we tend to hone it to remove the polished surface, or flame it, a process which textures and antiques the surface.
How Are Granite Countertops Made? Granite Shorts Ep.3 Www.Marble.Com | Duration 7 Minutes 9 Seconds They are typically more aggressive, bolder, harsher and less refined, and we tend to opt for using them in a scullery or pantry environment where the worksurfaces are likely to get more wear and looks are less important. It also diffuses reflections from light sources within the room. If you are going to use oak, we would suggest not using it near sinks or wet areas. Artichoke are fans of basalt, which is warm to the touch and softer to the feel than granite. It stains easily with acid (wine, lemon juice etc) and it can chip. Hopefully this blog post will act as a useful guide for each material, but feel free to contact us if you’d like to discuss your options. With reasonable care, granite worktops will stay looking new for many years. Certainly a few years ago, polished black granite was a popular choice. Because of the way granite if formed geologically (it is volcanic as opposed to marble which is formed from sea bed activity), its patterns are, in our view, less exciting. Over time (in under ten years), these lacquers will wear, particularly in heavy use areas around the sink. Being man-made, there are no natural fissures or graining, making it a great choice for contemporary kitchens in particular. It can also be “grained” and made to look like marbles and natural stone. Depending on the shape and size of the piece, it can be cast on site or bought in pre-cast.

Best Types Of Kitchen Worktop: Granite Quartz Marble Laminate Glass Or Wood? by realhomes.com

You’re going to be using them multiple times a day, so it’s important to choose a kitchen worktop type – or types if you’re picking more than one material for your kitchen – that you like the look of, as well as a surface that will suit your lifestyle. Do you tend to put hot pans straight on the work surface or do you tend to use a trivet?

Best Granite Sealer 2018 * Top 10 Granite Sealers | Duration 7 Minutes 10 Seconds However, these can be costly and require specialist fitting. It’s stylish, beautiful and is associated with luxurious kitchen schemes. Employing industrial techniques, natural quartz is fortified with resin to create a truly hard-wearing and customisable worktop. However, you may see this as a benefit as the worktop will age over time, gaining a beautiful patina. Make sure you shop carefully if you are considering laminates because there is a huge variation in quality. It is one of the most popular worktop materials in luxury kitchens, both traditional and contemporary. They are heat and scratch resistant to a point, but can’t compete with solid stone or quartz. However, there is no reason you couldn’t use it to make a statement and take advantage of its benefits on a kitchen island or in a small workspace. Boo-kmatching is a process where two pieces of the same stone slap are joined to create a mirrored pattern in the surface. However non-specialist laminates and some timber worktops can be bought in standard sizes or by the metre, then cut to size and fitted by a tradesperson or you, if you are fitting your own kitchen. Think about how you plan to use your kitchen: will there be lots of cooking, or is your aim to entertain and impress lots of guests? Are you prepared for the upkeep of a high gloss work surface or would a matt finish be better suited to your family (ie, you have small children who like to touch everything)? Packed with fabulous readers’ homes, trend features, project advice and easy updates, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Cheaper options will damage easily and may not carry some of the benefits listed above. Marble is visually striking due to the naturally occuring streaking in the stone. Although the resin exterior is waterproof, if any water gets within the substrate material, it can cause irreparable damage. It’s a porcelain product that is heat resistant, scratch resistant and can be book-matched.

Composite Worktops: Engineered Stone Quartz Versus Solid Surface Kitchen Worktops by housebeautiful.com

There are two types – engineered stone (quartz) and solid surface – and each has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Care must also be taken to avoid putting extremely hot cookware directly onto a quartz surface as it may scorch. These worktops can be seamlessly moulded to create curved features and integrated sinks and joins are invisible. They’re both very hardwearing and may be a less expensive option than natural stone such as granite or marble. Colour can be added to the mix along with elements such as glass or mirrored chips to give a speckled appearance. It’s possible to get an inconspicuous seam between two lengths of quartz but it won’t be invisible. The exact combination and proportions vary and you can choose from a huge number of colours in plain and stone-like effects.

Marble Vs Onyx | Countertop Comparison | Duration 2 Minutes 58 Seconds Avoid placing very hot pots and pans on them as they can melt, and cutting on the worktop isn’t recommended as scratches will appear, although they can be repaired by a specialist.

Marble and Quartz by marbleandquartz.com

As it is a natural stone no 2 slabs of granite will be identical and this means your kitchen worktop is unique. I couldn’t be any happier as the work completed was fantastic. I will definitely recommend my friends and family and anyone who is looking to improve their kitchen. It has the exquisiteness of a natural stone and hard wearing durability which makes it the perfect material to have as a kitchen worktop. Granite worktops are hard wearing and are easy to keep clean making it perfect for your kitchen worktop. Not only do we offer a template within 48 hours, but a complete installation within 5 working days.

KItchen Lessons and Living With Cararra Marble Worktops by florencefinds.com

I also wish we had had a bit more flexibility and given a bit more thought to the configuration. We babied them, told everyone (read:family,) what not to do on them and tried to keep them perfect. Then we had a baby and didn’t have time/the inclination to baby the worktops too and people were in the house ‘helping’ all the time. But they still look almost exactly as they did when we got them unless you get your nose down to the worktop level to inspect them. As you can see, it required a certain viewpoint and particular settings on my camera to capture these. They happen when anything acidic hits the worktop so fruit, cleaning products, some drinks and tomatoes to name but a few. You really can’t see them unless light is bouncing off the work surface where the etch is. You can never figure out what caused them, but there they are. I like things with natural character and the veining in our worktops is stunning. They also were the least expensive option, saving us hundreds if not thousands on some other choices. We went for a composite type worktop, and while it looked lovely, it showed the scratches easily. It was possible to have it re-polished, but we moved so never did. The one in my current house is ten years old, and looks in better condition than my year old composite one did.

Kitchen Sink Guide | Duration 5 Minutes 6 Seconds I also like that facts that if a tile does get damaged, they are easy to lift and replace (unlike “proper” tiles). I have a meeting with the electrician first thing in the morning to plan where all the new sockets etc are going in our extension. Would be interested to hear from anyone who has a quartz worktop……do they really scratch & chip too? There are however always things that pop up with the benefit of hindsight and if you are using a space differently to the original layout, then things have changed again for us with the addition of a little one. What isn’t good is that they are so long, occasionally when you pull one end, it puts the draw out of line instead of opening it and the drawer catches. Being an ex-display kitchen we were limited to what the cupboard set up was, but we didn’t give enough thought to waste and recycling storage and because we have a lot of drawers and only a few cupboards, which are glass fronted, we have nowhere to put chopping boards and nowhere to store bottles that are taller than a large jar – the hidden cupboards have three shallow shelves in them. All of them were warned off it by kitchen companies and the majority were still happy with their choice. I didn’t want (essentially) white worktops with horrible yellow or orange stains on them. They have been sealed before and after installation and it works. You can be as careful as you like and etches will appear. It’s pretty instant too and you can even spread the etch by wiping the offending item along with the cloth. Our worktops are honed (so not shiny,) marble and the etches are still more matte, but less noticeable as a result. We had to put a tea towel under the chopping board to protect it! It made me realise however that, while unfashionable laminate worktops can be really practical – they are cheap, don’t show up the marks, are easy to clean. Apparently hoovers can collect little bits of grit etc that rub against the tiles and can cause small scratches over time. Still keep going back to the marble, particularly tonight after googling quartz this evening. To be honest we don’t treat it will much care at all – hot dishes from the oven are sat down on it etc.

Marble Vs Onyx | Countertop Comparison | Duration 2 Minutes 59 Seconds One piece of advice is definitely go direct to a marble / stone yard and buy the stone you do choose from them.

Encore Acrylic Marble Kitchen Worktop Accessories by larkandlarks.co.uk

Rails and associated components need to be purchased separately from this section, they are not included with the cabinets. The range includes individually switched fluorescent striplights and budget striplights. Care must be taken where lights are enclosed in a cabinet to ensure there is adequate ventilation. This modification option can be selected on all applicable cabinets in our pre-built kitchen cabinet range so that the cabinets are supplied ready modified to accept our rails. Light fittings should not be fitted in the vicinity of flammable surfaces.

What Are Quartz Worktops Made Of? by surreymarbleandgranite.co.uk

Unlike natural stone, engineered stone is completely uniform in colour. Adding mica and other reflective minerals can turn a plain black worktop into a starry night sky. Quartz worktops are tough and robust, often withstanding years of wear without a mark. In most cases, wiping the surface down with a mild soap and water will be enough to keep it looking its best. Whether you’re using tiles or slabs, it’s essential to prepare the surface properly before you start work. Stone floors are typically scratch and stain resistant, but that doesn’t mean they’re impervious to damage.

Modular Kitchen Indian Context Counter Top | Duration 3 Minutes 25 Seconds The stone used is quartz, one of nature’s toughest materials, and a very versatile one. The exact ratio depends on the manufacturer and type of quartz worktop. Processed stones can easily by dyed to create a rainbow of colours so whether you want pillar box red or the palest pink, vivid yellow or subtle greens, granite grey or marble white, there’ll be something for you. This means it’s easy to match and you know that what you see in the show room is exactly what you’ll get. For a smooth texture, stone is ground to a fine powder, while using larger pieces of natural stone gives a distinctive look. Non-porous and sealed before installation, quartz worktops are easy to care for. With years of experience in the industry, we have the lessons of many successful projects to draw on and are always ready for a new challenge. To keep a stone floor looking its best, it’s important to take care of it. We also specialise in more ambitious projects such as staircases, fireplaces or even the interiors of super yachts.

What Type Of Sink Do I Need For A Granite Worktop? by advice.diy-kitchens.com

The 3 types of sinks that you have to choose from are shown below with a brief explanation. It is placed into a kitchen unit that allows the sink to sit underneath the granite worktop. The other benefit of a granite worktop is that you do not need to buy a draining board attached to the sink. See the examples below to get a feel for how an undermounted sink and granite worktop could look in your home. The hole for the sink has to be cut out of the granite as well as the taps so you need to ensure you know what sink and tap you are going to have before the granite is cut to size and with the cut-outs required. It looks very stylish and the draining area is so much easier to clean than the traditional stainless steel ones that many kitchens have. Franke is a market leader in the making of sinks and is a well known brand. There is considerable work in removing an undermounted sink and fitting a new one and resealing it in position. You will however need a plumber to do all the plumbing work. An online kitchen planner would be an useful addition, to help plan and measure the kitchen. This allows you to get the most from your granite and see the shiny edges that drop off into the sink. This is because you can have the draining board grooves cut straight into the granite worktop, giving you a stylish worktop as well as more work space when required. See the examples below to get a feel for how an inset sink and granite worktop could look in your home. This can look very effective with a contrasting granite work top.

How Much Does A Kitchen Worktop Cost? — Diapol.Co.Uk by diapol.co.uk

Sure, a kitchen worktop is not a car, but this is the closest comparison we could think of. The other half is the cost of the finishing, measuring and installation services. We recommend getting quotations from different manufacturers and include the cost of the finishing. As we mentioned above, the price of the stone material is a major price component. If you choose marble, you should be one hundred per cent sure that you are ready to take care of it. Without proper maintenance, you may already have to replace your marble worktop after a couple of years. The average price of a quartz worktop is about £475 per square metre. Quartz is a man-made material and it takes more resources to make a quartz worktop than it takes to make a marble or granite worktop. Ceramic materials are also industrially made, but unlike quartz, ceramic worktops are 100% natural. Ceramic worktops usually start from £450 per square metre. The cheapest option would be a granite worktop, but you should keep in mind something very important – this is an average calculation and there are always exceptions. Another important price component is the dimensions of the material. The larger the area and the thicker the piece, the higher the price of the worktop. Furthermore, if you compare ceramic worktops of 12 and 30 mm, the latter may even cost twice the price. Why choose a thicker material if it’s more expensive? If a worktop extends over the edge of the supporting structure by just 30 cm, it may break when something heavy is put on it. If you add all the pieces, however, it may bring the price up quite a bit. Finishing the openings in a worktop means cutting openings into the stone worktop– for a stove, sink or taps. In the case of ceramic worktops, this is done with a water jet. Stove and sink openings can be cut using various methods, each with a different price. The average cost of cutting a stove or sink opening is up to £180 and each tap opening may cost up to £65, depending on the diameter of the tap. The price of measuring and installation depends on the location and the specific work required. If the stone worktop does not fit into the kitchen for whatever reason, it’s an expensive mistake to fix. In the end, if you take proper care of your worktop, stone will be cheaper than wood or laminate. We’ll say for starters that the material makes up about 50% of the price of the end product. The price of stone materials depends on the properties of the stone, its origin, production technology and related costs. Marble is an absorbent material with a light-coloured surface that wine and food can easily stain. If your kitchen is always spick and span and your marble worktop is taken care of meticulously, it can look good for decades. Some cost half the price (£225) and others cost twice (£900). Even though the price can sometimes be higher, quartz worktops are more durable, their absorbency has been reduced to a minimum and they are very easy to take care of. The manufacturing process for ceramic worktops is more complex and time consuming, resulting in higher prices. The price of a stone worktop largely depends on its thickness and size. Diapol sells stone materials of 12, 20 and 30 mm, and the thickness plays a major role in the price of the worktop. Above all, it can be an advantage to choose a thicker material, since there are places where the thinner worktops should not be installed. These tools are fairly expensive to maintain, and this is reflected in the price. In addition, a stove can be installed in two ways: overmounted and flush-mounted. The percentage is smaller for larger and more expensive worktops. It has happened that a worktop was too large to be carried to the fifth floor and had to be lifted in using a crane, and this costs extra. As a consequence, if we haven’t done the measuring of the worktops ourselves, we generally do not cut them. A stone worktop is one of the most expensive components of a kitchen. With the right care, a stone kitchen will last a lifetime!

Himalayan Salt Blocks by touchstoneworktops.com

This article will look into what the latest must-have kitchen accessory is, and how it can help you. Something to remember is that when heated, the block will take on an opaque colouring, so the colour of the block is likely to change when it is in use. After this, turn the heat to a medium level for another 20 minutes, and then finally another 20 minutes on a high setting. Thanks to the extreme heat of the block, the food can be ready in minutes. First, you must let it cool for an hour, so turn off the heat on the hob. The easy-clean surface means there is no need for washing up liquid, and each block can soak up some of the colouring from the food, as well as taking marks from cutting, etc. Choosing your salt block requires a number of different criteria. If you are using a block for serving, for example, this thickness and strength is not as important. Simply place the block on the hob, on low heat initially, and warm it for 20 minutes. You can test whether or not the block is ready to use by sprinkling water on it; if the water sizzles and evaporates, then the block is hot enough. Once the block is at the correct temperature, you can start cooking. For thin slices of steak, you need to heat each side for 1-2 minutes per side, increasing to 4-5 minutes for thicker slices. When your food is ready and has been taken off the block, the block itself will need cleaning. Once it is cool to the touch, simply scrub the block with a wet sponge or scouring pad (no soap) until all food matter has been removed, and the block looks clean and fresh. The natural salts in the block mean that they can enhance the flavour of your food without overpowering it, meaning your dishes have a unique flavour to them. While this may not seem like a benefit, it means that you will have an absolutely unique cooking block without compromising on its effectiveness.

Know The Difference Between White Marble White Granite and White Quartz by mkwsurfaces.co.uk

This article will shed some light on the basic difference between marble, granite and quartz worktops. They may be used in a variety of places such as kitchens, bathrooms, etc. However, it is important for potential customers to know about the various options before they opt for one of the worktops as their choice. Being a rock it consists of minerals such as feldspar, plagioclase and quartz. It makes it easy for a mason to stain and etch on its surface. However, the presence of impurities gives the minerals a variety of colours like white quartz. Quartz is powdered and mixed with resin to form slabs, thus it can resist scratches, etchings, etc that can result from everyday usage. Quartz is non-porous and unlike marble and granite, you won’t need to get it sealed. It should be kept in mind that investing in a worktop made of natural rock or from a good brand of quartz, is a good decision in the long haul! The choice of white marble worktops depends upon the purpose they are supposed to serve and the tastes and preferences of the users. Horizontal surfaces that are used to perform certain tasks on it are called worktops. Some people may prefer white marble worktops while others may prefer white quartz worktops. It looks very similar to marble slabs and is known for their aesthetic appeal that reflects in their impressive veins. Granite is known for its tough nature and durability, making it ideal for worktops used in commercial kitchens. Marble has a cool surface which makes it ideal for pastry making, and is a must have worktop for home-makers who love to bake! It is made up of silicon dioxide, and it has a crystalline nature. Engineered stone has quartz as the main component; it is used to make backsplashes and countertops. This puts quartz at an advantage as compared to marble and granite that have to be sealed and stored as they can get scratched and strained easily. Although when people refer to quartz worktops, they are referring ‘ engineered quartz’ which is man-made. The only factor that keeps people from choosing natural materials for their worktops may be some of their performance characteristics.