Are you shopping for the best kitchen countertop in Ireland? You have come to the right place. Once you have chosen the layout and cabinets for your kitchen, the next crucial choice is the worktop material and color scheme. Kitchen worktops come in different styles, colors, materials, and prices. There are many factors to consider when investing in the best kitchen worktop for your kitchen.
Your kitchen worktop will be constantly used for preparing and serving meals and potentially dining. Hence, it should be able to withstand regular, intensive cleaning. On the other hand, the worktop is the natural focal point in your kitchen. It should complement the cabinetry and flooring of the kitchen. Your personal preferences, budget, and style also matter when shopping for the best kitchen worktop for your Ireland home in places such as kitchenworktops.ie. Granite, laminate, timber, marble, stainless steel, and solid surface worktops are quite popular in homes across Ireland. This article provides information on what are the best kitchen worktops in Ireland.
Granite Worktops
Granite worktops are quite popular in homes. Granite is an igneous rock with truly stunning swirls and patterns. There are many advantages to opting for a granite worktop for your kitchen. The product is hard-wearing, fairly heat-resistant, and easy to clean and maintain. On the other hand, if you seal a granite worktop properly, it will not stain. It’s a strong natural stone that will last for many decades to come. You can easily maintain the worktop by wiping it down with a soft cloth and a mild detergent solution on a daily basis.
There are deep cleaning solutions in the market to help bring back the original luster of a granite worktop. The disadvantages of a granite worktop are the high price of the product, and it can easily chip on its edges when hit with enough force. In fact, you should expect to pay between £ 250 and £ 500 for a linear meter of granite. The price will vary depending on the availability of the material and where it comes from in the world. Granite is porous and needs to be sealed properly in order to avoid staining.
Timber Worktops
The luster of natural wood helps bring warmth to any kitchen design. Wooden worktops are much cheaper than natural stone products. You can choose wooden worktops from a wide variety of wood grains and stained colors. On the other hand, a wood worktop will naturally develop character with age. These worktops are usually constructed using small planks of wood or staves. Oak, Beech, Iroko, Bamboo, and Wenge are some of the most popular variants of wood worktops in Ireland.
You should expect to spend between £400 and £1000 for a full wooden worktop for your kitchen depending on the species of wood used for the product. Maintaining a wood worktop requires more work than a stone worktop. You can wipe it with a soft cloth soaked in a weak soap solution initially. But it requires a lot more maintenance and cleaning as time passes. Wood products can easily scratch and swell if not maintained properly. On the other hand, the natural beauty of wood worktops can be more easily damaged by heat or spills. Don’t forget to apply several coats of oil on the worktop within the first 6 months of installation.
Laminate Worktops
Laminate worktops are quite popular in most kitchens in Ireland. That’s because they are cost-effective compared to other worktops. The worktop is constructed using ground-up chipboard which is pressed into sheets. A plastic sheeting will be laminated or stuck to it in order to form a hardwearing surface that’s visible. These are the cheapest of all kitchen worktops in Ireland. In fact, a 3m length would start from as little as £ 100. On the other hand, laminate worktops are resilient to staining and come in a wide variety of textures and colors.
Installation is easy and a DIY enthusiast could easily install a laminate worktop with a router and a worktop Jig. Placing hot pans on a laminate worktop is a surefire way of scratching its surface. Use a mild detergent solution to easily clean and maintain a laminate worktop. These products are not hard-wearing or resistant as other solid worktop surfaces. But more expensive laminate worktops tend to have better heat and scratch resistance.
Marble Worktops
Marble is a natural stone with inherent beauty. The naturally occurring patterns in marble are quite mesmerizing. It is a great option for kitchen worktops across Ireland. Homeowners tend to choose marble worktops since it suits most styles of kitchens. These worktops are luxurious and highly heat-resistant. Marble worktops vary in price depending on how much of the material is pulled out of the ground each year. You should expect to pay upwards of £3000 for a marble worktop.
The aforementioned article provides information on what are the best kitchen worktops in Ireland.
