The type of worktop you choose will depend firstly on personal taste and then what your budget will allow. The common choice for most people, mainly because of their low cost, is a 40mm laminate worktop. The other advantage is low maintenance – just a wipe with a damp cloth will keep them clean.
There is a wide choice of designs and colors available from imitation wood to imitation granite. Another advantage over natural work surfaces is the ability to absorb low impact when placing a cup or plate down without chipping the bottoms or being very noisy.
There are a few disadvantages which, if taken into consideration, will not detract from an otherwise good work surface.
The first is the fact that the bull nose or round nose is only available in straight runs. Any angled corners or radius ends have to be machined flat and a flat piece of laminate glued in place.
The other thing to be aware of is that any joint or cut in the surface is a potential problem area waiting to happen. If puddles of water are left on a joint over time the chipboard will swell causing the laminate to lift. If an electric kettle is placed over a joint the heat from below will affect the joint. No hot surfaces such as hot pans from a hob can be placed directly onto the work surface as this will also lead to blistering.
So with care, laminate worktops are a good choice in a standard kitchen.
However, if the design of the kitchen has a Belfast sink for example, then a laminate worktop, around the sink area, is out of the question.
The next option is a wooden worktop made up of many strips of wood glued together to give the correct depth, usually around 620mm.
Wooden surfaces may be cut and shaped to suit the shape of the base units so that if a hobby unit protrudes forward as a feature or radius corners are needed they can all be done and then the front edge can be profiled with a router as well as the ends along the end grain. This is a big advantage over laminate and, unlike a granite top, the fitter can fit wooden worktops, so there is no delay in fitting the tops.
The wooden tops need 3 coats of oil on the top and underneath. To strive this I start to oil the underside of all wooden tops the first day I arrive to fit the kitchen.
As the oil takes 12 hours to dry I give them further coats on day 2 and day 3. By day 4 I can begin cutting and machining the tops. When all the worktops are fitted and sanded the tops are given 3 coats of oil over the following 3 days with a light sand between coats.
Once the kitchen is in use the worktops will need occasional oiling. This will depend on the amount of use they have had so it could be once a month or twice a year. It will be down to the customer how much they want to look after their work surface.
I know past customers who have never oiled their tops since I installed them and several years later ring me to ask how to remove the staining around the sink area. This staining is very hard to get rid of and depending on how bad it will determine how much wood needs to be removed by either sanding or planning and sanding.
I usually recommend a heavy sanding then 3 coats of oil over the following 3 days.
If you choose granite worktops they are measured and installed by the granite company you choose. When all of the base units are in place the granite installer will typically create templates of the layout out of 4mm to 6mm hard board or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard).
All overhangs, curves, sink profiles etc are cut very accurately so that the templates can be taken back to the workshop and transferred onto suitable pieces of granite so that little or no work needs to be carried out in the kitchen to make it all fit correctly .
The joints are filled with a 2 pack resin, appropriately colored to minimize the visual impact of the joints.
After installation the granite is cleaned with a spirit to remove traces of grease, dust, finger marks etc and then covered with a sealer to prevent or minimize any accidental staining.
All types of worktops have their own advantages and disadvantages of price, durability, exclusivity and maintenance.
It all boils down to 1. What you like, 2. If you can afford what you like, and 3. Whether you are willing to put in the time to look after your ideal choice of top.