With competitive price and timely delivery, Leading Diamond Tools sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
Choosing what is considered the best worktops for kitchens may seem daunting to many. With many options available and conflicting specifications on each upon research, how do you find which material is best suited for your needs?
WHERE TO START?
Three key deciding factors should make your best kitchen worktop choice easier.
If you are looking to fit a budget you may wish to start with Stone Costs.
Maybe you are more concerned over the lifetime of the worksurface in the hope it will last for many years, in which case, you may want to look into Stone Strengths.
You may have a preference already on which Stone Type you prefer, does the stone you wish for live up to your requirements?
How free can you possibly be!
When the term 'maintenance free' is used in conjunction with worktops - really, we are talking about your freedom. The level of care required for you to maintain your work surface depends wholly on the overall resistances each stone type has to offer.
A surfaces water resistance (Porosity) can impact all other resistances, especially surface 'Stain Resistance'.
NATURAL STONE: Porous Surfaces - Sealing Required
Marble
Limestone
Granite
Quartzite
Slate
MAN-MADE STONE: Non-Porous Surfaces
Quartz
Porcelain
Lapitec
Ideally, all natural working surfaces should be sealed twice yearly for maximum protection, there are exceptions, however, the twice yearly rule is best for simplicity. The hardest part of sealing is remembering to do it! Finding the correct sealer is as easy as web searching: "stone worktop sealer" . Application is as simple as clearing all items from your worktop, applying sealer generously to a clean and dry worktop surface with cloth or sponge. Allowing the sealer to penetrate surface for approx 15 mins before redistributing sealer to remove puddles and streaks. After 30 mins wipe dry with a dry cloth.
The best kitchen worktop is one that does not scratch, chip or crack!
The hardness of a worktop directly relates to its scratch and chipping resistances. If manufactured, installed and used correctly, cracking of any stone surface should not be of any concern. Each stone surface type has different hardness strengths according to the minerals it is made from.
The Mohs Mineral Hardness Scale measures hardness by a minerals ability to scratch another. As the scale is based on minerals, and each working surface type is made from numerous minerals, the hardness value provided can only be approximate.
MOHS MINERAL HARDNESS Approximate Values (0=Soft 10=Hard)
4
Marble
4
Limestone
4
Slate
Want more information on worktop with drainer grooves supplier? Feel free to contact us.
5
Lapitec
7
Quartz
7
Granite
8
Quartzite
8
Porcelain
For comparison - STEEL comes in at 4 on the MOHS hardness scale.
Well, it would be nice if everything could last forever, without wear and tear wouldnt it? Just because a worktop is made from stone does'nt mean it is impervious to damage. Stone as a result of being hard is brittle, meaning any sudden impact, knocks and cutting with force can damage the surface, whether this is marble or porcelain. The mis-conception that any worktop surface, especially, the best kitchen worktop is totally resistant, is equivalent to you having super powers. Kitchen utensils have been purposely developed to cut and prepare foods upon - we should use them!
The best worktops for kitchens can take an impact without effect!
So glad you noticed my impact exaggeration, but... Man-made materials differ to natural stone in that they are re-constituted from natural stone minerals with additives (binders). The binders give the stone an element of flexibility, despite the binder content being only 7-15%. This flexibility allows man-made stone to be worked and handled in slightly different ways than natural stone.
Worktops are Cheap because they are mass produced!
You probably wont be surprised if I tell you that I get told everyday that 'thats expensive'. But compared to what? If a request comes in for a particular material, size and stipulates either supply, delivery or installation, should I price for something bespoke or for something that is not available on a shelf?! Machines, tools and personnel all have to be considered in the cost of the product. On a positive note - my advice and guidance is free! ...totally truthful, without bias and transparent!
MATERIAL COSTS
By 'Brand' I mean by a man-made stone manufacturer. Despite the materials minor differences, or dare I say 'negligible differences' some 'brands' like to overprice their materials and provide a lengthy warranty that does not secure your stone but their manufacturing of your stone. There are many man-made stone manufactures and many man-made stone suppliers, the latter of the two will provide you with the most cost saving stone slabs with a knock down on a warranty of around 8 years (opposed to 33 years being the largest warranty by a branded manufacturer). It seems, albeit late in the game, that as more stone suppliers are quicker to respond to fabricators, larger brands are catching wind of their losses and starting to reduce costs, reluctantly.
Man-made stone Slab costs (approx and without fabrication)
Range from as little as £450 + VAT through to £ + VAT depending on brand, colour, design and added delivery costs.
Suppliers in this case, is for those that sell natural stone. The cost in recent years has increased, this is partly due to transportation. Fewer quantities of natural stone types are kept in stock, and those that are in stock are mainly remnants from larger orders, meaning quantities, colours and patterns that provide you with a somewhat restricted choice. Demand for certain trends will increase the cost further, for example 'quartzite' has seen an increase in demand over the past few years - yep, the cost did to! Forgive me if I think it should be the other way round!
Natural stone Slab costs (approx and without fabrication)
Ranging from as little as £350 + VAT through to higher than £ + VAT depending on size, stone type, colour, veining and added delivery costs.
Fabrication of your worktops in terms of cost can be quite complicated and lengthy to explain as there are many aspects to consider, I shall summarise so as to give an idea of what to expect. Measure, fabrication and installation of a worktop with a sink and hob cut out is standard. Additions, will increase the cost, especially if several additions are required. Providing your worktops are square and not oddly shaped, you can expect the lowest cost. Material choices also has an effect on cost, harder surface materials cost more.
Fabrication Costs as a Guide Only (Not including additions or stone material)
Machines Used: Bridge saw to cut slab, CNC for cut outs, edge polisher for edge finish, hand finished using wet tools
(Other factors may reduce or increase costs, such as sink, hob cut outs and joins)
Up to 3 metres Kitchen / Utility - approx £500 + VAT supply only
1 slab kitchens: up to 6 metres - approx £ - £ + VAT
2 slab kitchens: up to 12 metres - approx £ - £ + VAT
3 slab kitchens: up to 18 metres - approx £ - £ + VAT
Variables are considered per project following measurements provided or after a visit to measure. Additions that affect overall cost: Upstand, splashbacks, drainer grooves, radius corners, edge profiles, downstands, end panels, mitre joins, windowsills, undersills, shelves and so on and on...
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The grooves are evenly and parallelly cut into the material in order to make the excess water drain back into the undermount sink or belfast sink.
As a result, the water gradually pooling under the drying rack does not stay on the counter top, instead it slowly slides into the sink.
You might ask &#; &#;what&#;s the point?&#; especially since granite, ceramic and quartz kitchen worktops are impregnable surfaces i.e. materials that are unaffected by water. The answer is simple: the drainer area helps to keep your worktop clean at all times. Whatever is splashed to the side, whatever water seeps down to the worktop from the drying rack, you won&#;t need to get your paper-towel out each time, preventing it from dripping on the kitchen floor. Instead, you&#;ll rely on the dedicated drainage to do the job.
Draining grooves also help to contain the dripping water within the sink-area. They chanel the water down to the sink, instead of allowing it to venture elsewhere on the worktop surface. Such flowing direction is especially pivotal if you rely on frequent use of the hand-washing the dishes, and you know for a fact you drying rack will always be filled.
Let&#;s not forget that one of the biggest attributes of stone worktops is the easy maintenance. The inclusion of drainer grooves into the kitchen worktop helps to carry on that trend. Our drainer groove system is specially profiled, polished and angled to improve efficient water flow.
By opting for the drainer grooves in stone, you also save some money in the long term. A lot of the drainage areas on standalone, mobile drying racks can easily rust or sustain damage over time. A lot of our customers claimed they have had at least a few replacements prior to opting for the worktop grooves.
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