Every kitchen needs a benchtop. A kitchen benchtop is a witness to all kitchen activity. Your house your gas stove, your oven, and a lot more on the benchtop. Also, the benchtop is what one notices first while entering the kitchen.
So, needless to say, the benchtop plays an important role in enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the kitchen. There are mainly 2 options available to you while picking the material for your kitchen benchtop – stone benchtops or laminate benchtops.
Laminate benchtops may appear to be appealing with a wide range of colours and patterns that they have to offer at a lower cost.
But there are several reasons to always choose stone benchtops over laminate ones because there is a lot more to stone countertops than what meets the eye.
Benefits of Installing Stone Kitchen Benchtops
There are other options like stainless steel and timber for making kitchen benchtops, but none of those matches the glamorous look that natural stone has to offer. These natural beauties add more to the kitchen than authenticity, and with the various stone colours to choose from, it will breathe life into any home
There are 3 types of stone benchtops that you can choose from:
- Marble benchtop
- Granite benchtop
- Engineered stone benchtop
All these 3 types have unique features and appearances. But, there are some benefits that are common among all the three, and those benefits are the ones that make stone the best material for kitchen benchtops.
Here is a list of all those benefits:
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Easy Maintenance
Stone benchtops do not have any crevices and are smooth. Stone slabs are polished and sealed with a sealant to make it stain resistant and that makes it extremely easy to clean. Also, there are no care tips that you need to regularly follow to maintain it.
Once the stone slab is installed in your kitchen, you have to forget all about it. All you need is detergent and water to keep it clean, unlike other materials that require more effort to keep them looking good.
When countertops become dull, they lose their luster, and many homeowners don’t know the solution to this problem. There are unique solutions containing silicone that anyone can apply to the countertops twice a year to keep them shiny and looking new.
To prevent any stains from forming on the stone countertops, wipe them immediately after spills. Say there are some stains on the stone already; try using a thick layer of poultice spread over it. Give it time to soak, around 48 to 72 hours, then remove the poultice by wiping it with a clean, soft cloth.
Heat Resistant
The benchtop is often subjected to heat while using the gas stove or while placing hot utensils on it. When this happens, the tiles or laminate benchtops are likely to crack due to this heat. These materials simply cannot stand high temperatures, so homeowners should be extra careful when working with hot items around them
On the other hand, the stone is completely heat resistant and you do not have to worry about accidentally placing hot pans on the benchtop and damaging it.
Stone is a material that can easily sustain heat. This way, you can freely place hot pans on your benchtops and not worry about any heat marks on the stone surface.
Scratch Resistant
The kitchen is full of sharp items such as knives, forks, etc. There are high chances of you accidentally scratching the benchtop while working. Although safety comes first in any kitchen, and no one deliberately wants to poke or scratch their kitchen tops, accidents may happen.
Scratches spoil the aesthetic appeal of the benchtop. But, the stone is a durable material and thus is scratch resistant. Due to its high resistance to scratch, a stone benchtop looks as appealing as new even after years of usage.
If scratches occur, use fine-grit sandpaper to remove the scratch from the surface. After that, wipe the area to rid it of any particles, and apply a sealant to the site to bring back its original shine.
Long-Lasting
Stone is a highly durable material and can last a lifetime if proper care is taken. Stone benchtops, once installed, do not scratch, chip, or get stained. Also, the stone does not get discolored and loses its charm with the passage of time.
Thus, it becomes an ageless beauty in your kitchen. All you need to do is just clean it regularly with detergent and water and the stone will retain its shine forever.
There is a stone sealing treatment that makes the stone benchtop even more resistant to stains of strong acids and food coloring. If you get the stone sealed with that sealant while installing it, there is no chance that your benchtop will ever lose its shine.
To Conclude
Stone benchtops cost more than the rest of the benchtop materials, but considering the benefits that stone has to offer, it is totally worth the money spent. Homeowners are saving costs through low maintenance, durability, and heat and scratch resistance; these countertops remain professionals and homeowners’ top choice.
