Green kitchen with a pale veined Silestone quartz worktop and matching splashback

Choosing a kitchen worktop

Quartz, sintered stone, granite, solid surface, timber and laminate, compared honestly by the people who design, template and fit them across West Sussex.

Book a design consultation Compare them at a glance

The surface you touch every day

A worktop takes more wear than anything else in the kitchen. The kettle lives there, the shopping lands there and homework gets done there, so choose with your habits in mind as well as your eyes.

Below we go through the materials we fit most often, what each one is like to live with and where it works best. In our 3D and VR designs you can try different worktops on your own layout, and in the showroom you can handle real samples next to our kitchens.

For more on stone, see our page on solid surface and quartz worktops.

Covered here: Quartz, sintered stone, granite, solid surface, timber and laminate
Brands we fit: Silestone, Caesarstone and Dekton, among others
See samples: 17 West Street, Storrington. Walk in Monday to Friday. Saturday and evening appointments by arrangement.

Material by material

Each one has its place. What suits a busy family galley may be wrong for a garden room island, so think about how you cook as much as how it looks.

Quartz

Engineered quartz is crushed natural quartz bound with resin and pigment, then pressed into slabs. It is the surface we fit most, because it looks smart and asks very little of you. Silestone and Caesarstone both make wide ranges, from plain whites to marble and concrete looks.

Quartz pairs well with an undermount sink, and you can see the sinks we fit on our sinks and taps page.

Look: Even colour or soft veining that stays consistent from slab to slab. Polished, matt and textured finishes.
Durability: Very hard wearing and non-porous, so it never needs sealing.
Heat, scratches, stains: Resists scratches and stains well. The resin can mark under a very hot pan, so keep a trivet by the hob.
Upkeep: Warm water and a little washing up liquid. Avoid bleach, oven cleaner and scouring pads.
Where it suits: Busy family kitchens, sink runs and islands. Not for outdoor kitchens in strong sun.

Kitchen island with a pale Dekton worktop, pendant lights and dark wall units

Looking down on a Dekton worktop with a bowl, a cup and herbs

Sintered stone

Sintered, or ultra-compact, surfaces such as Dekton are made from the minerals found in glass, porcelain and quartz, fused under great heat and pressure. The result is a very dense slab that copes with almost anything a kitchen throws at it, in slimmer profiles than stone.

Look: Crisp concrete, stone, marble and metal effects. Can be very slim for a modern edge.
Durability: Extremely hard. Edges and corners can chip if knocked hard, so we often suggest a small edge profile.
Heat, scratches, stains: Excellent on all three. Takes a hot pan, resists knife marks and does not absorb spills.
Upkeep: A damp cloth and a little washing up liquid. Most household cleaners are fine.
Where it suits: Keen cooks, hob runs, islands, sunny rooms and outdoor kitchens.

Granite

Granite is quarried natural stone, so no two slabs are the same. It has a depth and sparkle that engineered surfaces imitate but never quite match, and it will last for decades.

Look: Speckled, flecked or veined, with natural variation. Polished or honed.
Durability: Very hard and long lasting, though heavy.
Heat, scratches, stains: Very good with heat and scratches. Slightly porous, so oil, wine and lemon can mark if left to sit.
Upkeep: A pH neutral cleaner, spills wiped up promptly, and resealing when water stops beading on the surface.
Where it suits: Traditional and country kitchens, and anyone who wants a one-off slab.

Solid surface

Solid surface is an acrylic based material that can be shaped and joined so the joins all but disappear. Sinks and upstands can be formed from the same material for a smooth, easy to clean finish.

Look: Soft and warm to the touch. Plain colours and gentle patterns in matt or satin.
Durability: Tough enough for everyday use and, unlike stone, it can be repaired.
Heat, scratches, stains: Non-porous, so stains wipe away. Scratches more easily than stone, but light marks can be buffed out. Always use a trivet.
Upkeep: Soapy water or a mild cream cleaner. Fine marks can be lifted following the maker’s guidance.
Where it suits: Minimal designs such as our Handleless range, integrated sinks, curved shapes and family kitchens.

Timber

Oak, walnut and iroko bring a warmth no manufactured surface can copy. Timber looks especially good alongside stone, as an island top or a raised breakfast bar, and it suits our Classic and In-Frame ranges well.

Look: Natural grain that mellows and deepens with age. Stave or end grain construction.
Durability: Takes everyday knocks, and dents and scratches can be sanded out and re-oiled.
Heat, scratches, stains: Marks with heat and water rings, so we tend to keep timber away from the sink.
Upkeep: Oil before use and regularly after, whenever water stops beading. Wipe it dry.
Where it suits: Islands, breakfast bars, country kitchens, and mixing with stone.

Laminate

Today’s laminates are a long way from the worktops of years ago, with convincing stone and wood effects and slim square edges. A sensible surface for rooms that work hard.

Look: A wide choice of colours, stone and wood effects.
Durability: Good for daily use, as long as joints and cut edges are kept dry.
Heat, scratches, stains: Resists everyday stains. Hot pans and knives will damage it, and damage cannot be repaired.
Upkeep: A damp cloth and a mild cleaner. Do not let water sit on the joins.
Where it suits: Utility rooms, boot rooms, rental properties and second kitchens.

How they compare

Our general guide from fitting all six. Each maker publishes its own care and use guidance, and we pass it on when your worktops go in.

Material	Heat	Scratches	Stains	Upkeep	Repairs
Quartz	Good, use a trivet	Very good	Excellent	Very low	By a specialist
Sintered stone	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Very low	Small chips can be filled
Granite	Very good	Very good	Good once sealed	Reseal from time to time	By a specialist
Solid surface	Fair, use a trivet	Fair, marks buff out	Very good	Low	Yes, very repairable
Timber	Fair	Fair, can be sanded	Fair	Oil regularly	Yes, sand and re-oil
Laminate	Poor	Fair	Good	Very low	No

Browse the colours

The supplier sites are a good place to start a shortlist. Colours on screen are only a guide, so bring your favourites to the showroom and see the real samples.

Pacific Blue quartz worktop with drainer grooves cut beside a black undermount sink, Storrington

Rounded corner of a 30mm Pacific Blue quartz worktop

New worktops, same kitchen

In this Storrington kitchen the cabinets were still sound, so we kept them and replaced the old tops with 30mm Pacific Blue quartz. Drainer grooves are cut into the quartz beside a black undermount sink with a filter tap, and the corners are softly rounded.

A new worktop on its own can change a room more than you might expect.

See the project

Worktop questions

Which worktop is the most hard wearing?

Sintered stone such as Dekton is the toughest all round for heat, scratches and stains. Quartz comes a close second for everyday family use and needs almost no upkeep.

Can I put a hot pan straight onto quartz?

It is best not to. The resin in quartz can discolour under sudden high heat, so keep a trivet or board by the hob. Sintered stone and granite cope far better with heat.

Do stone worktops need sealing?

Quartz and sintered stone do not. Granite is a natural stone with some porosity, so it benefits from resealing from time to time, and we will show you how.

When are stone worktops measured?

Once the cabinets are fitted, a template is taken from the actual units so the slabs are cut to fit exactly. The worktops are then made and fitted, and we plan the rest of the work around that short gap.

Can I see samples before I decide?

Yes. The showroom on West Street has samples of the surfaces we fit, and we bring samples with us when we come out to measure, so you can see them in your own light next to your door colour.

More of our work is on our projects page.

See them side by side in Storrington

Walk in to the showroom on West Street to compare samples, or book a design consultation and we will bring worktop samples when we come out to measure. Saturday and evening appointments by arrangement.

Book a design consultation Visit the showroom