How to choose your kitchen countertop: everything you need to know to make the right decision
Choosing a countertop is one of the key decisions in any kitchen remodelling project. Do you want wood or natural stone? Are you into sintered stone? How about the colour and the layout of the space? Tips on how to choose the best countertop for extra safety and comfort.
The first thing when designing or refurbishing a kitchen is to know which countertop to choose. Countertops are a key component in the kitchen and their selection will depend on many factors, including aesthetics, the type of material, the layout of the kitchen and how it is going to be used, and so on. A countertop is not the same for a kitchen that is used daily and for a long period of time as one that is only going to be used sporadically, nor is a countertop for a Nordic style kitchen the same as one for a more modern, industrial kitchen. Do you want it to be made of a durable material that is easy to maintain? Or would you rather go for the authenticity of a natural material? Here is everything you need to consider when choosing your kitchen countertop. Make a note of our list, but don’t forget that the most important thing is that your kitchen countertop is beautiful (yes), but also functional and practical, that it adapts to you and your family’s needs and that it integrates completely into the layout of your home.
The material
Today, there are as many different materials on the market for kitchen countertops as there are different preferences. You can find quartz, wood and natural stone, such as marble and granite; Solid Surface, stainless steel, laminate, silestone… Given such a vast choice, we recommend you contact your professional marble worker or your nearest kitchen shop so that they can inform you of the pros and cons of each raw material, because a countertop for indoors is different from one for an outdoor kitchen, one that is more durable and resistant to scratching, easy to cut and handle… Its price will also depend on its characteristics.
As far as we are concerned, we are here to tell you why you should choose a porcelain countertop such as the ones we offer in our latest Arklam sintered stone.
Porcelain kitchen countertops benefits
Porcelain countertops are currently one of the most sought-after materials on the market for kitchen reforms. Firstly, they are an accurate reproduction of other materials such as wood, natural stone or marble, and secondly, they have unprecedented technical and mechanical characteristics that are lacking in other materials. They are highly resistant to abrasion, heat and stains. They are difficult to scratch, do not burn and are highly resistant, remaining unalterable over time. Porcelain tile is also a material with extremely low porosity (preventing dirt from accumulating in excess), they are antibacterial and extremely easy to clean and maintain.
Do you want to know how you can easily clean a porcelain countertop? Download our Arklam maintenance guide here.
The elements and layout of the kitchen
The so-called ‘kitchen countertop’ refers not only to the countertop itself, but also to the island countertop, if there is one. Therefore, it is important to consider, before choosing the countertop, what your kitchen will look like, what layout it will have, as well as what equipment it will include. The good thing about a material such as Arklam is its wide range of thicknesses, from the thinnest at 3 and 6mm, which make it very easy to handle and cut to size from large format slabs, to the thickest at 12 and 20mm, capable of simulating how the marble worker handles a real piece of marble. This variety of thicknesses within the same collection makes it possible, in addition to obtaining exceptionally durable and safe kitchens, to obtain integrated kitchens, as with the same porcelain material you can combine flooring, cladding, countertop and backsplash for a total stone or marble look.
Arklam’s cutting options also make it possible to easily integrate the hob or sink area into the hob area, resulting in a very trendy and fashionable undermount sink, for example. Arklam’s most revolutionary feature goes one step further in this respect, designing countertops with integrated sinks with the same aesthetics both inside and outside the countertop.
The shape
Depending on the layout of the kitchen, the countertop will be larger or have a different shape. There are also different ways of designing the island. Would you dare to have an island completely covered in porcelain and in the most unusual shapes? Arklam makes it all possible.
The colours
Once we have chosen a style, we want the kitchen countertop to be fully integrated into it. Remember that the countertop takes on a leading role in the kitchen as a whole. The same goes for the island. Therefore, choosing a material with a diversity of colours and aesthetics will make your task easier when it comes to coordinating the space or creating a world of contrasts.
Again, porcelain countertops are ideal for this, as they have an infinite number of aesthetics taken directly from the natural raw materials and hardly differing from the actual appearance of the material. Do you want a wooden countertop? Ok. Want timeless marble for an all-white kitchen? That’s perfect. Want to break away from the norm with a unique stone in the latest trend colours? No problem. We also have different finishes available, all of them are really nice to touch.
Which Arklam will you choose?
