Corian, Quartz, Stainless Steel Or Granite - Which Worktop Should I Choose?

One of the biggest dilemmas facing the modern kitchen consumer is which type of surface to choose for their countertops and an increasing number of buyers are setting aside a portion of their budget to ensure they can adorn their kitchen with surfaces once considered too expensive.

The choice is wide and varied yet how many buyers know the differences between the big players and is the higher cost of these surfaces justified when compared to the more traditional laminate finishes.

Perhaps the reasons for choosing an elite surface is down to the number of irreparable scratches that were all too visible on your last high gloss laminate surface or maybe you just couldn't bear to continue the daily kitchen chores to face that water damaged, lifting laminate behind the sink.

Certainly, careful fitting and proper maintenance could have avoided the problems but your mind is made up and you want an easier life in the kitchen

So what are the choices and how do you choose between them?

Acrylic Surfaces

Well let's begin with Corian which is perhaps the most recognisable name among buyers and is a member of the family of Acrylic surfaces that include Staron and Hi-Macs.

Corian worktops offer the buyer limitless design possibilities because it can be thermoformed to any shape. Corian offers seamless joints and sinks and perhaps it's most attractive quality to buyers is it can be restored to it's former glory if it was ever damaged. Of the acrylics, Corian offers the buyer best protection because of a well regulated installer and fabricator network operated by the manufacturers DuPont. All very good so far but I've heard there are other acrylic surfaces that are cheaper so why is Corian more expensive?

Well let's start with the cheaper acrylics available to the buyer. To present the facts and before offering Corian to our own visitors, it was important to undertake a little research into some of the competitors to the Acrylic crown and where better to start than in the USA where these surfaces had been available for many years before their introduction in the UK.

Cheaper alternatives are priced accordingly because the core thickness is 4 to 6 times less than that of Corian. Surfaces of minimum thickness such as 2 or 3mm are avoided in the USA and for good reason. When a similar thin core surface was introduced there in the 1990's, it later resulted in a class action being undertaken by the purchasers of the product against the manufacturer - the reason, delamination and cracks appeared well within the warranty period. The manufacturer settled with the plaintiffs out of court and the surface was discontinued.

That didn't stop the sale and influx of similar surfaces here in the UK and I was to witness the same damage first hand when inspecting the same problem taking place at a large number of a well known nationwide retailer stores.(I recorded the evidence on camera at the time and it's not surprising that I rebuffed subsequent approaches to offer these surfaces on our website.

Information included in this article is of course opinion based on my own findings and experiences and not all thinner core surfaces are to be avoided. Indeed, if fitted correctly and maintained with care, then provided you are aware of the limitations, then it may prove to fulfil your requirements but your decision should always be aligned with a manufacturers guarantee and value for money.

Staron have recently introduced a 6mm Solid Surface, which, unlike surfaces of a lesser thickness, can employ drainer grooves when fabricated. Staron's 6mm pre-fabricated tops are bonded to a moisture resistant MDF substrate with a laminate balancer on the underside to form a 38mm surface available in two sizes - 3000mm x 650mm and a 2100mm x 900mm Breakfast Bar. This differentiates it from other surfaces of lesser thickness and lower specification.

So my advice is, check the guarantees and check the thickness of your chosen surface.

For the record, Corian is 13mm thick, carries a 10 year guarantee, was introduced into the UK in 1979, so has a long and successful history, and is available in a huge palettee of colours for use in residential applications.

It has a matt finish, (although a greater sheen is available with prolonged fabrication techniques), and itcan be fabricated to limitless shapes and depths.

Quartz (Engineered Stone Surfaces)

Quartz surfaces are the fastest growing sector in the worktops market worldwide.

Identifiable under a number of titles such as Luxore, Silestone, Zodiac, Caesarstone, Arenastone, Apollo and our own range Prestige Quartz, they have one important thing in common - they could all conceivably be titled under the name Bretonstones as they are all manufactured on a Breton Machine, the product of an Italian company who export the machines worldwide. Prestige Quartz is offered exclusively via T Foley Interiors and a common misconception of those who are quoted on this surface because of it's affordability, is that it may be similar to the 13mm surface offered by a well known DIY retailer. It is in fact a 30mm solid quartz surface, identical in it's properties to all other true quartz surfaces and like Luxore, Arenastone Zodiaq and Caesarstone, is manufactured on a Breton Machine.

Breton machines are currently available for manufacture in a number of countries including Spain, Portugal Czech Republic, Belgium, China and the USA, yet interestingly, no such machine is available for the manufacture of quartz in the UK so all the quartz surfaces that end up in your kitchen originated from slabs that were imported from a number of international sources for fabrication in the UK..

Quartz, or Engineered Stone as it is also known, is made up of.93% quartz and 7% resin binders and pigments. The distinguishing factor between the many titles available is the colour palettes. Silestone further distinguishes its surface by the inclusion of an anti bacterial compound throughout the core of surfaces in their range.

The surface is durable and, unlike granite, non-porous. Like granite it has a sheen finish but does not require sealing. Engineered quartz offers a uniform pattern so what you see in a showroom will be very close to what will be installed in your kitchen. The buyer should always ascertain the manufacturer's warranty of any Quartz surface before purchasing as surprisingly; some have very little or indeed no warranty available. Because all quartz surfaces are similar in appearance and because a surface with anti-bacterial compound cannot be easily identfied, it is important to distinguish, when purchasing Silestone, that is is indeed Silestone. To do this, look on the underside, if it has the Silestone brand stamp, then it is authentic, if not, ask your supplier why.

Granite Surfaces

Granite is the surface that offers the buyer a classic sheen look and as it is sourced via natural means it is the preferred option of a huge number of buyers looking for a more unique finish.

It is a hard surface measuring 6 on the MOH's hardness scale however, granite being an igneous rock, i.e. rock formed after the cooling down of molten rock.

Natural granite does not have a uniform pattern or color. The appearance can vary widely between slabs, and even within a single slab but to a number of buyers this is the attraction. As with quartz, the seams in granite are visible.

Granite is crystalline in structure, so it always has tiny pits or spaces between the various mineral crystals. It also contains natural fissures that may appear to be cracks, but they are not structural defects and will not impair the function or durability of the material. They occur naturally and are considered by some to be part of the beauty of stone.

Black colours have become very popular in the last few years owing to their much lower prices, however some of these black granites can be prone to "shakes" and "vents" and many unscrupulous processors/dealers, oil or apply dye to the material to hide these defects.

This would give the granite an effect of fading and correctly polished black granite should not fade! The fading is nothing more than the dyes and oils being removed. Unfortunately the only solution is to re-polish the top and this can be costly.

A tip taken from the information provided by Richard Leake of the Stone Network, and before purchasing a granite top, is to perform the following test to discover whether it has been doctored. Take a clean white rag and apply some acetone or lemon juice to the surface of the granite. If any residue or black colour is observed on the top, do not accept it, it has been dyed.

Stainless Steel Surfaces

Stainless Steel surfaces are the choice of the kitchen professionals and an increasing number of designers and homeowners are specifying Stainless Steel as a preferred choice of surface in the kitchen. Stainless Steel is a timeless classic material, with excellent antibacterial properties hence it's popularity with the professionals.

Known more for its popularity in the commercial sector, stainless steel is now becoming more of a choice for residential clients, as can be borne out by the projects we ourselves are undertaking.

For those not wishing to adorn their kitchen wholly with a Stainless Steel design, the material blends in well with wood or lacquered finishes and options such as splashbacks, doors, plinths, worksurfaces and even cabinetry are available in made to measure finishes. Stainless Steel will undoubtedly, accumulate scatches over time but the patina that it acquires over time is the attraction to fans of the surface.

For all surfaces, regardless of their heat resistance or resilience to scratches, it is vital that protective boards are used for preparation and an alternative to these in the case of hot pans, is the use of steel trivets installed as part of the surface.

All of the surfaces above can be purchased at best costs via the internet, including our own website but beware, there are a growing number of sellers, many displaying discounts that cannot be met.

My advice, and it may well be a plug for our own services but if you have great belief in what you are offering then why not, is to identify the following before purchasing.

Does your provider offer free advice via a website or by speaking to a knowledgeable representative who will call you if requested?

Do they provide free samples?

Do they employ their own trained installers?

Can you contact a previous client in your area to discover their opinion of the company?

Do they offer a 3 to 4 week lead time from order to completion?

Do they return your quotation to you within 36 hrs?

Do they offer competitive prices and will they offer to try and beat another "like for like" quote?

Do they have extensive experience in the fitting of the surfaces they offer?

Do they display a UK postal address on their website or just an e-mail contact or phone number?

How long have they been established in the kitchen industry?

If the answers to the above are to your satisfaction then you've minimised the risk of any issues arising and I wish you the best of luck with your project.

For further information on any of these surfaces or if you have a kitchen related query, please visit our forum at http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk/KitchenForum

Article written by Tim Foley©2009.

Tim Foley is founder of http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk an established research and information resource for the kitchen buyer. T Foley Interiors specialise in the provision of Corian and Quartz surfaces to both Commercial and Residential clients in the UK and Ireland. His TV credits include Project Consultant with Granada ITV on programmes such as Better Homes; 60 Minute Makeover (series 1&2) and Tonight with Trevor McDonald two part special "New Homes or Old".