As functional as it is decorative, the worktop is an essential element in a kitchen. Guaranteeing the look of the room as well as its practicality, it sets the tone thanks to its material and finish. Which material to choose for your worktop, how to install it, maintain it or light it: find out all the answers to your questions in our special report.
The worktop plays a key role in a kitchen. This fundamental space is not only functional, but it also takes on a decorative role with its vast range of possibilities in terms of materials and colors, finishes and thicknesses. To choose the one best suited to your kitchen, focus on its different possibilities and functions.
WHAT IS THE FUNCTION OF THE KITCHEN WORKTOP?
An essential space in a kitchen, the work surface is the place dedicated to preparing dishes. The space where the sink and hob are most often integrated is a strategic space in the kitchen where you will also find household appliances and some utensils close to the splashback.
WHY SHOULD THE WORKTOP BE PRACTICAL AND DECORATIVE AT ALL COSTS?
To choose the right kitchen worktop, there are two distinct questions to consider. Your worktop should be practical, durable and easy to maintain, but it should also be decorative. The worktop is available in multiple materials, colours, and thicknesses, but also in terms of shapes (suspended worktop, L-shaped worktop, etc.). All these different possibilities sometimes seem like a real headache. In addition to being functional daily, this major element of the kitchen must match the overall look of the room. Indeed, depending on the material envisaged, the worktop will suggest a country house-style atmosphere, a design decoration with futuristic accents, or a contemporary industrial atmosphere. The message is clear: match your worktop to neighbouring elements such as the splashback and kitchen furniture in the best possible way.
LAMINATE, WOOD, QUARTZ, MARBLE: WHAT IS THE BEST MATERIAL FOR A WORKTOP?
Choosing the material for the worktop is therefore no easy task. The thickness of the worktop and its shape will then depend on the material chosen. Allow four centimetres for a standard worktop, knowing that an ultra-thin and elegant worktop, it will be thinner to 1 cm and a thickened version can display up to 10 cm for a more imposing effect which will contribute to defining the style of the kitchen.
Laminate, solid wood, stone, ceramic, and Corian, there is no shortage of materials to perfect the worktop space. In the category of unbeatables, the laminate worktop appears to be the best quality/price level. Easy to maintain, it fits into the kitchen in multiple finishes. The wooden kitchen trend has always brought the wooden worktop a considerable and timeless success, ideal for composing a country or Scandinavian-style kitchen. More expensive and chic too, granite and other natural stone worktops are unanimous in contemporary and design kitchens.
There are a host of other materials for this kitchen unit: quartz worktop, glass worktop, and ceramic worktop. Very fashionable, certain new materials such as fenix, this new generation material which combines aesthetics and practicality or even Corian and the resin completely integrated into the worktop are definitely popular in kitchens.
HOW MUCH DOES A KITCHEN WORKTOP COST?
Depending on the surface area required, the material of the worktop can be added to the kitchen bill when you want to renovate it or create it from scratch. The laminate worktop has the advantage of being relatively affordable: expect to pay between 20 and 40 euros per square metre. For a solid wood worktop, with oak or beech in the lead, prices will start at around 50 euros per square meter and will vary depending on the species chosen. Prices will be higher when it comes to natural stone worktops, such as marble and quartz, which will start at 200 euros per square metre.
Discover through our special kitchen worktop file, all the different materials available, their advantages and disadvantages, but also all the answers to your questions about the creation and maintenance of a worktop.