Kitchen benchtop ideas

Refurbishing a kitchen can be exciting and the results may make your cooking experience more pleasant. If new benchtops are part of your kitchen renovation, there are various factors to consider in deciding what is best for you. Benchtops come in a variety of designs and materials, which will dictate price and ease of installation. So what should you look for in a benchtop for your new look kitchen?

Kitchen benchtops

When choosing benchtops for your new kitchen, you will need to consider practical features as well as aesthetics, and this can result in a balancing act. A beautiful wooden benchtop may suit your eye and your kitchen aesthetics perfectly, but if it doesn't fit into your budget and isn't practical to use it may not be the way to go.

Benchtops: Types to consider

Benchtops need to have certain features to work in your kitchen. When choosing, consider these factors in relation to your unique kitchen space:

• Space. Choose benchtops to fit neatly and ergonomically into the space you have. If you have a small kitchen, choose narrower benchtops, perhaps with rounded shapes

• Price. Set your budget before you start looking. The most expensive benchtops are hardwood ones, with stainless steel in the middle and laminates at the cheaper end of the scale

• Practicality. If your benchtops are going to be subjected to rough treatment, use a resilient surface that is finished with protective edges. Steel can be easiest to clean, and wood is less practical if you are not prepared to maintain it

• Safety is important, particularly where young children are concerned. Choose benchtops with rolled corners, and mount them high enough to keep hot and sharp objects away from children

• Surface. There are many types of benchtop surfaces to choose from, as alluded to above, and they may be natural or synthetic. Polished concrete or stones such as granite offers a hardwearing but heavy alternative, and requires solid cupboards. Stainless steel can be practical, but can be scratched which makes it less shiny.

• Aesthetics. Try to choose materials and designs which complement your kitchen design. Small spaces can look bigger with materials such as steel and lighter coloured woods. Consider the placement of benchtops, ensuring that they will receive enough light for you to work by and are located an a handy way relative to the sink, stove and other work areas

Benchtops: Other information

Benchtops are one of the most important features in any kitchen, so it is worth giving some thought to what style, materials and type you will choose for your renovation. Carefully weighing up practical considerations such as wearability, cost and safety against matching the new benchtops to the aesthetics of your kitchen will ensure that you get what you want in your kitchen.