Kitchen countertops - subtleties of choice

Modern comfortable cuisine is the dream of every mistress. An indispensable attribute is a countertop. The first tops have been known since the time of ancient Rome, they were made of natural materials of marble or bronze. On the countertop, they clean and cut, pour and salt, beat off and pickle day day. And they can and treat her and treat her. Therefore, it is very important to choose a functional, durable and suitable for the general style solution of the kitchen countertop. Furniture manufacturers today offer a huge selection of countertops. And which one is suitable for you?

Table of contents:

1. Countertops from the origins to the present
2. Kitchen tops - a wide variety of material
3. Wooden countertops of the deck of the yacht in miniature
4. Laminated countertops high strength and decorativeness
5. Count of natural stone Queen of the kitchen
   • Granite and basalt countertop
   • Marble countertop
   • Count of quartz agglomerate
6. Countertops made of mirror stainless steel and matte steel
7. Artificial stone countertops ease of care
8. Glass countertop embodied style
9. Acrylic countertops easy restoration

Countertops from the origins to the present

No one will argue with the fact that the most important decoration of the kitchen setting its tone is considered a kitchen set. The facades, the apron of the working area and countertops - tops of kitchen furniture play a large role. The countertop is a monolithic or a plate consisting of several parts, which is fixed on kitchen cabins. Its thickness is different from 2 to 7 centimeters depending on the preferences and wishes of the owners, as well as on the selected material. The width of the top usually corresponds to the depth of the kitchen cabinet. Although it is not rarely ordered a countertop for the kitchen, which protrudes over the facades of furniture.

The countertop, as a rule, consists of a base and cladding. Its base is usually plywood. And the appearance and quality of the top depend on the cladding. The first cutting structures in the history of civilization were flat stone boulders. In the kitchens of our grandmothers, tables made of wooden solid rocks covered with oilcloths stood for many decades. They regularly serve the mistresses to this day, but they moved to the category of luxury items.

Then plastic countertops for the kitchen firmly came into fashion, but time showed that they were completely short -lived. Nowadays, thanks to the rapid development of production technologies, the choice of material for countertops is quite wide: as a cladding in the production of kitchen countertops, natural stone, laminate, acrylic, metal, wood and agglomerates are used.

Kitchen tops - a wide variety of material

Designers of kitchen furniture were actively looking for material for tops that he would not be afraid of high temperatures and moisture, would not have accumulated fat and would easily wash everything else. During these searches, all kinds of options were checked, which could combine aesthetics, practicality, but were also available to the bulk of the population.

Therefore, the material from which countertops are made for the kitchen, a priori racks to thermal, chemical and mechanical influences. Thanks to modern technologies, you can combine the above materials in different combinations, get magnificent products that have excellent consumer properties.

Wooden countertops of the deck of the yacht in miniature

Tops made of wood look quite simple, so they are able to naturally fit into any interior. All the veins of such a countertop are unique in their own way, each shade is unique. A soft, warm surface brings harmony and comfort to the kitchen.
For the production of such countertops, set shields are used, which are glued from hard -wooden planks. The tree is thoroughly polished and neatly covered with special oils to maintain the strength of the countertop and protect it from the influence of the environment and various mechanical damage. The technology of oil processing in essence is not easy and depends largely on the initial villusiness and roughness of wood.

Such a technique avoids the warping of the material under the influence of moisture and get a spectacular appearance of the top, which resembles the deck of the yacht in miniature. The decorative advantages of wooden countertops for the kitchen with their own hands are best manifested in the neighborhood with the interior of a brown or log house.

However, it is recommended to remember that wood tops require increased attention and need particularly careful care. It is not sacred that the tree is easily ignited and deteriorates under the influence of high temperature. Thus, hot objects must be put on stands.

A wooden countertop should be wiped from time to time with special means in order to give the surface additional protection from the effects of environmental factors. When cutting products, it is worth using a cutting board, since scratches from a knife will remain on a wooden top. If you remember these nuances about the features of the operation of a woodworm made of wood, then caring for it will not cause you much difficulty.

Laminated countertops high strength and decorativeness

For the production of laminated tops, which are today one of the cheapest products, post -forming facing the material of chipboard layer plastic is used. A laminate of three to four sheets of craft paper consists, which is saturated with synthetic resins and forms a strong multilayer base, as well as a decorative paper with a pattern and a protective coating of melamine and acrylic resins.

It is the protective transparent layer that makes the laminated countertop light, heat and wear-resistant, invulnerable to the blows of falling dishes, scratches from sharp kitchen objects, the effects of cleaning agents, solvents and other aggressive substances. In the process of lamination of the end surfaces and the facade part of the top there is not a single open area.

Laminated tops for the kitchen are significant, they are not afraid of high temperatures and do not burn out in sunlight. They are hot and can be used near the kitchen slab, while there is no risk of deformation and ignition. Places of cutting the sink and built -in technology are especially carefully protected by sealant.

The time of the laminated countertop for the kitchen depends on this, because the water that even falls on this moisture -resistant material provokes its gradual swelling. It is recommended to immediately wipe all the water that falls on the top so that the moisture does not leak into the base through the seams.

But at the same time, the low moisture resistance of such countertops is compensated with more than cheapness, ease of installation and high decorativeness of laminated tops. The decorative paper layer of the product allows you to decorate it with a variety of drawings, starting with imitation of natural materials (glass, wood, stone, animal skins) and ending with legendary artistic masterpieces.

Count of natural stone Queen of the kitchen

In its splendor, cost and significance, no material for tops can be compared with a natural stone. The kitchen *counterattack of kitchen stone *is undoubtedly the queen and sets the mood for the entire style design. At one glance at a cutting table made of natural stone, there is a cold luxury that worthy of palaces.

Granite and basalt countertop

The basis for the manufacture of a top of stone are special slabs, which are slabs from a solid rock of a stone (basalt or granite), which have a thickness of 2-3 centimeters. Sheets of stone blocks are extracted from the bowels of the Earth.

The finished features are given to the stoves on complex stone -processing equipment: they undergo the cutting procedure, they are polished and polished, processed - performed by straight or curly, with bends or chamfers. Then the openings of the sink and built -in equipment are cut.

Such operations are very laborious, so they make a significant contribution to the final price of the product, calculated individually. The cost of a countertop for a kitchen of granite can vary depending on the ratio of the source material, the area of \u200b\u200bthe treated surface, the length of the edge, the perimeter of the sawdust, the presence of holes.

The drawing of granite and basalt is unique. This material is dense and less hygroscopic in comparison with other stone rocks. The disadvantage of countertops from natural stone is the large weight of the countertop. In addition, natural stone is not subject to restoration. Do not believe in a miracle! It is not possible to eliminate chips with a wax pencil.

Marble countertop

The main advantage of the top of marble is its aesthetic attractiveness, and if the product is processed by a figure profile, then such a countertop will give the kitchen unique elegance. The marble countertop will fit into any interior, regardless of what stylistic decision it is made.

Marble is not afraid of humidity and perfectly fulfills its functional duties. However, it is excessively dangling and not strokes to mechanical damage, the effect of coffee, lemon juice and chemicals.

Count of quartz agglomerate

Granite and quartz -based workpieces are often ranked to stone countertops for the kitchen due to similar processing and price technology. The composition of these structures has quartz, mirror or granite crumbs, as well as polymer binding resins.

Top slabs from quartz agglomerate are made at high temperature under vacuum on special devices - vibro strokes. The thickness of the plate reaches 30 millimeters. Air does not fall into such material, and such countertops are considered resistant to liquids, do not absorb acids and solvents. The quartz agglomerate is resistant to scratches and breaks.

Countertops made of mirror stainless steel and matte steel

The most durable, durable, moisture resistant and hygienic countertops are matte steel products. And tops with so many advantages will cost you 5-10 times cheaper than tops made of natural stone.

Stainless steel is attached to the chipboard using liquid nails, after the edge they bend around the edge of the stove on the press, or at the request of the customer they cover the entire stove completely. The seam that forms on the corner is brewed and polished.

So far, steel counters are only rectangular. And if you need an angular option, you will have to dock the top from two parts attached by small ties to each other. On the matte surface, the polished joint is almost indistinguishable, and the cutting table will take a monolithic appearance.

A mirror stainless steel is offered to choose from, in addition to matte steel. In fact, there are many more options for processing steel, but there are no demand for such countertops yet. Manufacturers themselves recommend using matte metal, because it is easier to wash off dirt from it than from decorative sheets, and scratches can be rumored almost without a trace. But the mirror stainless steel is most whimsical.

Artificial stone countertops ease of care

Now tops made of artificial stone among consumers are very popular. The basis of the countertop is plywood, on which an artificial stone is glued with a thickness of 12 millimeters. Artificial stone is made of polymer glue and multi -colored granules to simulate the composition of natural stone.

Artificial stone is quite plastic material, and bent shapes can be created from it at high temperatures. And this is especially true for a headset with radius facades. Artificial stone kitchen countertops are represented on the market in the widest color scheme and texture.

The main advantage of artificial stone is the possibility of connecting the top without visible joints. Such material cannot be scratched, deformed or cut. In addition, he is heat and hygroscopic. Tops made of artificial stone are simplicity in care. It is only necessary to wipe the surface of the countertop with a napkin, and it will again shine with cleanliness.

Unlike natural material, artificial stone is warm to the touch, it is able to purchase the temperature of the room and store heat, despite the amazing stone shine.

Glass countertop embodied style

Another option for kitchen countertops are tops made of a specially hardened glass. Therefore, such products are heat -resistant, durable and moisture permeable. Glass countertops are represented in a variety of colors. Caring for such surfaces is very simple, but you should carefully treat abrasive cleaning products that can scratch even coating.

The glass in the kitchen looks bewitching and very stylish. The kitchen with such countertops looks very impressive. But do not forget that this is still glass, which can crack or break with certain efforts. In the case of a crack, the top will have to be changed entirely to avoid the appearance of fragments. And if the glass is completely broken, then in any case large fragments with stupid edges are formed, which protects the owners from the cut.

Due to the low wear resistance of the material and the complexity of care, the prices of glass countertops are not the lowest. Chips easily appear on glass top. But if the financial issue is not the main thing for you, and you can afford to change the countertop in the kitchen in a year, why not buy a glass countertop?

Acrylic countertops - easy restoration

The acrylic stone consists of pigments, mineral filler and acrylic resin, which acts as a binder component. This material has an incorrect structure, so it does not absorb moisture and all kinds of solvents, impenetrable for bacteria and fungus. The surface of the material can easily be washed with ordinary soap water without the use of special products that dissolve liquids and abrasives.

On the surface of acrylic countertops for the kitchen, traces remain only from hot pans and pots. But the trace of cigarettes that is not obsolete on time can be removed, because acrylic is thermoplastic at a temperature close to 180 degrees Celsius. To avoid damage, strips of metal are cut into the working surface that protect against dangerous contact.

This material is also extremely resistant to juices, alcohol, vinegar and sour -milk products. And it is also considered resistant to blows, but it can easily scratch, so it is recommended to show accuracy when handling knives and forks. It is comforted that when a chip appears, an acrylic countertop can easily be restored.

Now you have found out how to choose a countertop for the kitchen so that the top solves two problems at once: functional and aesthetic. The countertop, on the one hand, is an object adorning the interior, and on the other working surface necessary for cooking and placing kitchen utensils. Therefore, a number of requirements are presented with kitchen tops: starting with banal strength and ending with resistance to lemon juice and coffee.