Kitchen countertops: features and classification

Countertops in the kitchen have long and firmly entered our lives. It is difficult to do without a reliable work surface between the sink and the stove. Furniture in modern kitchens is most often located on two levels: lower cabinets and upper hanging cabinets. The lower tier is covered with a tabletop, the length of which depends on the number of pedestals. Most often, the countertop extends along one or two walls, but sometimes the furniture is installed in a circle, then the work surface increases significantly.

The larger the family, the more time you have to spend in the kitchen. The tabletop, on which the entire preparatory process of the dishes takes place before they enter the oven, takes over the main workload. In order for it to serve for a long time and not lose its attractive appearance, a certain number of requirements are imposed on it when buying.

• The worktop must have a durable, water-repellent surface.
• A prerequisite is resistance to aggressive household chemicals. The work surface is cleaned with special chemicals designed for the care of the kitchen. Even after many years of their use, the countertop should retain its original appearance.
• A high-quality surface cannot be spoiled by mechanical influences, there are no scratches, cuts, chips on it, and even more so it does not split from impacts with a heavy object.

• The worktop must withstand the high temperature of hot pots and pans removed from the fire without harm to itself. Heat resistance is one of the important requirements.
• If the coating is of high quality, it will not change its color over the years, it will not shed under the influence of sunlight.
• The countertop should have a flawless appearance and match the style of the kitchen. Often, when choosing a product for a hostess, these qualities are the first to pay attention to.

Uniform for the entire headset, solid countertops sometimes cost more than the furniture itself. Today they are made from different materials: stainless steel, acrylic, stone, wood. Sometimes craftsmen make their own surface. They have it made of concrete or epoxy resin.

Laminated chipboard (chipboard) is a widely demanded type of material, its popularity is associated with its low cost. The price depends on the manufacturer, the thickness of the countertop (2-7 cm) and the quality of the impregnation.

A material based on thermosetting polymers is being created. Using high pressure and temperature conditions, it is faced with melamine film. It should be noted that not every chipboard option is suitable for kitchen countertops. Special types of moisture-resistant products are produced, which, in addition to processing with resin binders, are impregnated with a paraffin emulsion. In addition, the varnishes used to paint the product have moisture-repellent properties.

Chipboard plates are the basic element of countertops, on top they are covered with a special film, plastic, laminated veneer.It is the decorative coating that imitates wood, stone, or is a smooth surface with a varied range of colors.

When choosing any material for a kitchen countertop, you should weigh the pros and cons before deciding to buy. Let's start with the merits:

• the main advantage of chipboard is the budgetary cost, thanks to which a large mass of people can afford to purchase a kitchen set;
• relative heat resistance;
• thanks to special impregnations, it has moisture-repellent properties;
• a wide range of textures and colors (imitation of stone, wood);
• Chipboard is easy to process and install.

Unfortunately, the material also lacks shortcomings. Consider what the owners of such a tabletop will have to face:

• special impregnations cannot give one hundred percent protection to the product, in this regard, it is significantly inferior to stone, plastic, ceramics and glass;
• the heat resistance of the material is not high enough, there may be deformations in places of constant contact with a hot oven;
• does not tolerate mechanical stress;
• looks cheap compared to stone;
• creating a circular tabletop, the protective side layer is cut off, the moisture resistance of the material is violated;
• the standard size of the slabs limits the design possibilities;
• Chipboard cannot be considered an ecological material, a toxic adhesive base is used in its production, and when the temperature environment in the room increases, harmful fumes occur.

This material is a product consisting of wood fibers glued with lignin. Moisture-resistant MDF has great strength, it does not swell when exposed to moisture and does not crack when it dries. Such qualities are inherent in the production of dry pressing, which takes place under high pressure. Impregnation with melamine-urea-formaldehyde gives the slabs moisture resistance.

MDF has a number of advantages, especially when compared to chipboard:

• beautiful appearance;
• a large selection of products - in addition to a variety of colors and textures, the material can be matte or glossy, it is easily matched to any style of the kitchen;
• environmentally friendly material, used urea resins are considered harmless;
• moisture resistant;
• easy to process;
• has a lighter weight in comparison with wood;
• does not fade from exposure to ultraviolet rays;

• wear-resistant;
• the surface is dense, without pores, resistant to grease, easy to clean and wash;
• plates are mounted in any direction;
• when compared with wood - the price is pleasing.

MDF is an order of magnitude higher than chipboard, but it also has its drawbacks:

• in terms of moisture resistance it is inferior to stone countertops;
• has a harder surface than chipboard, but is also poorly protected from mechanical stress (meaning varnished surfaces);
• when cleaning, do not use abrasive substances;
• constant exposure to steam can adversely affect the appearance of the product.

This material is an artificial analogue of stone, it is not inferior in hardness, and due to the lack of porosity it even surpasses it in water-repellent properties. Coffee poured on an acrylic surface will not leave a trace, which cannot be said about a marble product.

This material has much more advantages than disadvantages:

• the manufacturing method allows designers to satisfy any flight of imagination;
• has exceptional waterproof qualities;
• resistant to ultraviolet rays;
• faithfully imitates stone, has a wide color palette;
• the table top is monolithic, seamless;

• goes well with a variety of kitchen finishes, easily matches the style of the room;
• the absence of pores in the material does not allow the development of fungi and pathogenic bacteria;
• easy to care for;
• despite the close external resemblance to stone, the acrylic table top is much lighter.

Acrylic has its drawbacks, which can be easily compensated for with certain fixtures. For example, the heat resistance of the product leaves much to be desired, but for hot pots, manufacturers insert metal plates into the "stone".

Agglomerate is a material created from fragments of real stone and a binder such as polyester resin. The stone can be of any origin, and all its characteristics will be inherent in this agglomerate.

Quartz is one of the hardest stones on the planet, so a tabletop made of it will have colossal strength and reliability. Agglomerate is produced by vibrocompression under high pressure, which excludes any internal cracks in the stone.

Countertops, depending on what kind of quartz is used in them, are divided into three types:

• "Classic" has the lowest quality level, the stone in such products is not crushed enough, and the slab consists of coarse inclusions;
• “Standard” refers to the average quality level, their color is already more even, with a good texture;
• the "Premium" class worktop has the highest grade of quartz agglomerate, excellent texture and deep even color.

Granite is an expensive and rich material; not everyone can afford such a countertop. It is spectacular, has high strength and a huge selection of colors and patterns. The disadvantages include the high price and complexity of processing at the production stage. It should be remembered that this is a porous stone, it should be periodically treated with special agents in order to give additional moisture resistance.

The beauty of the countertop attracts the eye, especially if the material has a lot of structural veins, the pattern is extraordinary. An apron can be made from the same granite.

The use of natural solid wood always brings beauty and comfort to the room, it is pleasant to look at it, touch it, and be close to it. Wood countertops complement the classic, ethnic, rustic styles.

Anywhere else, wood products would have solid advantages, but for a kitchen countertop, such material should be chosen with care. Even a well-treated surface will not be completely moisture resistant, it is easily subject to mechanical stress. The countertop will need special care and periodic restoration. In addition, it costs more than artificial materials.

Marble is not only the usual white color, it has all shades of pink, cream, brown, red, blue, black, green and gray. Any countertop created from this stone will be exclusive, since you cannot find two identical marble slabs from the pattern. With proper care, the product will last indefinitely. The marble countertop is expensive and looks the same, it is exquisite and presentable, it speaks of the good taste and capabilities of the owner.

The disadvantages include the high porosity of the material. Spilled juice or wine should be cleaned up immediately, stains may remain on the surface. The material requires careful handling and constant care, and the countertop is not the place where you want to stand on ceremony with furniture, because there is a constant working process on it, during which various incidents occur.

Ceramic tiles are a good old, familiar material. You can make such a tabletop yourself, and even an apron in addition. It is environmentally friendly, practical, aesthetic, has good moisture resistance, you can put a hot pot on it. The tile is not afraid of scratches and is easy to maintain.

The disadvantages include seams that require care so that they do not allow moisture to pass through and do not collect bacteria. With a good impact, ceramics can crack. During installation, situations arise when you have to cut off the extreme row of tiles, this somewhat worsens the appearance of the countertop.

Countertops are made from different types of metal, but stainless steel is preferred. In the past, this material was used for food service kitchens, and today they have become favorite products for urban interiors.

The advantage of steel is its strength and durability, it can withstand high temperatures and is easy to maintain. Glossy metal surfaces dazzle with their cleanliness and, together with the light shades of the furnishings, make the kitchen beautiful and neat.

Countertops not only decorate the lower tier of a kitchen set, their use is much wider than we used to think. All types of coatings (bulk, steel, stone, glass) are used for bar counters, islands, dining and coffee tables. For small kitchens, designers have developed transforming furniture with retractable and folding countertops. Let's take a closer look at what kitchen coatings are.

The bar counter is a high narrow table with a width of 30 to 60 cm. The length of the structure depends on two factors: the spatial capabilities of the room or the number of household members living (60 cm for each).

Today, bar counters are especially popular, they are good for snacks, morning coffee or evening tea. In a small kitchen, they can replace a dining table that can easily accommodate two people. Sometimes this part of the furniture is used as an auxiliary for cooking, so the requirements for the coating of the bar counter are the same as for the worktop. It should be heat-resistant, moisture-resistant, not react to mechanical stress and be easy to clean, even with the use of household chemicals.

The reliability and durability of the coating depends on the material. The most budgetary ones are chipboard countertops, they are covered with a polymer film that imitates wood or natural stone. Such material is easily processed; any geometric shape can be easily cut out of it. Films have moisture resistant characteristics, but they are significantly inferior to glass, stone or cast products.

If financial possibilities allow, it is better to use MDF, it is more expensive, but in terms of quality characteristics it surpasses rustic chipboard, and it also looks better.

Solid wood looks very nice and noble. But as a countertop, it will be a lot of hassle.The coating will have to be treated extremely carefully, protected from moisture, cuts and harsh cleaning.

The best option for countertops is an artificial composite covering. It is created from polymers alloyed with natural stone chips. The product has a beautiful, completely smooth appearance. It is easy to care for, it perfectly repels water and does not stain from spilled wine or coffee, as happens with a porous natural stone.

The miniature kitchen hardly includes compact furniture with a storage system and modern household appliances. Space remains only for a small work surface between the sink and the stove. A way out of this situation can be folding and retractable tabletops. Of course, they will not replace a full-fledged table, but they are quite capable of organizing a small dining area for several people.

Pull-out tables most often leave from under a common tabletop, they hide in one of the headset cabinets. The surface has a small step between the exit surface and the main surface. Such devices are often equipped with folding legs and are therefore quite stable. But if an off-site product does not have a support and hangs in the air, it will not be possible to fully use it as a worker, at best for snacks.

Retractable elements can look like a small work surface, a long bar counter or a full-fledged dining table, it all depends on the size and configuration.

There are swivel countertops that connect to the stationary at one point, and if you pull them towards you, they easily turn and become perpendicular to the main line of the kitchen furniture.

The retractable kitchen island looks like a module on casters that slides out from under the common countertop and is installed anywhere in the room.

Additional surfaces are not only provided by the headsets, sometimes the useful area of ​​the kitchen island is increased due to the pull-out table.

Retractable structures are often made from the same materials as stationary ones. Models equipped with sturdy legs are sometimes endowed with heavy countertops.

Folding tables have a folding structure, in most cases their surface is flush with the common table top. When folded, they practically do not take up space. Unlike retractable folding surfaces, they try to make them from relatively light materials: chipboard or even glass.

Countertops are produced in different ways, today liquid stone products are popular. Modern technologies make it possible to create coatings with a decorative border or wall elevation. Any, even the most bizarre, form can be poured with a special composition, it will harden and take the form of a noble expensive stone.

In addition to stone chips, other types of countertops are formed. Artistic canvases are created with the help of a transparent jellied mixture, sea pebbles and shells, herbariums, beautiful tree cuts, patterns of various origins freeze in the surface of the countertop.

Such a surface is plastic, monolithic, has no seams, it is non-porous, and therefore waterproof. The material does not swell or crack even after prolonged contact with moisture. The worktop is easy to care for, any stains can be washed off with a sponge. But you can not use abrasive substances so as not to damage the polished surface.

In Soviet times, the best table top was a dining table, on which they ate and cooked. Today the construction market offers a large number of beautiful and durable surfaces that can withstand severe loads, leaks, and thermal effects. Having such a material, the designers tried to find widespread use for it, in the literal sense of the word, and to make a grandiose single tabletop that covers all the headset cabinets. Moreover, the same material is used for the island, dining table and even a work apron.

Designers solved a number of problems with a scale surface at once:

• the working area has grown to almost the entire kitchen, and the space has not become smaller, since the worktop is built into the furniture and is part of it;
• the design of the solid tabletop solved all the problems associated with the joints, the total surface simply does not have them;
• there are many new seamless materials that are easy to style to suit any setting.

When choosing a kitchen cover, it is important to consider the style of the interior. Let's try to figure out which direction certain types of countertops are suitable for.

• Modern - modern style, prefers glossy surfaces that match the texture of ceramics or glass. In kitchens of this direction, you can use liquid products, they have a beautiful gloss, they are easy to choose according to the color and storyline of the kitchen.

• Classic direction loves austere splendor and natural materials. Solid wood is suitable for this style, but nowadays it is often replaced with cheaper products from MDF, laminated surfaces are in good harmony with the classics.

• High tech - urbanistic direction, echoes minimalism, uses cold metallic luster and stone luster in its design. Hi-tech can afford non-standard, fancy, rounded surfaces.

• Worktops in warm, cozy kitchens in provence style set from natural material: wood, ceramics, stone of light shades.

Today the furniture market provides a wide selection of all kinds of tabletops, and 90% of it consists of Russian goods. Italian and German products are imported, but these are expensive elite coatings.

Plastic-faced countertops are the most popular among kitchen furniture manufacturers, they significantly reduce the cost of headsets, and 95% of the market is filled with this particular material for countertops. The best companies for the production of plastic coatings are Stolplit, Skhodnya-Mebel and Volgodonsk KDP. These are large firms that themselves are engaged in the production of chipboard and their plastic cladding, the rest buy products on the furniture market.

HPL and CPL plastics are preferred for artificial surface coverings. The second option belongs to the cheapest products, it is significantly inferior to HPL in terms of strength and durability.

More recently, the consumer had serious complaints about this material, the cause was the swelling of the countertops. Today reliable waterproof components are produced by the companies MK Shatura, Plitspichprom, PG Soyuz. The price component of moisture-resistant chipboard is higher than usual, but it is he who is suitable for the manufacture of countertops. Volgodonsk manufacturers have reduced the cost of products, they use moisture-proof impregnation only along the "edge of separation", where moisture most often gets. Such countertops belong to the economy class.

St. Petersburg has become the unofficial leader in the manufacture of countertops. The proximity of the Finnish border had an effect; it was Finland that became a major supplier of moisture-resistant polished plates to the territory of Russia. In this area, the companies "Skif" and "Soyuz" occupied 65% of the market, they veneer chipboard countertops with Russian and imported plastic.

Laminate production and supply to the markets are growing. The best manufacturers in this area are Mosstroyplastmass and St. Petersburg Sloteks (CPL plastic). This material is more expensive than chipboard in plastic cladding and is not targeted at such a wide consumer as the materials of the Skif and Soyuz companies. "Slotex" produces moisture-resistant countertops using Finnish slabs, they are of two types in thickness: 40 mm and 27 mm.

The company TD "EuroChem-1" works with countertops of average cost, their moisture resistant products are 27 mm, 29 mm, 39 mm thick. They produce countertops from high quality artificial stone Graton as well as Rehau.

The price range of artificial stone is quite wide; people with different incomes can purchase a composite countertop. Prices vary due to thickness, product quality, decorative reinforcement. Now Korean and Taiwanese models of lower cost than domestic ones are entering the Russian markets. The most popular and expensive is Corian DuPont artificial stone.

This is a new modern type of cover for the filling of countertops. In the construction market, it is used no more than 5-6 years. Liquid stone is good because it can satisfy any imagination of the customer, countertops are poured into the most non-standard forms and with various fillings (stones, sinks, floristic materials). According to consumer reviews, the showiness and aesthetic component of such a product is perhaps the highest among many types of coatings. In Russia, Interdek supplies equipment and components for filling countertops to smaller companies throughout the country.

The consumer treats glass surfaces in the kitchen with caution, does not consider it practical. Such countertops can decorate rooms in fusion, minimalism, hi-tech style. If there is a need for a glass surface, you should pay attention to the Belgian products of the "Elko" company.

Wood, even treated with moisture-resistant solutions, does not tolerate water well, therefore it is more often used to cover islands and bar counters. According to consumer reviews, typesetting coatings of the MM "Industry" company are in high demand. The firm works with solid plum and oak.

MM Industry has expanded its capabilities. She was one of the first to work with stainless steel and produce quality metal kitchen coatings. Such countertops decorate interiors in the style of minimalism, loft and hi-tech.

Some companies work with several types of materials at once. For example, MM "Industry", in addition to glass and metal, produces countertops from molded panels in plastic cladding, and the volume of this type of product for the company is 80%. The Odyssey company is even more versatile, its assortment includes countertops made of expensive wood, artificial stone, chipboard and plastic materials.

When choosing a countertop, the first step is to decide on the style of the kitchen and the budget. In the presence of these two components, selection boundaries are formed. The article has already noted the general requirements for a worktop, and provided the characteristics of popular materials. You should read and understand which product is more trusted.

If the kitchen is stylized, this should be taken into account when choosing a material:

• high-tech, minimalism, loft, any industrial styles prefer metal, glass or textures with glossy surfaces;
• Provence, country and other rustic styles - wood or ceramics are chosen for them;

• classicism needs wooden surfaces, MDF, chipboard;
• Baroque loves expensive stone products.

When choosing a color for a headset, you should coordinate it with the shades of the countertop. Contrasting options look good, for example, chocolate-colored surfaces are suitable for a light beige kitchen. Sometimes a single key is chosen. To emphasize the airiness and solemnity of white, dark spots are not introduced into the atmosphere at all. The table top is also selected from white materials.

When choosing, you need to think in advance about the parameters of the tabletop, the height of the sockets, the lighting of the work surface.

If you did not have to install countertops, it is better to entrust this matter to a specialist, especially since the service is included in the price of the headset. For those who decided to do the editing on their own, here are some tips:

• the edges after the cuts should be treated with special solutions and walked over them with a sealant to protect them from contact with water;
• it should be transported very carefully, the cost of a tabletop sometimes exceeds the price of a set, glossy surfaces are especially capricious;
• it is better to carry the product with a partner;
• it is very important to make calculations carefully.

For information on how to choose a kitchen countertop, see the next video.