The kitchen is the centre of the Melbourne home and also a gathering place and a place of creation and celebration. The benchtop is central to the space, and is functional for meal preparation, aesthetic, and also a design element in the space. It is important to select a material that is able to meet the demands of your lifestyle and enhance the design aesthetic of your Melbourne home. There are many options available and in this article we will help you navigate the choices to ensure you have a practical and stylish Melbourne kitchen.
Quartz
Made from 90% to 95% natural quartz, quartz benchtops have all the beauty of natural stone without the flaws. Scratch-resistant, durable and highly resistant to stains, it’s easy to see why this type of benchtop is so popular in Melbourne kitchens. With numerous designs, colours and looks to choose from including looks that mimic marble, granite and concrete, the options are both attractive and endless. Best of all, because it is non-porous, quartz benchtops don’t require sealing making them one of the lowest maintenance options for Melbourne homes.
Granite
For anyone who is captivated by the exceptional beauty of granite, it’s simple to explain why granite tends to be the go to selection with homeowners and chefs who want countertops that are both functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. Granite is a natural stone that is composed of powerful minerals such as quartz and feldspar. Each slab is unique, with its own variation of minerals that create various colours and patterns. Aside from the design that nature provided to granite, granite counter tops will forever be known for its unique beauty because there is not one granite slab that is the same as another making your granite counter tops something to show off in your kitchen. Granite can take heat that a hot pan straight off of the oven or cook top can dish out. That hot pan will have to be somewhere in a hurry, and with granite, you can plop that hot pan right on your countertop without causing the countertop any damage. Granite is a porous stone and can actually become stained when some liquids are introduced to it – More on that later.
Marble
Bringing elegance and luxury to any kitchen, marble has always been a favourite due to its exquisite veining and soft, warm colours. A natural stone with elegant veining, a marble benchtop is a feature that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Marble is more porous than granite and especially quartz, which will make scratch and stain more easily. It will require regular sealing to keep it looking its best but true marble lovers may say its beauty out weighs this extra care.
Laminate
Laminate benchtops are a popular choice in Melbourne homes because of their many versatile and economic properties. Laminate can now mimic the look of wood, stone and even concrete with the advances in technology. This offers a very cost effective solution to getting the look from stone or other expensive benchtops. Though laminate cannot compare to stone or quartz in durability, the high-pressure laminates are resistant to stains and scratches. In other words they are practical for families.
Timber
Timber is a beautiful, warm medium that will add character and infuse your kitchen with natural beauty. It suits all different styles from sleek, and modern new kitchen designs through to period & country kitchens. Care must be taken with your timber choice by purchasing treated, or sealed timber that has been sanded and lacquered properly and be prepared to show a bit of muscle with regular, re-sealing and if required, oiling. Timber is prone to scratching & water damage so stains from berries, wine and the like need to be quickly and properly cleaned.
When choosing your benchtop material for your Melbourne home, the first thing you should think about is what end result you are looking to achieve. Then you should consider how much time you have to be maintaining it. With small children? A little. Only one living to do on a rather large bench, then easy. It is all relative and will give an overall picture of what you should be considering when choosing your benchtop.