THREE STRIKING KITCHEN WORKTOP MATERIALS

In a different vein: three striking kitchen worktop materials

Three veined kitchen worktop materials red

While the soft mottled greige kitchen worktop rules the roost (see our current special offer) and gentle whites and greys with long veins sell like hot cakes, there is still a market for more striking, bolder-veined worktop materials.

This week we look at three very different worktops which have in common a boldness and strength of pattern. These are not for the faint-hearted – but they make a statement and will give the wow factor to a kitchen where, perhaps, relatively muted-tones in everything else threaten to drown the room in blandness.

Dekton Kira

Dekton Kira kitchen worktops

Dekton Kira: 3200x1440x20mm slab

Dekton Kira is one of the most realistic and beautiful sintered particle stones we have yet seen. The colour and vein pattern are a deliberate copy of the Spanish Marble Gris Pulpis and offer a look which is at once both understated and yet quite strong. The surface texture is matt – a very natural-feeling non-polished look and touch.

Like all Dektons, Kira has a super-hard surface, being extremely scratch, heat and stain resistant. It certainly beats granite and quartz in those areas. On the other hand, like all Dektons, Kira is relatively brittle, with less tensile strength than other options. It isn’t suitable for big overhangs and some layouts with awkwardly-placed cutouts. Heavy bashes from hard objects threaten to create more major damage than the small dinks or chips you might see in natural stone or quartz.

Dekton Kira DK200806 38523 094342a

Our counsel is to decide if the pattern of a Dekton is a unique must-have. Talk to us about its suitability for your kitchen plan in terms of overhangs and cutouts. If that discussion gives  a green light, buy it boldly, making sure you have appropriate home insurance cover for any replacement down the line if there is impact damage.

Our article “Kitchen Worktops: No One Magic Bullet!” looks at some of the claims for different materials and urges a realistic view of what they each offer.

Dekton Kira DK200806 38523 094401a
Dekton Kira DK200806 38523 094345a

Dekton Kira – a stunning marble copy from Cosentino

Cambria Portrush Quartz

Cambria Portrush CA200730 38472 143917 mounted

Cambria Portrush: 3350x1660mm slab

Cambria Portrush is the latest in Cambria’s Brittanicca family of boldly patterned kitchen worktop stones. Take a look at our case study on Brittanicca to get an idea of one of these stones in action. Portrush has the same strong vein, but in blue with gold-mirror chips. The result is less natural, but clean and robust with huge visual impact as a kitchen worktop.

 

As a quartz, Portrush avoids the brittleness and weakness of Dekton, and it’s surface is still highly stain resistant. This stone is not cheap, but to bring a really vigorous pattern into your kitchen, it is hard to beat.

Cambria Portrush CA200730 38472 144010 a
Cambria Portrush CA200730 38472 144017 a

Belvedere Granite - Leathered Finish

Belvedere Granite Leather Finish SW190312 35113 134222a backdrop

Belvedere Leather: Two slabs available 3100x1900x30mm, one offcut available 2059x1900x30mm – all sections from matching batch

And finally… an actual granite. Belvedere is a lovely natural kitchen worktop stone with big white/cream veining. In the leathered finish the surface is matt, with ridges and depressions which reflect the hardness or softness of the material itself – you can actually feel the pattern with this stuff! We have installed a number of sets of kitchen worktops in Belvedere over recent years, with some very happy customers, like the lady who came in to help us plan the use of her stone.

We happen to have two and two thirds slabs of Belvedere Granite in the leather finish (the batch pictured here) which was held in stock due to an error and is thus available at a stock granite price. Grab this bargain while it’s there!

Belvedere Granite Leather Finish SW190312 35113 134320a
Belvedere Granite Leather Finish SW190312 35113 134242a
Belvedere Granite Leather Finish SW190312 35113 134301a
Belvedere Granite Leather Finish SW190312 35113 134304a

We are Affordable Granite, the leading granite and quartz worktop supplier in Surrey, Sussex and across the South East. We want to be the best in the business for customer service and advice to anyone who is doing up their kitchen. Call us for a quotation on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk.

© Images from Affordable Granite / Andrew King Photography

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