The kitchen worktop: selection and maintenance tips

The choice of the kitchen worktop and its maintenance are two stages that you should always treat with great care, and that is why we set out to present them in detail in this article.

When you have all the information you need to choose the best worktop and also to maintain it properly, you will be able to enjoy a quality product whose lifespan will be considerably extended.

For starters, we propose to review the 5 criteria you need to consider when choosing a kitchen worktop, and then we will see together why kitchen worktop maintenance is so important and how to do it correctly.

5 tips to consider when choosing a kitchen worktop

Choosing a kitchen worktop can prove to be quite a difficult mission, especially when you don't know what to pay attention to, and the degree of difficulty increases when you add the multitude of models, materials, and manufacturers on the market to the equation.

Here are our tips for choosing the best kitchen worktops:

• What matters more? Functionality or aesthetics?

To choose the most suitable product, it is very important to know from the start what you are looking for. When you don't know exactly what you are looking for, the varied options available on the market will make you lose valuable time that you could invest in more useful activities.

The first criterion you need to consider, therefore, is how you will use the worktop. Do you want a worktop for a kitchen where you won't cook and which you will use more as a social space with family and friends? Or do you want a worktop for a kitchen where you will cook constantly?

The answer to these questions is important for a simple reason: if for a kitchen with a more decorative function you can choose any type of worktop, for a kitchen where you will cook constantly, it is important to choose a worktop that will successfully withstand those moments when you will chop vegetables on its surface, when you will tenderize schnitzels with a mallet, or when you will place steaming trays, freshly taken out of the oven, on its surface.

A worktop for a kitchen where cooking is constant must first of all be resistant to mechanical shocks, water, and heat, while a worktop for a decorative kitchen may not have these characteristics.

• The material from which the kitchen worktop is made

The choice of the kitchen worktop must also take into account the material from which it is made. With a simple Google search, you will discover that you have a very wide range of options to choose from: worktops made of wood, granite, marble, quartz, ceramic, glass, stainless steel, chipboard, and so on.

Each material has, as is normal, its advantages and disadvantages, and that is precisely why you need to research very well and discover which is the best alternative for your kitchen.

Our recommendation is to turn your attention to a quartz kitchen worktop, which will satisfy both aesthetic and functional requirements.

In the case of quartz, we are talking about a very beautiful premium material that ennobles any space and is at the same time very resistant, durable, with more than easy maintenance.  

• Design and customization options offered by the manufacturer

The choice of the kitchen worktop will also have to take into account the customization options offered by the manufacturer.

For the vast majority of kitchens, you will not be able to choose a standard worktop because the dimensions or shape of the respective spaces do not allow it, so you need to turn your attention to a manufacturer that offers the possibility of purchasing a custom kitchen worktop.

Moreover, when you opt for the purchase of a custom-made worktop, you will get a unique product, specially made to take into account all the needs of your kitchen.

In this case, our advice is to turn your attention to a manufacturer with extensive experience in manufacturing and installing custom worktops, such as Prowest, who can guarantee that the resulting worktop will be exactly what you want.

• Kitchen design style

The design style also plays a very important role in choosing the kitchen worktop.

In a kitchen decorated in an industrial style (generally characterized by a certain stylistic coolness), you will never be able to integrate a worktop in warm, natural shades, such as a wooden one.

Similarly, in a kitchen decorated in Boho Chic style (characterized by warm-toned furniture and the presence of vibrant colors), you will never successfully integrate a metal worktop because such a choice will not harmonize with the rest of the room.

Our advice is to always try to choose a versatile kitchen worktop that can adapt to many design styles.

Given that at some point you might get tired of the furniture and decide it's time to redecorate the kitchen, it's very important that the worktop can adapt to the new chosen style.

A quartz kitchen worktop is an excellent choice in terms of versatility, being easily integrated into almost any design style.

Thanks to its special material, such a worktop will go well with a kitchen in classic, modern, contemporary, vintage, Art Deco, minimalist style, and so on.

• Your available budget

The last criterion you need to consider when choosing a kitchen worktop is the budget.

The budget is an important element because sometimes it is the only thing standing between the purchase we make and the one we would have liked to make.

In this context, it is good to also consider the quality-price ratio when choosing a kitchen worktop. On the market, you will obviously find manufacturers who offer quality worktops at an inflated price, low-quality worktops at an inflated price, and manufacturers who offer a fair quality-price ratio.

It is important, therefore, to do your research and discover a manufacturer from the latter category, who will help you purchase a quality product at an affordable price.

The kitchen worktops we sell belong to the last category mentioned above, products with an excellent quality-price ratio, Prowest being one of the few manufacturers in Romania that has always offered quality at fair and accessible prices.

Kitchen worktop maintenance: how to do it correctly and why is it so important?

Choosing a kitchen worktop is only one part of the equation of purchasing the most suitable worktop for your kitchen, the second part being, as we mentioned at the beginning, kitchen worktop maintenance.

Both its lifespan and any potential repairs it might need will depend on how you maintain the kitchen worktop.

That is why it is very important to choose a worktop that can be easily maintained and that does not force you to allocate a hefty budget for maintenance.

A quartz kitchen worktop is the ideal choice also from a maintenance perspective because, as we mentioned earlier, it is very resistant to moisture, stains, scratches, and as such, it cleans very easily (in general, you only need to follow a few very simple rules).

Unlike quartz kitchen worktops, other worktops require special care – for example, many are affected by moisture, by the action of common food substances in the kitchen (vinegar, wine, citrus juice, tomato juice, etc.), they can dull and scratch very easily, so you need to be very careful when using them.

Moreover, the rate of deterioration is directly proportional to all these special maintenance requirements, so you will find that they need to be replaced after only a few years.

Maintenance of the quartz kitchen worktop, as we mentioned above, can be done with great ease, requiring you to follow only a few simple rules which we present below.

• Correct cleaning

You can easily maintain the natural shine and elegance of a quartz worktop through simple routine cleaning (you will only need a damp cloth and a liquid detergent).

It is always easier to clean a fresh stain than a dry one, so try to remove fresh food traces before they turn into dry stains.

Also, always remember to rinse thoroughly with plenty of water to effectively remove traces of the cleaning products you have used.

Furthermore, kitchen worktop maintenance must also take into account the chemical substances used.

Avoid using chemical substances/products such as aggressive cleaning agents (with a high pH), substances containing bleaches, products containing oils, powders or abrasive substances, alkaline products containing active hydroxide, products containing aliphatic or aromatic solvents (thinners or strippers) and, in general, all acidic substances that could affect the grouts (the mastic at the joints). In case of accidental contact of the surface with such a substance, immediately wash the worktop and rinse thoroughly with plenty of water.

• Correct use

You can cut/chop food on the quartz worktop anytime because it is extremely resistant to scratches and cuts, but to maintain its new appearance for as long as possible, it is recommended to use a cutting board.

Maintenance of the quartz kitchen worktop must also take into account that it is heat-resistant (it can tolerate short-term exposure to moderate temperatures), but it can be damaged by sudden temperature changes. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid placing hot pots or trays directly on the worktop surface.

Furthermore, any repair made to the kitchen furniture in that area must be done in such a way as to avoid displacing the worktop or its component parts, and also to avoid damaging the joints between them.

Always ensure that the worktop maintains continuous and uniform contact with all kitchen furniture units, without any areas where it remains suspended, even if it's only a few millimeters.

These things can lead to tension in the worktop, with possible subsequent cracking in certain sensitive areas, or the detachment of the mastic from the joints between pieces or between the worktop and the plinth.

So, these are the main things you need to know about maintaining a quartz kitchen worktop.

As you have seen, it is enough to follow a few simple rules to enjoy a beautiful and durable kitchen worktop.

Conclusions

The choice and maintenance of the kitchen worktop are, as we have seen above, very important elements, on which a multitude of subsequent aspects depend, therefore you must give them due attention.

Our advice is to always turn your attention to quartz worktops. It's no wonder these are the favorites of international interior design experts: very resistant, with a lifespan that can exceed 25 years when properly maintained, with an elegant and noble appearance, quartz worktops can transform any kitchen into a truly special space.

And if you too have decided that it's time to redecorate your kitchen, then we invite you to consult our offer of quartz kitchen worktops. The models, colors, and textures available in our catalog are so varied that you simply cannot fail to find what you are looking for.

Hundreds of models on offer, over 70 permanently in stock, quality execution plus services responsibly provided both during product installation and afterwards – all these you can find at Prowest, one of the manufacturers with the longest expertise in the field.

Also, if you need additional information, do not hesitate to contact us; we are at your disposal with all the advice and recommendations you need to make the best choice.

With kind regards,

The Prowest Team