Two Popular Benchtop Materials for a New Kitchen
Posted on: 25 February 2019
The benchtop is a major element in any kitchen. It is the prime workhorse with regard to food preparation. And, of course, it needs to look beautiful. You will find countertops fabricated in a broad range of materials; a couple of popular options for a new kitchen are laminate and timber.
Laminate Countertops
While laminates were first sold over one hundred years ago, they are continually developing and improving. Laminate benchtop production has been perfected to the point that they can mimic the look of materials such as timber or natural stone. You will be able to choose from many colours, finished in matte or gloss, with square or softly-rounded edges. Laminate counters are also available in slim-profile 20mm benchtops for a modern and streamlined look.
The inner core of a laminate benchtop is usually constructed from materials such as plywood, particle board or MDF. These materials themselves are comprised of a mixture of wood byproducts and resins. The fabricated boards are then wrapped in sheets of laminate. When using these kinds of countertops, you will need to make use of trivets and cutting boards, as laminate tends to both scorch and scratch. And once scratched, the undersurface can suffer from prolonged exposure to water and spills. Laminate bench manufacture, though, complies with stringent standards with regard to how they withstand wear, and also how they handle germs.
Timber Benches
Another option for a benchtop is wood. Timber offers a great variety of colours and grains provided by different species. Tasmanian oak, for example, creates a pale brown, pink-tinged benchtop. Another option is bamboo (though not a wood technically), which presents a light coloured distinctive grain. Other timbers used in Australia include Black Butt, Victorian Ash and Blue Gum. Design wise; timber complements a wide range of kitchen styles, from modern to traditional. It creates a warm counterpoint in a kitchen constructed with cold materials like steel and glass.
A timber benchtop can be constructed as a solid block of wood or in the form of glued laminated timber. Alternatively, it might be comprised of thin sheets of timber veneer that cover underlying particleboard or MDF. Wood needs to be regularly coated with polyurethane or a food-safe oil for protection and to prevent it from drying out. But even so, be careful not to use a knife directly on the bench and make sure to place hot containers on trivets. While you can sand timber to remove damaged areas, you might then need to sand the entire benchtop to produce a consistent finish.
Undergoing a kitchen renovation provides the perfect opportunity for you to start anew and choose a kitchen counter that you love. Both these materials will do an excellent job; providing a hardy working surface for food preparation. And both are available in a range of design options to match many different kitchen styles.
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