When you are decorating a kitchen or even revamping it completely, you have many decisions to make, and certainly one of them is which work surface to go for.
You want whichever choice you decide on to stand the test of time, you want to make sure that it fits in with your budget, and you want to know that it is going to be the right choice for your lifestyle and the size/design of your existing kitchen.

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Luckily, there are many choices in front of you, and it’s important to shop around and really think about what you want and need before you make a final decision. Here are the main options for you to think about.
Laminate Worktops
If you are short on budget then laminate is a good choice to go for. As with anything, you have pros and cons to think about, but you can install laminate work surfaces yourself, with very little skill needed, and again, it is lower in terms of cost. You can choose from a large range of different colours, textures, and styles, and provided you ensure that you fit it correctly, and you give it the right aftercare, it should last you for a considerable length of time.
The main big-hitters in the laminate worktop world are Duropal, Getalit, and Axiom, but you can obviously shop around to find the best choice for you, your kitchen, and your budget. The main thing you need to be wary of in terms of laminate worktops however is that you ensure you seal them regularly – if you don’t then you risk water finding its way underneath the surface and basically causing irreparable damage.
Wood Worktops
Wood worktops aren’t the most popular choice, because they require so much treatment and aftercare, but there’s no denying that they certainly look fantastic in a traditional or country cottage style of kitchen. Again, you need to shop around to make sure you find the right colour and style for you, as well as the best for your budget.
You do need to make sure that your wood worktop is fitted correctly, as it is most affected by humidity and temperature. If it is treated properly then you shouldn’t have issues, but you do need to get this properly installed to avoid any issues in the future.
Natural Stone Worktops
In the natural stone worktop category, you have a few sub-categories to think about, namely granite, marble, and quartz. All of these are fantastic and very popular choices to go for, and all of them will stand the test of time, with quartz possibly being the stand-out. This is because quartz is the only one which doesn’t require any maintenance at all after it is installed, and granite and marble will require annual sealing, to keep them in tip-top condition.
Natural stone worktops, regardless of the type, are available in a large amount of different colours and patterns at Y&S Marble, and you can shop around to find the best deal for you, as well as a long warranty in many cases, giving you extra peace of mind.
Marble is often thought of as being a fragile stone, but that really isn’t the case. Yes, it isn’t as strong as perhaps granite and quartz, but it will take a lot of impact and life before it shows any signs of damage. Marble is also known to be a very timeless and sophisticated work surface to go for too.
Which Will You go For?
Choosing the right work surface for you is a personal deal, and you need to clue yourself up with the pros and cons of each before you really make a decision and hand over any cash for your surface. If you are on a budget and there is no wiggle in your set amount, then laminate offers a great value for money choice. If however you do have a little more to spend and you’re looking for something which is going to last much longer, then natural stone is the choice to go for; obviously you then need to whittle your choice down to which stone you’re going to go for!
Shop around, think carefully, and make the decision that suits you best.


January 17, 2017