Kitchen worktops - Krion & Caesarstone

[glitch]

You can, if you are willing to pay the price, get laminate down to 20mm - so while 40mm might be standard, it is certainly not the default option. I won't profess to know why you won't often see a solid worktop at 40mm, but it is possible to spec that in certain materials.

If you were going solely on looks, as you seem to be alluding to, why would you ever go for solid over laminate? It has to be based on more than just looks, doesn't it?

 

[the_r_sole]

40mm is the default option and has been for years, solid surface is usually thinner as the material is expensive and it performs just as well in the thin profiles.
40mm laminate is that depth because traditionally any thinner and it doesn't perform well.
Concrete worktops in the past have been around 60mm plus as it was the best way to achieve the finish and the strength...but again, no longer required due to the advances in microcement etc.

Most worktops are picked on being the right balance of price/aesthetics and performance. If you are using a solid surface at more than the minimum thickenss it's because you don't want that look, not to do with performance or costs, you can have a similar performance in a standard depth in various materials but varying price points... For me it seems like a huge additional expense to use solid surface at that depth rather than a high performing laminate, you could probably do the kitchen 2 or 3 times in laminate with a similar look.
When I spec worktops it's usually to use the materials to take advantage of their properties.

 

[-Ad-]

I am still considering Dekton... 30mm thick, though. And that definitely means I need to find one that has an edge which won't annoy me!

40mm would be where I really want to be. Just yet to actually see a 30mm thick sample of Dekton, which is what I really need to start making decisions.

Hopefully I'll get my 30mm Caesarstone samples through soon, which will give me an idea of how it might all look.

We popped into the Dekton distribution centre in Livingstone area and had a look at some slabs. All a bit of a swindle/cartel as they nearly didn't let us in as we should have phoned in advance and booked through 'our kitchen designer/showroom'. No muppets, we just want to see some slabs before deciding, then choose our stonemason/supplier, without the silly kitchen showroom middleman adding £1.5k ontop for making 2 phonecalls.

Trilium looked even better than I remember it, but the edges were naturally rough cut. Orix looked ok, but worse than the pictures so was written off immediately.

 

[GW1970]

Latest trend for kitchen worktops is 12mm compact laminate ( 2 decorative faces with a black kraft paper core) gives the durability of laminate and the ability to have undermounted sinks which with a normal laminate worktop is difficult to achieve.

 

[glitch]

When I spec worktops it's usually to use the materials to take advantage of their properties.

I have cut out the rest of your post to make this thread easier to read, but I agree with what you are saying. Was just interested to hear more of your thoughts.

Where do you see solid worktops going in the future? Thinner, more choices of finish, etc?

Trilium looked even better than I remember it, but the edges were naturally rough cut. Orix looked ok, but worse than the pictures so was written off immediately.

That is interesting. Did you take any pictures whilst you were there and would they have sold to you at the time, or do you have to go through a vendor?

Latest trend for kitchen worktops is 12mm compact laminate ( 2 decorative faces with a black kraft paper core) gives the durability of laminate and the ability to have undermounted sinks which with a normal laminate worktop is difficult to achieve.

The same stuff they've been using for cubes and suchlike? Why is that popular all of a sudden? Can it even be edged to hide the core colour?

 

[platypus]

We were also interested in corian but as others have said, went with quartz because the examples in showrooms were always scratched. If they get that battered in a showroom I don't see how they will keep looking good in the real world.

FWIW I'd expect them to look a lot worse in the showroom because you'll care for your expensive worktop far better than the ones that get abused by the passing public.

That said, I'd never buy Corian due to the ease with which you can damage it. It's Quartz for us in a few weeks.

 

[the_r_sole]

I have cut out the rest of your post to make this thread easier to read, but I agree with what you are saying. Was just interested to hear more of your thoughts.

Where do you see solid worktops going in the future? Thinner, more choices of finish, etc?

No idea tbh - at the moment there isn't really much you can't do with it, I've seen an extension clad in corian before and we looked at doing a building facade in krion!
Seamless, clinical finishes is probably the height for solid surface, that's something thats difficult to achieve with anything else

 

[GW1970]

The same stuff they've been using for cubes and suchlike? Why is that popular all of a sudden? Can it even be edged to hide the core colour?

Yes the same used for cubicles - it’s been popular elsewhere in Europe for years and as per normal we are catching up, the edge is left exposed with some of the cores being being black and others white or grey depending on the surface decor.

B&Q have been selling it for about 12 months so the market has opened up more for it - where I work we are doing the display samples for two brands that are launching their offer.

 

[glitch]

I would have to see it IRL as the photos do not look good, but like anything, that is subjective. I just think that 12mm is too thin and with the coloured core, looks rather naff.

I totally see that 20/22mm is the modern way but 12mm does not compute. Who are the big players and what finishes are they offering?

 

[platypus]

Sorry for hijacking glitch, but would people go for 20mm or 30mm? We've been recommended 30mm due to a large overhang but it looks reeeeeeeeeally thick (and of course costs more).

 

[glitch]

Is this new kitchen or just replacing your old worktop?

If new, can you bring your unit height up so that using a 20mm worktop doesn't end up with you being lower than before? I've gone down that route so that even if I do use a 20mm worktop, I'm 30mm higher than I was before with standard laminate.

20mm is very modern and stands out as different. 30mm is a little too close to 'standard' 40mm laminate, but works well with certain materials.

As a stop-gap, I might go 22mm laminate. It would be a fifth of the cost of stone and frees up money to spend on other areas of the house.

 

[Martynt74]

I've gone for 30mm Quartz, we have it in our current kitchen and i'm the same as Glitch in that i like Chunky. 20mm can look good in some situations though.


@glitch, i was chatting to a mate who wants a really industrial looking kitchen with polished concrete floors too. He had the idea of using metal conduit mounted on the surface for running electrical cables to sockets/light switches. I think it would add to the look.

Though he's going to be starting from scratch so less of a possibility if you already have electrics.

 

[glitch]

Hah, that's what I'd been thinking about as well! It works two ways - makes running cables on exposed brick walls easier and gives the aesthetic to match. I found some really nice conduit, sockets and switches in a brushed finish, but bottled it at the last minute.

In the end I've gone for surface-mounted throughout as half my wall space will be covered in micro-cement and the other half is exposed brick, which already had cables run to sockets. All I've done is move to more suitable locations.

 

[platypus]

Its a brand new kitchen, just looking at the samples it seems really thick to me, especially as we're having an upstand. Or do you go for a thinner upstand?

30mm quartz it is btw.

 

[glitch]

I hate upstands, so not an issue for me. Is that really supposed to match the thickness of your worktop? I thought it was supposed to be pretty thin... but then, I don't like them so haven't a clue what you 'should' do.

30mm only seems chunky if you pick a material/colour/finish that doesn't suit it. 30mm in my chosen concrete-esque finishes looks great; in plain white it looks terrible.

 

[jellybeard999]

30mm is fairly thin for a worktop. 40mm is what id call the normal thickness. Certainly in laminate anyway. Upstands are normally thinner. I think mine is around 10mm.

 

[platypus]

I honestly have no idea. I've never actually bought a kitchen before.

 

[Martynt74]

Upstands are usually machined down to 10mm, as mentioned above you wouldn't want them at full thickness.

 

[Business Man]

Which ones?

There's no mistaking laminate for stone/quartz/etc, but I've got a large sample of the laminate I was originally looking at in the house... and yeah, it's actually pretty good.

If I can't find a suitable stone product to work with, I'll go laminate now and then replace with something nicer next year.

I've seen something like this before, but the joins were ridiculous - you were left with a grooved channel that stood out a mile. Is this the same stuff?

Yes you will see some installs with a v Grove joint however you also have the option of cutting the edge and gluing the joint for an invisible join. I think they only have a small selection of design colours though. You can get free samples if you ring them

 

[GW1970]

The two we are working with are pfleiderer who are more commonly known as duropal and resopal who are marketing them via their bushboard company - both companies are the two of the main manufacturers of std laminate worktops.