Kitchen Week: Countertop Surface
One of the areas which most people pay attention to when it comes to kitchens is the countertop. This is the area where food is prepared to be cooked and served so it has to be durable enough to withstand scratches, able to withstand extreme heat from woks and pans, and not be a bacteria haven.
At some point, wood was fashionable but it didn’t last long as it was not the most hygienic- imagine an old chopping board on a much larger scale! Formica surfaces soon took over and are still pretty popular these days due to the fact that it’s easy to clean, rather hygienic and extremely reasonable pricing. Tiles are also used very much (more so in wet kitchens) as they are extremely durable and extremely affordable. With tiles, you can spray the surface down with water and there’ll be no worry of rotting. However, the key problem with tiles is that the spaces in between tiles, covered with plaster is porous and if not cleaned regularly and properly, promotes bacterial growth.
More recently, almost every modern showroom you walk into has kitchen countertops that are made from solid surface. Solid surface is great because it’s cut to size to fit your kitchen. The advantage of this is that it comes in one piece and therefore there are no joints, hence eradicating avenues for bacterial growth. It is also extremely durable- almost always heat and scratch resistant. Cleaning is also a breeze when it comes to solid surfaces. The downside of it however is the cost- ranging from RM160 per foot run (that’s about approx 1×2ft) to RM300, depending on the brand (local generic brand or LG/Samsung/DuPont). I’d recommend solid surface if you have the budget for it as it not only looks elegant but is hygienic as well (for the kitchen, i definitely rate hygiene over looks).
We use an off white solid surface for our dry kitchen as well. Contemplated a black countertop but that would’ve made the kitchen a lot duller and not let the Spanish wall tiles stand out so much. Fortunately for us, the dry kitchen isn’t very large so we could afford to integrate a solid surface countertop. So far so good- though we’re not exactly hardcore when it comes to cooking so the countertop isn’t really subjected to extreme wear and tear yet.
Here are some examples from Aino Kitchen:
The picture above is taken from their display kitchen at the Zenia@Desa Parkcity showhouse
A great place to check out kitchen ideas is at ‘Better Living @Ipmuda‘ which is located in Section14, near opposite the DUMC church. They have a great range of display kitchens but their prices are pretty steep.
Commonly used solid surface brands:
If you decide to use tiles instead, I’d suggest Apex Ceramics City in Jalan Ipoh. Click here to go to their official website.
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September 15th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
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September 15th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Well yes, if you’re going for solid surface, go for the high end range cos the cheaper (local) versions cannot stand the heat from pans or woks. Of course all depends on how much we can afford. For me, I’m still calculating the $. If I cannot afford the best quality solid surface, I will stick to tiles in my wet kitchen
May I know what you think about backsplashes at wet kitchen area? Should we go for tempered glass (I fear fungus growing) or is it ok to stick with tiles (with some level of acceptance of ugly grouting lines)?
September 15th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
FamilyFirst,
Glass backsplashes are definitely becoming increasingly popular. I even remember seeing it at IKEA. Personally I like the simplicity and classy look of a glass backsplash. I would’ve used it if i had not already used a similar concept in my dining which doubles as my whiteboard/noticeboard to scribble little notes to remind me of things before leaving the house.
My first choice for backsplash was glass mosaic tiles. Unfortunately, they were about RM30 per sqft for taiwan made tiles! Even though it was not much of a surface to cover, i wasn’t willing to splash that sort of cash. Also, the alternative I got, ceramic tiles imported from Spain, was a whole lot more affordable @RM10.45 per sqft!
I’ll take some pictures of my wet kitchen to show you the tiles i used there soon if you need some ideas.
September 15th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
oh and yes… there’s also a more industrial option- stainless steel. There are many who swear by it- easy maintenance, more sterile. It’s totally functional but i find it somewhat cold and lifeless.
September 16th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Yeah, me not a fan of stainless steel. Gives me the restaurant kitchen look (sweaty! noisy! feeling ) .. me want cosy modern family kitchen that my son would love to run in to join mama cooking up a storm