Just in case you missed the memo, kitchens are considered the heart of the home. The hub of the home, we cook, socialise, and bond within our kitchens. The popularity of open plan layouts mean homeowners now prefer kitchens to be on-trend and in keeping with the adjacent living and dining areas they open out to.

A leading Sydney home remodelling company, the team at Balnei & Colina is comprised of skilled designers and renovation professionals that can help you with every aspect of your Sydney kitchen renovation project. 

When undertaking a kitchen renovation, many homeowners seek to revamp not only their existing kitchen layout, but all the kitchen fixtures, finishes and fittings within it. Of all the materials that make-up a kitchen renovation project, the kitchen countertop is a key component and takes up a large amount of real-estate in a kitchen renovation. It can also account for a large amount of the cost.

In this months’s B&C Journal the team at Balnei & Colina provide insight to the most popular benchtop finishes, to help you choose the perfect benchtop for your next kitchen renovation. Enjoy!

Robert Fonti,

Director Balnei & Colina

 

Unique Kitchen Benchtop Ideas 

With so many materials available, choosing the perfect kitchen benchtop for your upcoming kitchen renovation can be overwhelming and is a decision influenced by a number of key factors:

• The style of your kitchen: modern, country, industrial, coastal?
• Your cooking style and how often you use your kitchen?
• Whether your kitchen doubles as an entertaining space.
• Your budget: some materials cost more than others.
• Your threshold for maintenance: High or low?

 

Balnei & Colina Kitchen Renovation Marrickville, Sydney

1. Natural Timber 

Natural textures and designs are becoming a popular choice for kitchen renovators. With busy schedules and the bustle of hectic lives, people are looking to renovate their homes (including their kitchens) to include calming design aspects and themes.

Timber has an incredible ability to instantly soften and add texture to any kitchen design. Whether you use it on the floor, walls, cabinetry or benchtop (or all of the above) – a touch of timber will add warmth to the kitchen hub. It is a versatile choice and complement any decorating style. Timber pairs well with light cabinetry for an on-trend Scandi look or works perfectly to create a country aesthetic, and it can also be combined with darker shades such as grey, black or navy to create a striking and modern contrast.

Whilst timber is generally easy to cut, join and install, many renovators are apprehensive about choosing timber for their benchtop because of ongoing maintenance and the question of durability.

Depending on your choice of timber for your kitchen renovation, a timber benchtop is usually about half the cost of quartz and engineered stone benchtops, but higher than a laminate benchtop.

A timber benchtop will need to be sealed on installation and re-coated preferably yearly or as soon as the coating starts to wear. They are more readily subject to ageing including scratches, chipping and staining so it’s important to be attentive when it comes to maintaining and using the surface. You can choose to sand and reseal a kitchen benchtop down the track. 

To ensure your countertops longevity and that it ages gracefully overtime, tip up spills immediately, making sure they’re not left for prolonged periods and treat it regularly with a wood oil treatment that will help prolong the worktop surface.

Image credit: Sharyn Cairns

 

Image credit: Maree Homer Photography

2. Natural Stone

Natural stone has a quiet elegance and tactile appeal that never goes out of style. The most popular choices for kitchen renovations are marble and granite. Both beautiful and visually striking materials, natural stone options have been used as kitchen benchtops in kitchen renovations for decades, and continue to be a favourites with kitchen designers. Being natural materials, they come with variations in pattern and colour, which give them life, character and movement. These materials can lend a sense of sophistication to any kitchen renovation and can be used in combination with wood to create a stunning look for both a modern or traditional kitchen renovation.  

Natural stone has excellent heat-resisting properties, which makes it perfect for applications adjoining a cooktop. Be aware, though, that lemon juice, bleach, tomatoes, red wine or anything with an acidic base, as well as some coloured materials, can easily mark natural stone. Some stones are more porous and harder than others, so consider how much a chip in a new benchtop would upset you before choosing a natural stone benchtop for your kitchen renovation. These also should be re-sealed every few years.

Design Note: Granite is a very tough and hardy material that is available in a range of colours and hues. It is incredibly versatile, easy to maintain, and extremely durable, making it the perfect benchtop material for busy kitchens or hardworking areas like an outdoor kitchen.

Image credit: Blackband Design

Image credit: Fiona Susanto Photography

Image credit: Laminex

3. Laminate 

Laminate is a versatile material that can be used to create an impactful design feature for your Sydney kitchen design. Laminates are available in a wide range of styles, textures, colours, and effects. You can also use a combination of white laminate and butchers block to create a highly functional and attractive kitchen island countertop. 

Laminate benchtops are a more economical option for a kitchen renovation. Available in a wide range of  options that mimic timber or stone, as well as classic and on-trend colours, laminate is a viable option for any kitchen renovation. Square-edge laminate profiles can create a slick, contemporary look, while rolled bullnose edges suit a traditional aesthetic. A versatile product, one of the drawbacks however, is that laminate is manufactured in set lengths so you will have subtle join lines in corners and on longer benchtops.

4. Polished Concrete

A hardworking space like a kitchen deserves material choices that rise above trends. Industrial-style interiors have long cemented their place in kitchen design as a chic option for modern and contemporary homes. 

When it comes to kitchen design, industrial style elements have continued to grow in popularity with concrete benchtops and open shelving making their mark on kitchen design trends. Concrete installation and finishing have come a long way over the years, and now it is possible to create impressive, polished, and stained concrete surfaces for benchtops. Concrete has a lovely patina and can be poured in long slabs without any seams. Also, every concrete bench is handcrafted, so no two will be the same, adding to the uniqueness of your kitchen design.

Image credit: Martina Gemmola

 

 

Balnei & Colina Kitchen Renovation Sydney

5. Engineered Stone 

Engineered stone is a manmade product and examples include Smartstone, Caesarstone, and Quantum Quartz. Engineered stone is available in a vast colour range, offering consistency of colour and durability. Made of acrylic resin and have an alumina filler, the joints between each slab on the benchtops are virtually invisible once installed. The kitchen sink can be moulded perfectly into the surface too. 

Engineered stone is marketed as heat, stain and scratch resistant, is more durable than natural stone and doesn't require sealing, which makes it a popular choice for kitchen renovators. 

Image credit: Inside Out Australia

 

Image credit: Simon Whitbread Photography

6. Stainless Steel 

If your kitchen has a modern or contemporary design theme, steel will fit perfectly into this aesthetic. The installation can be completed quickly, and the material also works in combination with wood, marble, or even granite materials.

In terms of heat resistance, porosity and hygiene, there’s no other material that comes close to stainless steel. It’s pretty much indestructible but it will inevitably sustain scratches, so you need to be prepared to live with that.

It's wise to avoid using stainless steel on your splashback because scratches will be more obvious on a vertical surface, and the steel surface is hard to keep non-streaky after cleaning. If scratches are a concern, consider opting for steel with a brushed finish. 

Design Tip: Keep in mind, too much stainless steel can look clinical and this material works best when balanced with timber, tiles or other textural elements.

Still unsure which benchtop surface to choose for your next kitchen renovation? Leave it to the kitchen renovation experts at Balnei & Colina. Book a complimentary design consultation with a Balnei & Colina kitchen designer today on 1300 450 320 or send us your kitchen renovation project details via this Contact Us form. 

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