Affordable Kitchen Worktops
Misconceptions regarding kitchen worktop surface costs is due to a large variety of material types, suppliers and distributors in the industry. Essentially, worktop surfaces separate into either Natural or Engineered stone:
Natural Stone
Granite, Quartzite, Marble, Slate
As fabricators of natural stone we overstand the misconcieved notion of granite worktops being high in cost, however, this is not always the case and depends wholly on the natural material chosen. Before writing off natural stone, several factors should be considered such as overall amount of worktop length required, type of natural stone, thickness and additional supports.
Worktop Size
Granite and Quartzite slab sizes average 3 metres x 1.9 metres, therefore, upto 3 lengths of worktops can be attained from each slab. Even the largest engineered stone slab size will provide only 2 lengths.
Natural Stone Type
With so many factors involved in costs for natural stone, consider ends of a scale to determine value: High end surface colours, marbling and veins are sharper, more distinct and proportional. Alternatively, the lower end the surfaces are plain with patterns/colours small and distributed throughout the slab. Low cost and beautiful Marbles are available such as Carrara, however, marbles are softer and not ideal for a hard wearing kitchen worktop surface.
Material Thickness
Standard thickness of materials are 20mm and 30mm, in most cases 20mm thickness is adequate. 30mm thickness may add additional costs if upstands and splashbacks are cut down to 20mm thickness.
Additional Supports
Despite the hardness of natural materials, advise for additional supports is given where sink and hob cuts out have been made which can add to the cost. This especially affects marble and quartzite materials.
Engineered Stone
Quartz, Porcelain, Lapitec, Corian
Many quartz kitchen worktop suppliers in the industry are beginning to produce their own porcelain brands. Each type of engineered stone comes within its own pricing guide, separated into different pricing groups depending on pattern. Each material type has its own cutting challenges / resistances suitable for different purposes.
Slab Size
Engineered materials are smaller than natural granite or quartzite, with a standard slab size of 1.4 metres x 3 metres for engineered quartz. Each slab allows 2 runs of 3 metres of worktops and windowsills/upstands as additional finishes, but with modern kitchens being larger jumbo slabs or 2 slabs are generally required.
Engineered Stone Type
Several materials are available for kitchen worktop surfaces, engineered quartz more often is lower in cost to alternatives porcelain, lapitec or corian, depending on pattern chosen. Costs differ slightly according to material cutting requirements, porcelain materials require destressing and is a harder material due to its production process.
Material Thickness
Standard thickness' are a 2cm and 3cm, 2cm is adequate for general surface purposes. Additional supports are not required for cut outs with engineered stone which could make the difference in affordability as a kitchen worktop.
Price Groups
All suppliers of engineered materials have price groups for their surfaces, cost variation is similar to natural stone, the more natural its appearance the higher the group. Lower cost options depend on the manufacturer and quartz content in the material.
