The best kitchen worktops

With advances in material technology over recent decades no area in the home is left untouched by change. The kitchen worktop is no exception with new improved options available to consumers offering benefits hitherto unimagined. One of the best kitchen worktops nowadays is made from porcelain with distinct advantages when compared to traditional options. Lightweight and resistant to scratches the porcelain surface offers a practical canvas to consumers and designers that combine practicality with beauty.

The technology behind advances in porcelain worktops

Porcelain is a natural material achieved through heating ceramic to such high temperatures that vitrification occurs, becoming glass like. The technology that makes porcelain such an exciting option for kitchen worktops is based on digital printing, with the improved resolution of up to 1,000 dpi, as well as more realist colour rendering. This means that any pattern from nature can be reproduced on the porcelain surface and the results can be extraordinarily life like. The inkjet printing process is similar to the typical colour desktop printer achieved through an overlay of colours.

The extraordinary advantages of porcelain

As well as being lightweight and therefore easier to install the porcelain kitchen worktop offers numerous other advantages. Porcelain is non porous and impermeable making is extremely hygienic. It is also resistant to scratches and stains and therefore the typical wear and tear that occurs in the kitchen. Although a cutting board is recommended in principle porcelain can withstand chopping and even bleach spills can simply be wiped away. Porcelain is in addition resistant to low and high temperatures and will not suffer any lasting damage from freezing substances or baking dishes being placed directly on the worktop.  

Unlike wood and other organic materials the porcelain worktop is also resistant to UV rays meaning that it will not discolour over time even when exposed to direct sunlight. The lack of maintenance is also one of its benefits, a damp cloth and mild detergent is all that’s required to keep it clean. Which together with its ability to recreate the rarest of marbles and stones without removing them from the earth makes it very environmentally friendly.

Size matters

Nowadays the manufacture of porcelain tiles is capable of producing single pieces measuring 240 cm x 120 cm. Because the standard width for the kitchen worktop is 60 cm this means that seamless surfaces can be easily provided. Even for islands and dining tables no joints are required with continuous surfaces that provide greater hygiene and less maintenance. 

In terms of its thickness the porcelain tile can be as thin as 6mm making it ideal for cladding matching kitchen cabinets. As well as allowing for imperceptible junctions to create three dimensional volumes using the same continuous surface. Sinks, back splashes, downstands, worktop thickness etc. can all be integrated seamlessly.