Kitchen Worktop

A kitchen worktop should be durable and blend in with the design. Selecting your kitchen worktop is an important part of your kitchen design. A kitchen worktop in my honest opinion should be made of stone, either granite or a solid surface solution.

Avoid marble as I have mentioned in prior posts it will give you problems, even with all the care and maintenance you are willing to do. It's just chemically and physically impossible for a marble to survive in such an aggressive environment.
So the solutions I suggest are just two granite or engineered stone. These products are resistant and beautiful and will give your kitchen a unique look, however each one has some special details which you should not overlook.

Granite Worktop

Granite is a natural stone, it's durable and comes with certain characteristics which mother nature has put it's hand into, it's very difficult to find pure colour granites, the black is the only exception, you will always have grayish base with black and white spots, or pinkish base with dark gray and black spots, the texture is not perfect.

When you decide to buy granite you are basically buying a natural stone for your kitchen, this means it will need some basic care and maintenance. Other issues regarding your countertop may arise while buying of after installation of your granite worktop, so here are some issues you should look into:

• Check with the installer/manufacturer specific care and maintenance issues regarding the granite which you just bought. Granite absorbs water, their are granites that are more porous than some marbles, so make sure you know what type of product you bought so you can prevent damage

•  Granite is normally cheaper than engineered stone, although some granite colours especially the exotic ones can be a bit expensive

• Granite is extracted from the quarries in blocks, the slabs are then cut out, the granite slab is normally a dimensional slab with dimensions above 3 m x 1,4 m. So make sure that your kitchen worktop is made from the least pieces as possible. You don't want a mosaic looking worktop if you paying top dollar for it.

• Granite as other natural stone have shade issues, shade issues can be caused by several factors: the slabs used to do your worktops did not belong to the same block; the slab had polishing problems therefore the shade difference is due to that; the worktop has been wet and absorbed water, giving and idea of a darker colour. The first two problems are due to low quality slab selection, which the manufacturer/installer should solve, the last one is a care and maintenance issue which you should take into account. The last one could pose as a bigger problem if you tile a floor and humidity is coming in from underneath, so you'll have a shade difference, this can be easily resolved using wet effect chemical agents, you should speak to the installer or manufacturer.

• Be careful with some cheap granite material which may appear to be a great deal. Some granites have iron ore in them and rust up, take a few minutes to look into the physical properties of the stone you just installed. I've come across some granite with this problem in the past.

 Engineered Stone Worktop

 I guess if you read my blog, engineered stone is one of my top issues, I really think it is a product you can use on kitchen worktops. It's durable and blends in nicely with design. The quantity of textures and colours available are a designers dream, you can easily just do something different and unique. However it's not a perfect product, like very other product it does need some care and maintenance.
 The colours make this product different and interesting to use, you will not find too many mono colour textures in natural granite. Engineered stone will give you a wide variety of unique looking colours that will surprise you with the design options you'll have.
When buying or after installation these are some issues you should look into:

• Check your countertop to see if has quality, look at the polish make sure it's even, basically you'll notice shade differences if their is a polishing problem. Porous, check the surface make sure no micro porous exist. 

• Underneath the counter most engineered stone manufactures mark the production details and the brand name you just bought. Take a few moments to look them up on the Internet, view their guarantee carefully. And don't forget to check their care and maintenance issues.

• The engineered stone slab is commonly 3 m x 1,4 m, although you can find bigger ones from some producers, make sure you're kitchen worktop is made up with the minimum number of pieces, as I said before avoid mosaic looking worktops, remember you are paying top dollars for your worktop

• Using engineered stone as kitchen worktops has some inconveniences, make sure you know what you are getting into. For example: avoid putting a hot pot or pan directly in contact with your engineered stone as it'll damage the surface.

Size matters

Slab size is part of the cost of granite countertops. Basically granite counters or just any other stone counters have different prices regarding the colour and texture of the material. However the end client doesn't seem to notice but the size of the slab has a lot of importance when dealing with the manufacturers profit.
In Europe most commercial kitchens have a countertop width of 60-65 cm, so a multiple of 70 cm in size for a slab is a guarantee of profit. Obviously most engineered stone or better quartz producers have a 140 cm slab, if you check closely, most of them actually produce several size slabs depending on the end use of the slab.
Size matters, as a warehouse or a manufacturer, if I'm in the kitchen countertop business, I need slabs to guarantee a better profit for myself, and it certainly is an important part of the business. When engineered stone is involved, and with pricing normally close or above 80€/sqm, every cm of unused material is important to account for.
I'm certain that most manufacturers when buying raw material at the local warehouse or even blocks, they tend to take the size matter into account.

Granite vs Quartz

Granite vs Quartz is currently a dilema which everyone is facing when picking a kitchen counter. More and more people are asking this question: Which is the best option for my kitchen countertop Granite vs Quartz?


Well to simplify, as there is not a straight answer to it, I’ll do a quick comparison:


1. Water absorption


Quartz is near zero water absorption, while some granite have high water absorption indexes. It’ll be easier to stain a granite countertop than a quartz one.


2. Resistance to heat


Granite is more resistant to direct heat, I’ve seen superficial damages on quartz due to direct heat from pots and pans … on many granites this is not a problem.


3. Coloring and texture


Granites are limited to it’s natural coloring, although the black granite is very pure color, you can’t get whites or other fashionable colors with natural stone. With quartz you have no limits to your decoration and design. Although a natural pure black and a quartz black a normal household user can barely tell them apart.


4. Breakage


In theory quartz is 4 times less breakable than granite. However I’ve seen strange things happen to quartz, small cracks appear normally next to the cut outs … they say it’s due to tensions the material has … and to
improper cut out technique


5. Resistance to chemicals


The way they publicize quartz it seams it’s indestructable, I believe that there are some chemical agents that can ruin your fine quartz countertop, however the normal kitchen use it’s safe to use. Granite also is ok, the absorption is one of the main problems, although salesmen will tell you the sealer or the impregnator story, personally, it’s best to be on the safe side, you spill it you clean it asap.


6. Scratch


As I said before, quartz has a hardness superior to granite, however when dealing with scratching the surface, remember to scratch any surface you’ll need an object that’s harder than it. However I have had some complaints regarding dark quartz … if you rub the bottom of a glass bottle with some intensity you may be able to scratch you quartz countertop, on the lite colours you may not notice this, but dark colours it’ll look really bad.


7. Cost


Granite countertops in general are cheaper than the quartz, excluding the special colours in granite. The reason are: Raw material costs and managing left overs. The most common granite is relatively cheap in slab format compared to the quartz, in my country the difference is 20-25€/sqm for granite and 60€/sqm for quartz. Managing the left overs, producing more granite countertops, the odd ends of the slabs are normally used to make other countertops … while quartz is more expensive per sqm and no manufacturer will accept to support the odd end cost…. And their next shipment of quartz may have a slightly different shade.

8 Things you should read before buying machinery

Second hand machine, new machines, cnc, cutting machine, milling machine, how to set up your machine shop to make countertops and vanitytops in granite, marble, limestone, engineered stone, or just any stone.
I want to share some of my experience with you regarding your manufacturing plant, things I think are important while buying machinery and installing them on the shop floor. I've had the privilege to see several stone shops in several countries, and have always used this learning experience to my advantage.
Regarding your plant I figure you should carefully evaluate what you tend to do and buy your equipment accordingly. So if you plan to work with marble or granite, their might be some differences ... or if you plan to do stairs and risers, or fireplaces ... you'll probably need a different layout and other equipment.
Things to take in mind when buying equipment and planning layout:
1. Select the features and the correct machine for the job
Try to select the correct machine to make the products you intend ... if you buy a more complex machine than you need, you'll be spending unnecessary cash ... don't forget corrosion is very big on stone machinery, as treated water will gradually destroy your perfectly working equipment. And if you buy a feature on a machine that you will not use, maybe you'll have an unpleasant surprise one day.
2. When buying new or used machinery make certain that the manufacturer has local maintenance teams to help you
In the stone business I have in the past bought new machinery, I must confess that my experience is in the engineered stone sector, and to get a good polish it's sometimes very difficult with prime stable machines. When buying a used machine, be sure you have the right maintenance and support from the machine manufacturer, this means be sure you have a local office that can satisfy your technical needs or you may be in for a nightmare. A new machine, in theory, will give you a peaceful time in the first 3/4 years, then corrosion will settle in.
3. A new machine will not be a turn key solution to your problem
Installing a new machine doesn't necessary mean that you solved a problem, normally you just created a new one. As perfecting the ability to work with the machine may take a few weeks and sometimes hiring trained personnel.
4. Prepare the installation of the machine to the utmost detail, make sure they follow instructions during installation
Due to the constant usage of water to lubricate cutting and avoid dust in the floor shop, when installing the machine, prepare a sub-level water sewage system, with a grid on top. A clean and dry workspace is possible, you just have to think ahead.
5. Space and Simplicity should be taken into account when designing your layout
When cutting stone or finishing it, lots of useless scrap stone will suddenly appear all over the place ... so study this carefully, you can install conveyor belts to transport the scrap stone out of you shop floor, be careful things might get a little to crowded and with intense traffic. Avoid using forklifts on the shop floor, you can live without them, you just have to figure it out.
6. Make sure you infra structure is enough to add your new machine, don't want to add some last minute expenses
Water treatment plant: make sure that your installed capacity is enough to supply your new machinery, or you'll have to increase capacity of your water treatment plant.
7. Outsource before buying an expensive equipment, make sure your payback is guaranteed
Before going out and buying new machinery, try to outsource certain features of your final product. Believe me not all features are widely accepted by the market, this way when you go out and buy tooling you'll be getting return immediately.
8. Design your machine layout following a logic flow of materials
When installing equipment on the shop floor make sure you define the flow of materials, and buy the machine with the correct production direction, most may be ordered with right or left hand material entrances. I've seen people buying the machine without even looking at this detail, and when the machine arrives ... you're installing it against the flow ...

How is Silestone made?

Silestone is a brand of a Spanish Group called Cosentino. The Silestone brand has somehow been associated to the product, and what some call Silestone is in fact an engineered stone. The technology is Italian, from Breton, they have currently about 12 production lines, and have lines specialized per colour. One of the main problems with these plants are the possible contamination that may occur when changing from a dark colour to a light colour, although cleaning is a normal task it's almost impossible to get it 100% clean.
The mixture uses polyester resin, in different proportions it can vary from 7% to 10% (or even more). What establishes the quantity of resin? ... one variable is the grain size of the filler, the bigger the less resin is necessary for a good mix. Besides, resin, they'll use all types of material ... but mainly quartz. Some companies also use silica sand, the advantages are pricing, but it's not as good as quartz. Other components normally used, crushed glass, colouring pigments, other special stones or minerals to give special effects and chemicals to control the cure and the bonding.
The secret of the business is how do they do it, as the technology is wide spread, and basically every Breton plant has more or less the same technical capacity ... now not everyone has a whiter white ...

Decorating Kitchens with Engineered Stone

Engineered stone has revolutionized decoration, it's applications are endless and a perfect substitute for natural stones.


The colours available are always growing and now we begin to see also an evolution in finishes, like honed, bush hammered and aged.



When dealing with Quartz based materials, we're actually looking at a product that is hard, it's hardness can be 4 times a granite, working and finishing quartz products requires special equipment. The darker colours normally are very difficult to work, especially regarding polish.

Regarding these quartz based products, very frequently we find some suppliers selling silica sand as quartz, or even cement based quartz agglomerate. The best material is quartz based with polyester resin as the bonding agent.

One more thing, this product does have one handycap, never put hot pots or pans on top, it may stain permanently.

Engineered Quartz - design and beauty

Engineered quartz has been around for a while, they've created a vast range of products which has revolutionized interior designing. Engineered stone can give your design a whole lot of stylish options, making a perfect balance between,  lighting effects, furniture design, these new materials will simply take your design to the next level.
What is engineered quartz? It's a man made stone, with high quality standards, made with vacuum and vibrocompressing technology, aka, conglomerate stone, or agglomerate stone ... even some are named after the brand, like Silestone and Caerstone.
Engineered quartz can actually bring colourful modern moments into your home. It's mainly used in kitchen tops, it has about 93% natural quartz grain, bonded with polyester resin. It's more resistant than granite, however it does have some particular features regarding maintenance and care. Like every product, also engineered quartz has it's application problems, one and the most serious is the hot pan, don't put a hot pan or pot on your quartz, it may stain permanently.
One other thing, when applying on floors, be sure to read carefully the instructions and choose wisely your adhesive glue. Due to its low porosity, excess water may warp the tiles, but a correct use and application will avoid these problems.