The times when each individual cabinet had its own countertop are long gone. Nowadays, countertops that combine all the cabinets at once are becoming popular.
They are made of durable material and are very practical to use. The countertops are made in such a way that they increase the entire surface, making the work area larger.
Due to the material they are made of, the countertops will last you a very long time, as they are considered waterproof.
This article will help you choose a countertop for your kitchen and how to fit it into the interior.
Requirements for the selected countertop
The selected kitchen furniture must meet a number of requirements that are important in practical and aesthetic aspects:
- Strength. The kitchen countertop must withstand significant loads and mechanical stress.
- Resistance to chemically aggressive components of detergents and abrasive substances. After all, as a rule, worktops are often subjected to wet cleaning due to the constant presence of greasy deposits.
- Resistant to moisture and temperature changes.
- Exterior decor is a criterion that is also important for any housewife.
In practice, such parameters as width, longitudinal dimensions and height of the table top are also important. The housewife should be comfortable doing cooking and other household chores.
A separate issue concerns the workspace located under the tabletop. For the kitchen work area, it is better to choose tables equipped with high-quality and practical storage areas. You can find a wide variety of kitchen countertops in the Leroy Merlin store.
Slab
This term is common to both stone and wood. We are talking about a solid longitudinal cut from which tabletops are made. The main feature of the material is its integrity, due to which a uniform structure and high strength are achieved.
Slab worktops harmonize perfectly with classic kitchen sets with a pronounced wood structure and original motifs. These products often take on unusual shapes. If they are made from a longitudinal cut of stone, they have bright colored inclusions that make the surface especially attractive.
Main types of countertops
Any kitchen and dining area, as a rule, has several equipped countertops with different areas of application:
- Work surfaces intended for cooking and cutting food. Such surfaces must be equipped with protective coatings and special stands for hot dishes.
- Dining area, the countertops for which should have a corresponding pleasant design. The main criteria for such furniture are sufficient size and user-friendliness.
- Bar countertops, which can be built into a set, independent, can have different sizes, shapes, and types of construction. Tabletops for arranging a bar counter can be purchased to organize a kitchen combined with a loggia, where the table surface plays the role of an original barrier.
The kitchen may also have other auxiliary surfaces: small tables for souvenirs, small household appliances, kitchen utensils, storage of spices, food, dishes. Which kitchen countertops are best to choose is up to each housewife to decide individually.
Ceramics
Such countertops are inferior in strength to models made from durable rocks, but from an aesthetic point of view they have no equal. Ceramic countertops are incredibly beautiful. Due to their ease of processing, they easily fit into any kitchen set, regardless of its style, shape and size.
Often, such countertops are assembled from individual fragments of tiles. Such products fit perfectly into the interior of the kitchen and go well with built-in appliances. Ceramics is considered one of the most affordable materials on the market, which has earned it high consumer demand.
Selecting material for the countertop
Thanks to the resourcefulness of manufacturers and designers, today any buyer can find countertops made from a wide variety of materials in construction and furniture stores:
- Solid wood.
- Plywood.
- Chipboard or MDF sheets.
- Stone countertops for the kitchen.
- Decorative rock.
- Chromed steel.
- Tempered glass panels.
Combined options are very popular, for example, wooden countertops with metal edging. Such furniture is used to decorate a kitchen in an antique style.
Pink
Pink, unlike red or green, has a large number of noble shades, which makes it easier to combine with other colors. The combination of pink and gray is widespread and will perfectly complement each other in the kitchen.
In addition, delicate pink will create a wonderful combination with creamy beige - however, such a kitchen is more suitable for girls. It is popular to use pink marble countertops, which will be a good companion for a set of beige-brown shades.
Chipboard and MDF panels for covering
Boards made from pressed wood chips are the most common and popular material among furniture companies today. The boards are in no way inferior to solid wood in terms of strength and resistance to mechanical damage, high humidity, and temperature changes.
A coating of this type is excellent for subsequent decorative finishing, and in addition, has a more affordable price. Even when working independently, the financial investment in the material is fully recouped by its beautiful decor and excellent quality characteristics.
Pouring the solution
Reinforcing bars are placed in the formwork and fastened together. Prepare a concrete solution: mix cement, sand, crushed stone in a ratio of 1:2:2. The mass is thoroughly mixed. Water is added. Until the mixture reaches a creamy consistency. Next, the solution is poured into the formwork to the desired height.
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Artificial stone countertops
On the pages of furniture catalogs you can find amazingly beautiful artificial countertops for the kitchen, made from a special cementitious mixture and stone chips.
Such accessories are much lighter than products made from natural stone, but in terms of quality criteria they are not inferior to them. They are also resistant to moisture, high temperatures and detergents. Mechanical strength is fully ensured by hardeners, as well as a surface layer of acrylic varnish or other composition.
Books
In a small kitchen, you should not place a stack of books near the sink and stove - this will quickly deform them and become unusable. But if you have enough space on the countertop, place cookbooks or art publications in a wicker or metal basket.
This is a sure-fire way to make the environment feel more homey.
Despite the fact that the kitchen serves as a place for cooking, the countertop can be decorated with completely “non-kitchen” items: this will make the interior attractive and support the chosen style.
Tempered glass tabletops
Tempered glass panels are used to organize dining areas, for example, on a glass loggia. Such coatings are quite durable, and at the same time, have a pleasant design. The surface of glass tabletops can be absolutely smooth, corrugated, with a beautiful coating and stencil pattern.
When choosing a model for your kitchen, you should pay attention to the choice of matte and glossy glass countertops. White kitchens with white countertops are a classic example.
Green color
If the colors listed above were classified as well-combined, then a green tabletop cannot boast of such a property: even the calmest shades of green in combination with other bright colors will destroy any hint of harmony in the interior.
If you decide to opt for a green countertop, it is better if the set is the same or very similar shade.
Another option is a combination of olive, emerald or other green that is close to natural with a beige or brown kitchen.
Some lovers of bright experiments also combine rich green with black or white. These are most likely one of the only successful combinations for a green countertop.
Selection of auxiliary accessories
In furniture stores, apartment owners need to choose not only the tabletop itself, but also various auxiliary accessories:
- Skirting boards for kitchen countertops, the main role of which is to protect wall panels from dirt and greasy deposits getting into the cracks between the joints.
- Protective films and stands for hot dishes.
For expensive, decorative countertops, you can stock up on care products, for example, for surfaces made of decorative stone. You can buy inexpensive kitchen countertops and additional products for them in large furniture and accessories stores, for example, IKEA.
Yellow
The yellow tabletop is one of the most demanding ones, which are not so easy to combine successfully. The most common variations are yellow-white and yellow-black, and the rules here are much the same as those mentioned when considering red.
If you want your kitchen to be a bright spot, you can dare to combine yellow with red, green or blue, but be very careful in choosing shades.
Many designers believe that light yellow shades are ideal not for countertops, but for wallpaper in the kitchen: it is known that yellow is the best for promoting appetite, so it is indispensable for the kitchen.
Having considered the various design options for the tabletop, let’s summarize: light (white, beige, gray) and dark (brown, black) shades are best suited for this role.
But bright pink, red, yellow and green require great caution: incorrectly selected shades can negate any, even the most interesting, designer’s idea.
Original decor ideas
Tabletops purchased, made to order or with your own hands can be decorated in the most unusual and interesting ways:
- Stencil painting. Today, in art stores you can find a wide variety of stencils made of PVC, cardboard, and silicone for decorating facades, walls and tabletops. Acrylic paints and clear varnish are used as decorative materials.
- The use of PVC films, the pattern of which imitates various coatings: stone, brickwork, wood.
They also use beautiful veneer covering the countertops, which pleases the eye with a pleasant natural shade and extraordinary texture.
A very interesting model of a tabletop, which is restored by craftsmen using epoxy resin, pigment dyes and a number of additional accessories. Using a similar technique, you can decorate a tabletop on almost any theme.
Argillite
Mudstone is a natural material formed under the influence of many factors. Hard rocks are compressed, fused and formed into amazing patterns, which is why mudstone is so highly valued in the market.
The key advantage of such countertops is the characteristic vein pattern. It is extremely difficult to recreate such an ornament in artificial conditions. This is why countertops made from real argillite are considered very prestigious.
Making a tabletop with your own hands
Many owners of apartments and private houses, who are fully proficient with a plane and a jigsaw, make beautiful countertops with their own hands. First of all, a project is prepared, a shape, model, material, and color scheme for surfaces are selected.
White kitchens with wooden countertops are interesting, highlighting the details of the interior. All subsequent stages of work are carried out according to the following scheme:
- Markings are made on the selected material, which is most often wood or chipboard panels. Based on a pre-prepared drawing, draw the main marking lines on the back of the workpieces using a construction pencil.
- The parts are cut out with a jigsaw. All cuts and sharp edges are carefully sanded to avoid the risk of injury in the future.
- The next stage is to level all surfaces so that the future model receives an advantageous and stylish design.
- All wooden blanks must be impregnated with special compounds: antiseptic, antipyretic, moisture-resistant and antifungal solutions.
- After drying, proceed directly to assembling the product, using self-tapping screws and metal corners as fasteners.
- If the tabletop contains two materials (for example, wood and metal), the contours of the metal edging are welded. Be sure to cover it with an anti-corrosion compound and decorate it with paint.
- It is also important when preparing iron surfaces and cooking to remove all burrs that could later cause injury.
- The dimensions of the kitchen countertop are selected carefully, taking into account recommendations and building codes. After all, an incorrectly selected height can cause pain in the back and arm muscles.
Much attention is paid to design, because the interior of a room is made up of the smallest details, each of which is important in practice. A spacious kitchen with a dark countertop or a miniature dining room with a bright countertop made of stone chips looks profitable and practical.
The shape for the product is selected depending on the area of the room, the presence of other pieces of furniture and many factors. The undoubted advantages of independent work include the ability of the master to individually select the height of the working surface.
Formwork
After installing the diagonal braces and horizontal lintels, you can begin assembling the formwork and base for the table.
It must be remembered that after pouring the concrete solution, the formwork will need to be removed, so it should be made taking into account the fact that the canvas must remain intact. For the same purpose, you can cover it with polyethylene, which will also prevent concrete leaks onto the floor.
