Help on choosing kitchen worktop and flooring

last year

Hi all,

First timer here getting an extension of current kitchen to make it an open plan kitchen diner.

1. We were planning a wood effect laminate work top for work surfaces as well as the island which will have oak downturns. We would like a breakfast bar on the island, but our issue is that the width of our island is 926mm and the worktop only comes up to 900mm which will involve ordering two pieces, cutting to size and joining together. Our kitchen fitter has said this will look terrible and suggested we go with granite. We like the look of wood but ideally want something low maintenance. My husband has found one company that supplies the worktop in the required width but this is solid wood, which I am reluctant to use as it’s will be a lot of work maintaining it. Any had any experience joining laminate worktops for a wide island? Otherwise any other suggestions for a low maintenance worktop? Or perhaps solid wood isn’t as bad as I think it will be!

2. We would like under floor heating which will be electric as we would like to try and move away from gas heating in the future. A flooring company who came to give us a quote said we shouldn’t consider it as they often are very expensive to run, and break after a few years. Does anyone have any experience with underfloor heating in the kitchen and is it worth getting? We are getting solar panels fitted which will hopefully help with costs but my worry is if the underfloor heating breaks it will be a pain having to dig up the floor to fix it.

3. Originally I wanted vinyl as I would love a herringbone effect, but we have been told by the flooring company this can fade. We are a north facing garden so I am hoping this won’t be an issue, plus we are thinking of going with a pale wood look. The flooring company suggested laminate but in the past when we have had laminate I found it not particularly hard wearing (think children and dogs!). However our dilemma is if we decide to go with underfloor heating, the flooring company says we need to concrete over it in order to lay the vinyl, whereas you can get away with an underlay if we went to laminate. We are torn with whether to go with vinyl, but deal with the hassle of digging up the floor completely if the underfloor heating breaks, or going with laminate (or even just not have underfloor heating).

Thanks for reading and I would appreciate anyone’s experience or views!

Comments (5)

Daisy England
last year
Granite is not top of the list these days for kitchen worktops. As an alternative look at solid surface, compact laminate or quartz. I have solid surface.
GY 56 thanked Daisy England
Sonia
last year
I have an oak worktop. It’s not a huge amount of maintenance, but oiling every few months is a must. I use Osmo worktop oil and it is very easy to apply. I do mine last thing at night then let it dry overnight and then apply a second coat. I wouldn’t have wood where the sink is as the water does ruin the wood. If I ever wanted to change it I would go for quartz, however it is expensive.
GY 56 thanked Sonia
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Hi Getty Welty What a shame about the worktop but I think it's almost a blessing in disguise. Once you have settled on the worktop my advice would be to take samples of the cupboards & worktop to a tile shop and look at them altogether. You really need to see a large tile together with the other samples to appreciate the overall look. A 10 x 10 sample is only a representation of the whole tile and the colour changes on a larger scale. We always advise our customers to do that if possible as its really important to make sure the overall tones work well together. Good luck with it all Karen
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Hi, We are finally renovating our kitchen and would like some advice about installing 2 different types of kitchen worktops: granite and wood. We have a smallish J-shaped kitchen and with a separate laundry room which houses the fridge/freezer and washing machine. The style is classical/country cabinet doors in cream/mushroom colour and neutral walls. We have Moroccan style tiles which we installed when we first moved in to brighten up the kitchen, and we would like to retain these (picture included). For cost efficiency, we are considering brown or cream (can’t decide colour!) granite worktops across where the hob and sink will be situated and a dark wood across the 3rd worktop (sample plan attached). Most of the pictures of mix and match countertops on houzz/Pinterest etc seem to involve an island Or breakfast bar, neither of which we have enough space for. Thus would like your feedback on: Will differing worktops work or do they appear too disjointed in a smaller kitchen Advice on granite/quartz worktop colours that will work with the floor tiles. also any advice re: colour scheme for walls/splashback/cabinetry hardware/tiles would be appreciated. most of my kitchen toys ie food processor/kettle/toasrer are grey/black, and the hob/oven/microwave are likely to be grey/black so doesn’t really match with a traditional/country style kitchen! Many thanks in advance
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PRO
Squirrel Property Services
last year
@Sonia if you use a 2K oil such as magic oil or rubio monocoat then you won't need to oil every few months. Especially with magic oil, it is diffusive so will allow humidity in and out of the wood. I've been applying it to clients' worktops for years with no issues. There is a simple homeowner maintenance product. After a few years, it is dead easy to re oil. Just deep clean the surface and buff in more oil.
Sonia
last year
Thank you Squirrel that sounds most interesting!
PRO
Jikoni Interiors
last year
Hi,

Please see our blog links below for kitchen design and ideas and how to survive without your kitchen during your renovation.

Post-lockdown kitchen makeover | Jikoni Interiors

Kitchen Trends for the New Year (jikoniinteriors.com)

Top 5 Kitchen Designs for 2022 - (jikoniinteriors.com)

Blog | How to survive without a kitchen during your remodel | Renovation (jikoniinteriors.com)

www.jikoniinteriors.com

Kind regards,

Jikoni Interiors

Help on choosing kitchen worktop and flooring

Comments (5)

Daisy England

Sonia

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