Home / Kitchen Worktops

Kitchen Worktops: Choosing the Surface You Use Every Day

Kitchen worktops take more wear than any other part of the room, so the choice deserves care. We offer quartz, granite, Dekton, solid timber and Corian, and every worktop is templated by laser after the cabinets are in, then fitted by our own stone team. That order matters: measuring the finished cabinets, not a drawing, is what makes joins, overhangs and cut-outs line up exactly.

Prefer to talk? Call 01268 264240 or send photos on WhatsApp.

10 years

Installation guarantee on every kitchen

£5m

Public liability insurance

NAPIT

Registered Electricians

Essex, since 2012

Established company, local teams

Compare

Kitchen worktops compared

The table below is a general guide to how each material behaves. The cost band shows how the materials compare with each other, not a price list; your own quotation itemizes the worktop alongside everything else. Laminate and ceramic are also options on our enquiry form, so ask your designer about them.

Material	Looks	Durability	Heat resistance	Stain resistance	Care	Cost band
Quartz	Consistent colour; marble, concrete and plain effects	Very hard, resists scratches and chips	Good, but use a trivet for hot pans	Excellent, non-porous	Warm soapy water; no sealing needed	££ to £££
Granite	Natural stone; every slab unique	Very hard and hard-wearing	Very good	Good once sealed	Mild cleaner; reseal from time to time	££ to £££
Dekton and ceramic	Stone, concrete and marble effects	Extremely hard and scratch resistant; edges can chip	Excellent	Excellent, non-porous	Very low maintenance	£££
Solid timber	Warm, natural grain	Durable, but can dent and mark	Low; always use a trivet	Fair; needs oiling	Oil regularly to protect it	££
Corian	Smooth, with near-invisible joins	Good; marks can be sanded out	Moderate; use a trivet	Good, non-porous	Easy to clean and repair	££ to £££
Laminate	Wide range of printed finishes	Reasonable for the price	Low	Good	Wipe clean	£

Quartz

Quartz worktops

Quartz is engineered from crushed natural quartz bound with resin, which makes it consistent in colour and very resistant to staining. It suits almost every style, from a white quartz worktop on a navy Shaker kitchen to the 20mm Calacatta-effect quartz island with a waterfall end on our Brentwood project. When comparing quartz worktops Essex suppliers offer, ask how the worktop will be measured: ours are laser templated after the cabinets are fitted.

Granite

Granite worktops

Granite is quarried stone, so no two slabs are alike. It is very hard and copes well with heat, and it suits traditional and Shaker kitchens in particular. Because it is natural, it benefits from being resealed from time to time.

Dekton

Dekton worktops

Dekton is an ultra-compact surface that is extremely hard and highly resistant to heat, scratches and stains. It is a strong choice for modern and handleless kitchens, as on our Billericay kitchen and diner, which pairs graphite slab doors with Dekton worktops.

Timber and Corian

Solid timber and Corian worktops

Oak worktop on a sage green Shaker kitchen

Solid timber brings warmth, and it is often used for an island or breakfast bar beside a stone main run. Our sage green Shaker kitchen in Chelmsford has an oak island top. Corian worktops are a solid surface material with joins that are hard to see, and minor marks can be sanded out.

Quartz or granite

Quartz vs granite worktops

Both are hard, handsome and long-lasting. Quartz gives a more consistent pattern and needs no sealing. Granite is entirely natural, with unique markings, and handles heat slightly better. Your designer can talk through both against your doors and lighting during the design stage.

Details

Upstands, splashbacks and cut-outs

Kitchen worktop upstands are short strips of the same material fitted along the wall behind the worktop. They protect the wall from splashes and give a neat finish. A full-height splashback, often behind the hob, does the same job on a larger scale.

Cut-outs are the openings and details made in the worktop itself:

01Sink cut-outs, for undermounted or inset sinks
02Hob cut-outs, sized to the appliance
03Drainer grooves beside the sink, where the material allows
04Tap holes and boiling water tap positions
05Pop-up sockets, like the one set into our Brentwood island
06Waterfall ends, where the worktop turns down the side of an island

Because templating happens after the cabinets and appliance positions are fixed, every cut-out is made to the real kitchen, not an estimate.

Our work

One recent project, start to finish

A family home in Brentwood: a load-bearing wall removed, a new quartz island and a full rewire, completed in three weeks on site by our own team. See the full project.

Handleless kitchen

Brentwood

White matt handleless, quartz island, structural opening to dining room

Handleless

★★★★★

"Everything was handled by Essex Home. The electrician, the plasterer and the tiler all turned up when we were told they would, and Dan managed it all. We never had to chase anyone."

Sarah & Mark T.

Handleless kitchen, Brentwood

Questions

Kitchen worktop FAQs

Can I put a hot cup of coffee on quartz?

A hot mug is fine on quartz. Very hot pans straight from the hob or oven should go on a trivet, because sudden heat can mark the resin.

How do you clean quartz worktops?

Warm water with a little washing-up liquid and a soft cloth is enough. Avoid harsh chemicals and abrasive pads.

Which kitchen worktop is best?

It depends on how you cook and the look you want. Dekton and quartz suit busy family kitchens; timber suits an island or breakfast bar; granite suits traditional rooms.

How much do new worktops cost?

Worktops are priced as part of a complete kitchen. Complete projects with Essex Home typically range from £18,000 to £50,000 and above, and your quotation itemizes every element.

Also included

Part of one complete project

Supplied and fittedAppliancesInstalled and commissioned, warranties registered for you.Every tradeKitchen installationTwelve trades under one contract.From the first visitKitchen designMeasured, designed in 3D, then quoted.

Get a Quote

Talk to a designer about worktops

Book a free home design consultation and see your chosen kitchen worktops in 3D with your doors and lighting. Call 01268 264240 or get your free design & quotation online.

Get your free design & quotation Call 01268 264240