Kitchen countertops

The importance of a right choice for a kitchen worktop

For those who love cooking, the kitchen top is one of the most important elements to choose when buying a new kitchen. In addition to being aesthetically pleasant, it must ensure the hygiene and above all it must be practical.


During the preparation of the food, the worktop should not be damaged and after use cleaning must not turn into a nightmare!
The work surface of a kitchen can be made of materials of different kinds, each of which has its strengths and weaknesses.
Here is a brief review of the most common.

Traditional kitchen countertops

Stainless steel
For kitchen tops is used steel 18/10, that is, with a ratio of chromium and nickel in fact 18 and 10 parts.


This material allows the realization of continuous worktops, complete with stove and sink.
The steel is a hygienic material, highly resistant to corrosion, abrasion and high temperatures. It does not crack and it does not splinter.

Marble
The marbles usable for this purpose are different. There is a possibility that more plates of the same material have differences in color and grain. It is not very resistant to impact and abrasion. Some types of marble can be quite heavy and need to be armed undermount where the hole is provided for built-in.


Granite
It is different from marble because of its geological formation, appearance and chemical composition and is more durable, slightly porous and compact. However, it is particularly heavy and it requires an undercounter supporting structure.
The company Antolini interpret the granite in its beauty, making it a perfect natural material for kitchen countertop, elegant and yet functional.
Featuring a timeless appeal, the granite, like a work of art captures attention and amazes with its many finishes and colors.


Its use gives to the kitchen a natural warmth, able to enhance any type of decor. Volcanic rock, granite impresses with its inherent resistance to abrasion, heat, everyday use and stains.
It is extremely easy to clean and it does not require special care.

Antolini has been able to interpret these features and has selected twelve different qualities of granite: Brown Cabernet, Bordeaux Delicate, Cosmic Black, Golden Cream, Costa Smeralda, Malibu Red, White River, the Milky Way, Quartzite Chocolate, Golden Persa, Labradorite Labradorite Blue and Multicolor Green.All the granites are available in double glossy finish and leather.

Laminate
It consists of layers of cellulose fibers, impregnated with hot pressed resins.
It resists to impacts, scratches, chemicals and temperatures up to 200°. It is manufactured with smooth, matt or gloss, and scratchproof surface.

Wood strips
Made with strips of solid wood combined with high resistance glues and then cut into slabs.
Thanks to this technique of assembling, the wood becomes stable and non-deformable also in the presence of heat and moisture.

Subjected to impregnating treatment it becomes waterproof and fireproof, but the heat can damage its surface.

Tiles
You can coat the tops with ceramic tiles or stoneware, but these must be particularly resistant, avoid wall tiles.

The tiles are very hygienic and resistant to heat and abrasion but not to shock.

New materials for kitchen countertops

Corian®
It is a synthetic material made of methyl methacrylate and a strong mineral filler.
The surface is compact, non-porous, hygienic, it does not splinter and it is resistant to heat and shock; its success derives from the extreme flexibility of use, in all areas of the furniture.
Corian® is a versatile material and allows you to translate physically whatever is designed on paper.


The characteristics of Corian® which probably make it one of the materials most optioned in furnishings, are also its extreme uniformity, the absence of visible seams and its integrability with other materials such as tiles, granite, glass, steel and wood.

Top Bimaterico
To combine comfort and aesthetics TechLab Italy, a company specializing in the production of kitchen countertops in DuPont Corian, combines expressiveness and performance advantages, offering the Top Bimaterico.

It is an innovative kitchen countertop of high compositional freedom, convenience and hygiene, which involves the combination of coplanar stainless steel and techno-surface DuPont Corian®^.

It is proposed in many colors, including a number of tones of white and gray, beige and brown to charming version Nocturne able to give an unquestioned elegance to the kitchen.

There are also excellent finishing solutions for stainless steel, available in satin, polished or Scotch-Brite treatment. The area incorporates steel, seamless visible or palpable, the sink and the stove in one large super appliance.


Top Bimaterico solves practical problems that can arise during the preparation of meals. When, for example, need to put down fast hot pots, manage the cleaning of the ingredients and utensils, act quickly and without much thinking.

In addition to linear configurations, in L, U or island, with the Top Bimaterico is possible to describe regular geometric shapes or asymmetrical, describe curves and have tops with very large size.

Silestone®
Trademark owned by the Spanish group Cosentino Silestone^® this is a material composed of 94% natural quartz, of extraordinary hardness and strength, boasting an antibacterial protection that ensure hygienic quality unmatched in the industry.


An excellent product for quartz surfaces, both of countertops for kitchens, bathrooms, floors and wall coverings; It allows minimum joints between the elements; the obtainable color tones are numerous and this allows for countless significant and decorative possibilities.

Okite^®
The technological qualities of the quartz are also the basis for a more perfect product for the realization of kitchen countertops and not only, Okite^® produced by Seieffe Industries. This mineral gives strength and toughness to the Okite^® slabs produced using as a binder a resin catalyzed, polyester type absolutely safe for health. As dyes it uses a series of natural oxides obtained from iron.


The availability of colors to choose from is extensive, varied and combines stylistic peculiarities and design quality as a substantial resistance to impact, abrasion, aggression of common household acids without losing color uniformity; Furthermore, its properties of hygiene have allowed the certification of the US NSF for placement in areas intended for food preparation.

Among the many collections available in the catalog, one that stands for liveliness and joy is the Prism Collection, which comprises nine colors such as the Blu Capri, recalling the color of a summer sky, grey, red, and a lively yellow.