Kitchen worktops guide – everything you need to know
Key Takeaways
- Kitchen splashbacks protect walls from moisture and food while adding a decorative element, with many clients choosing the continuous option using the same material as the worktops.
- Kitchen worktop upstands are typically 70-100mm in height and serve to ease cleaning, prevent spillages from staining painted walls, and stop water from contacting walls in wet areas.
- Worktop cut outs are necessary for sinks and hobs to accommodate wiring and plumbing, with sink cut outs available in undermount, overmount, and flushmount options.
- Polished edges refer to all visible edges polished to match the surface finish, with various available details such as bevel, pencil, and Sharknose.
- Drainer grooves and tap holes are functional additions, with grooves allowing excess water to flow into the sink and holes providing connections for plumbing and electrical needs.
Free SampleReady to complete your kitchen with a new worktop! You probably have everything sussed out – from the wall colours to the choice of cabinets. But now you need to make, what seems like, the most crucial decision for your kitchen – the worktop.
There are many parts of the kitchen to consider and that’s why we have created this guide to make the selection of choice easier.
- Kitchen Splashback
Splashbacks are an essential part of the kitchen, especially behind the hob and/or sink, which doesn’t only protect the wall from moisture and food, but it also adds a decorative element to enlighten the room.
There are many different types of kitchen splashbacks which vary from Natural Marble to toughened glass. Many of our clients opt for the ‘continuous’ option where the splashback is done in the same material as the worktops. Whether it be marble worktops, granite worktops or quartz worktops – all options are suitable.
- Kitchen Worktop Upstands
Upstands are like splashbacks, with the main difference is the height. Where splashbacks tend to go all the way up to the wall units/extractor, upstands are generally between 70-100mm.
The main purpose for the upstands is for ease of cleaning of the worktops and to avoid any spillages from staining the painted walls. In wet areas, like kitchen sinks and vanity area, the upstand also stops any water from contacting the wall.
- Worktop cut outs
Cut outs are used for sinks and hobs. A cut out is required for the relevant wiring/plumbing. When requesting a quote, please highlight all cut outs required.
For sink cut outs; there is generally three options – Undermount, Overmount and Flushmount.
- Polished Edges
Polished edges are all visible edges which we polish to achieve the finish of the surface. Various edge details are available (bevel, pencil, Sharknose etc). When requesting a quote, please kindly highlight which type of edge is required.
- Drainer Grooves
Drainer grooves are fluted lines at a slope to allow excess water to flow into the sink. This is circular flutes recessed into the worktop.
- Tap Holes
These are circular holes drilled through the worktop to allow for plumbing/connection for electrical and water connections.
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