Kitchen countertops are horizontal work surfaces in kitchens and or other food preparation areas. Kitchen countertops are often accompanied by cabinets. Johnny Grey introduced the “unfitted” kitchen design which could include detached or different countertop surfaces that are mounted on discrete support structures. When manufacturing kitchen countertops the main points of consideration are durability, hygienic, cost and appearance.

Typically wall-mounted base unit cabinets, countertops have a width of about 25-26inches which allows for ease of access to items that maybe at the back of the countertop. Kitchen countertops can also be installed on freestanding islands, desk and table tops, dining areas or bars, etc. and these countertops can be decorated in an array of manners, from simple and classy to elaborate and modern contemporary.

The common countertop materials are Natural stones, Silicate mineral, Wood, Metals, Crafted glass and various manufactured material.

The most commonly materials used are natural stones, like:

• Granite – is a type of igneous rock that has a granular and phaneritic texture. Granite is usually white, pink or gray in color, depending on the mineralogy of the granite.

• Limestone – is a sedimentary rock that is made up of the skeletal fragments of marine organisms like coral, forams or molluscs. The main minerals that form part of limestone are calcite and aragonite.

• Marble – is a metamorphic rock that is made up of recrystallized carbonate minerals like calcite or dolomite.

• Soapstone – is also known as soaprock and it is a talc-schist which is a form of a metamorphic rock and it contains talc and magnesium.

• Gabbro – is formed when molten magma is trapped under the Earth’s surface and it slowly cools into a holocrystalline mass.

• Slate – is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock that originated from a sedimentary rock that is made up of clay and or volcanic ash.

Other most commonly used materials in kitchen countertops are Silicate minerals which are:

• Travertine – is a form of limestone that is found in mineral springs, particularly hot springs. Due to the fact that it has fibrous or concentric appearance it generally comes in white, tan, cream colors and some rusty varieties.

• Quartz – is made up of silicon and oxygen atoms in a continuous framework of silicon and oxygen tetrehedra. This mineral is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s continental crust.

Wood countertops are considered as the most economically friendly kitchen countertop option as wood is a renewable source. They can come in various designs from joined planks to butcher block to single stave. They do however require more work than their stone or mineral countertops, particularly when they come into contact with food as bacteria can be absorbed into the wood. Despite the absorption of bacteria into the wood, it was founded in a research done by the University of Wisconsin that wooden surfaces no longer pose as a dangerous threat and have in some situations been proven as a safer alternative to plastic kitchen counter tops.

There are many more types of material that are offered to consumers when choosing the perfect kitchen countertop. Whether you are a fan of the commonly used stone countertops or Silicate minerals or wood there are many alternatives at your disposal.