Kitchens are the heart of any home. They are each designed with a personality as unique as the person who will use them. From cabinet doors to sinks, accessories and white goods the details are important in getting the style you want. But, when it comes to worktops, style and functionality are just as important.
This high traffic area of your kitchen will see quite a lot of wear and tear so choosing well is important. We’ve pulled together this guide to help you make an informed decision about buying a black kitchen worktop.
Choosing a black worktop
Black worktops are an elegant alternative to traditional wood or marble effect styling. They can lend an air of sophistication to plain units. Black can be used to accompany your taste in design accessories, whatever colour you choose.
Black worktops can be contemporary in feel or offer a more traditional and vintage look. Black can absorb a lot of light so consider your kitchen lighting. Effective lighting can enhance the mood, space and the overall look of your room.
Materials
When it comes to choosing a black worktop there are plenty of options available. Each offers a different finish, texture and property. Natural finishes are on-trend at the moment offering a simple look. They complement accent tones in cabinet features and accessories very well.
Earthstone is a natural looking finish like granite. It is easy to install and can be repaired if you get chips or scratches.
Laminate worktops from suppliers like Duropal, Apollo, WilsonArt, Artis, Prima and Axiom are great value and easy to install.
With the benefits of being both stain proof and waterproof, quartz worktops are very durable. They can withstand heat and are resistant to mould and scratches. Apollo Quartz, Zodiaq and Silestone all offer black worktops within their range.
Acrylic can be moulded to any shape or size and is waterproof. It is also a very hygienic surface to work with. We offer a range from Mistral, Encore, Corian, Apollo Slab Tech and Apollo Magna.
Formed from molten lava, granite is heat resistant. It is robust and can withstand heavy wear and tear including scratches and weathering. Each piece of granite is polished and offers a truly unique finish.
Growing in popularity is the trend of combining materials to offer a less uniform design. This can help to break up areas of the kitchen up into zones. You may wish to consider different materials in different areas depending upon the layout of your room.
Textures
Each of the different materials offer their own unique texture which can complement your choice of cabinet finish. Natural materials are always a popular choice as they do not date. They are environmentally more friendly and give an individual finish to every kitchen.
Both wood and stone are in vogue at the moment. They offer a rustic appeal that can be engineered in man-made surfaces such as laminate or straight from stone and timber countertops. A wide range of suppliers are offering these finishes to cater for demand.
Granite is a porous material and needs regular sealing. This ensures that staining does not occur and helps prevent the build-up of mould-forming bacteria. Polished to a shiny surface, granite worktops are cool to the touch. Granite is a very hard material and offers a durable finish. As with all worktops, precautions should still be taken to prevent heat damage, scratching and chips.
We also offer a range of black worktops made from quartz which is another extremely strong and durable natural material. Many suppliers have further enhanced this durable property by combining resin to provide additional strength. In the same way that granite offers a unique character, quartz surfaces are also highly individual. They have a natural fine grain texture that is uniform in each piece. Quartz surfaces are also more neatly edged due to their natural formation.
Laminate countertops are easy to install and a lower cost alternative to solid surface worktops. They also offer a range of textured finishes that can provide durability as well as style. Effects like granite, marble and wood are all available in laminate finishes. Be sure to look at our Ultramatt range which offers a highly desirable natural woodgrain finish. The construction varies by manufacturer but will be either an MDF or particle board that has been layered with laminate sheeting to suit the style of your choice. Lustre, Etchings and Roche, Mate-58 and Granite all offer the look of natural stone.
Sizes
We supply our black worktops in a range of lengths and widths to suit the design of your kitchen. Our standard lengths are 1.8m, 2m, 3m, 3.6m and 4.1m, and widths of 600mm and 650mm, which is the industry standard. We also offer a variety of thicknesses from the industry standard of 38mm and 40mm, as well as a slimline 20mm.
In previous years, the trend was for chunky worktops ranging up to 50mm but this year has seen a change in the fashion. The market appetite is currently leaning towards all things skinny, and slimline worktops as thin as 12.5mm are available. These super thin worktops meet the demand for smooth, uninterrupted lines. A luxurious look, they evoke a liquid feel around the kitchen. Slimline worktops are a great choice for that minimalist look and work well with black to provide an appealing and uncluttered visual delight.
Accessories
In addition to your black worktops, you can also get matching upstands, splashbacks and breakfast bars. Each accessory is coordinated in colour and style to give your kitchen work surfaces a uniform feel.
You can also use these accessories to enhance the design of your worktops and transform the look and feel of your kitchen. A contrasting splashback can make a huge statement piece in your kitchen. It can elevate the simplicity of a simple black worktop into an elegant design feature. Mixing marble or stone effects along with metallic and LED lighting can transform a kitchen into a truly individual space.
Options for the edging of your worktop can really make a big impact. Our ranges come in a variety of edges. We have simple, elegant, clean lines such as the single or double pencil and bull nose or crafted edges of the Venetian, Milano or Ovolo edges. These latter designs offer a truly opulent look to your worktop.
In addition to standard under-cupboard countertops we also offer worktops for breakfast bars and islands. These versatile spaces continue to be a popular feature in any kitchen design. Useful as an additional workspace, breakfast bars also provide a wonderful space for the family to sit and eat, chat or work in a communal way which only the kitchen can offer.
What are the benefits of choosing black laminate worktops?
Black is a neutral tone to include in your kitchen and choosing a black worktop can radically enhance any existing kitchen without changing the entire design. It offers a simple way to provide a minimalist look with the option of enhancing this with colourful kitchen accessories or contrasting lighting, splashbacks and flooring.
Available in a range of styles and finishes, black worktops give a real statement look to the kitchen and can be made to suit a contemporary and modern style as well as to enhance a vintage or retro feel. They can be sized to suit your design from slimline to chunky and finished with edging to really accentuate the elegance of your room. And, with a wide range of textures to choose from, there have never been an easier way to inject individuality into your kitchen design.
Black worktop kitchen ideas
It can be hard to picture if counters such as black worktops would fit your kitchen’s aesthetic, and also what sort of colour scheme to go with. Would they match black cabinets? Maybe even white cabinets?
Luckily, on our website we offer a free visualiser tool where you’re able to test different cabinets and worktop styles with each other – check it out here!
What do black worktops typically work well with?
Black laminate worktops can work well with a variety of kitchen design style, from modern to farmhouse aesthetics.
Neutral kitchen cabinets such as your blacks, whites, and other shades of greys tend to work well with black counters.
Shop the HCSupplies range of black kitchen worktops today.
