Choosing Kitchen Worktops: Materials and Costs

What do kitchen worktops cost?

These are national guide ranges for a typical kitchen, including VAT at 20%. They vary by region, the length of the runs, the thickness chosen and the number of joints, cut-outs and upstands, and they are confirmed after a survey visit once the layout is fixed.

Sintered stone, solid surface and compact laminate are priced individually after a survey, because costs depend heavily on the product, the thickness and the amount of fabrication involved. As a rule, anything templated and made in a workshop costs more than a worktop cut to fit on site.

Laminate, supplied and fitted: £500–£1,200
Solid wood, supplied and fitted: £900–£1,800
Granite, templated and fitted: £1,500–£3,200
Quartz, templated and fitted: £1,800–£3,500
Old worktops removed and taken away: £80–£250, more for stone

Laminate worktops

Laminate is a decorative layer bonded to a chipboard core, available in a huge range of colours and stone or wood effects. It is the lowest-cost option and can be cut, jointed and fitted on site in a day, with square, rounded or slim modern edges. Modern laminates resist stains well, but hot pans can mark them and a deep scratch cannot be repaired.

The weak points are joints and cut-outs, where water can reach the core and make it swell. Sealing every cut edge, a well-made joint and a neat line of silicone along the upstand make the difference between a laminate worktop that lasts and one that lifts.

Solid wood worktops

Solid wood, typically oak, beech or walnut staves, gives a warm look and can be sanded back and re-oiled when it wears. It is cut and fitted on site, and oiled before and after fitting. It needs regular oiling, especially around the sink, and should not be left wet for long.

Wood moves with changes in humidity, so it is fixed with slotted brackets that let it expand and contract. It is better not to fit it straight after plastering in a damp room, and an undermount sink in wood needs extra care with sealing.

Quartz, granite and sintered stone

Quartz is engineered stone made from crushed quartz bound with resin, giving consistent colour, low porosity and good stain resistance. Granite is natural stone, very hard and heat-tolerant, with variation in every slab, and it is usually sealed. Sintered stone is made by compressing minerals at high temperature, producing thin, very hard slabs with good heat and scratch resistance.

All three are templated by the fabricator once the base units are fixed, cut in the workshop with cut-outs for undermount sinks and hobs, and fitted about one to two weeks later. They are heavy, so the base units must be level and sound. Use a trivet for hot pans on quartz, as the resin can mark under direct heat.

Solid surface and compact laminate

Solid surface is an acrylic or polyester-based material that can be joined almost invisibly and shaped into integrated sinks and upstands. Light scratches can usually be sanded out, but it is less heat-tolerant than stone. It is fabricated and installed by specialists, usually after templating in the same way as stone.

Compact laminate is a dense, solid laminate around 12mm thick that is waterproof right through, so it suits undermount sinks and busy family or rental kitchens. It needs specialist tools to cut and join, and the thin profile gives a modern look.

How do you choose the right worktop?

Think about how you cook. If pans come straight off the hob, choose a heat-tolerant surface or plan a trivet beside it. If the kitchen is a rental, durability and low replacement cost may matter more than looks. As a rough guide:

Lowest cost and quickest fit: laminate
Warmth and repairability: solid wood, with regular oiling
Low upkeep and consistent colour: quartz
Heat tolerance and natural character: granite
Thin profile and high heat resistance: sintered stone
Waterproof edges in a busy kitchen: compact laminate

What about upstands and splashbacks?

An upstand is a narrow strip, usually around 100mm high, fitted along the back of the worktop where it meets the wall. It protects the wall from splashes and hides small gaps. A full-height splashback behind the hob or sink does the same job over a larger area, in tile, toughened glass or the same stone as the worktop.

Stone upstands and splashbacks are templated with the worktop and priced with it. Toughened glass is made to measure after the worktops are in. A tiled splashback is typically £150–£400 and a toughened glass splashback behind the hob £250–£600, fitted, including VAT.

What if you buy the worktop yourself?

Laminate and wood bought by the customer can be cut and jointed on site by the fitter. Stone has to be templated and fabricated by the stone supplier after the base units are fixed, so book that supplier's template visit to follow the units. Choose the sink, tap and hob before templating, as the cut-outs and tap holes are made to suit them.

Check the delivery as soon as it arrives. Worktops are long and easily damaged in transit, and a chipped edge, a warped length or a run that is too short is much easier to replace before fitting day than after. Store them flat and dry, off the floor, until the fitter arrives.

Questions

Can quartz worktops go on any kitchen units?

Usually, as long as the base units are sound, level and properly fixed, because stone is heavy and can crack if it is unsupported or twisted. Old units being kept under new stone should be checked on the survey. Long overhangs, such as seating at an island, may need extra support brackets.

Can I put hot pans on a stone worktop?

Granite and sintered stone generally tolerate heat well, though a sudden temperature change can still damage any stone. Quartz contains resin, which can discolour or crack under direct heat from a pan. Using a trivet or pan stand on every worktop is the safest habit, whatever the material.

Are worktop joints visible?

On laminate, a joint is usually made with a mason's mitre or a joint strip; a well-cut mitre is neat but still visible close up. Wood joints are glued and almost disappear. Stone joints are filled with colour-matched resin and are visible but discreet. Where joints fall is agreed when the worktops are planned or templated.

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This guide is general information about kitchen fitting in the UK, not legal, tax, electrical or structural advice for your property. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; check with your local authority or a qualified adviser before relying on it.

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