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Kitchen Fitters - Worktops

The priorities for a worktop are that it should be hygienic and easy to wipe, as well as resilient enough to withstand hot pots and pans. It should be sufficiently wide to accommodate worktop machines and gadgets, and still leave space at the front for food preparation. The material used for the surface should also be sturdy so that the occasional sharp blade or skewer will not inflict lasting damage, although in theory all chopping should be done on a board, sometimes a knife may slip, so the surface should be resistant to sharp points.

Where possible a worktop should be made from one continuous length of material or, if that is not practical, with as few seams as are feasible. Crumbs and debris will accumulate in joins and seals, and they can be difficult to remove and clean out thoroughly. The length of worktop will be dictated by the layout and design of the kitchen, but guidelines indicated that an adequate work area should be at least 90 cm (36 inches) long and preferably with an easy access to the sink. If more than one person cooks in the kitchen at the same time, each cook should ideally have a work surface of this size.

Splashbacks can be constructed from a continuous run of one material or made up from a collection of ceramic tiles with grouted joints. This kitchen area has, in recent times, become an additional hanging and storage place with spice racks and utensils rails being sited here. The splash back as the name suggest , is the area where bits of flying cake mix or orange pulp will land when a mixing machine or a fruit juicer are in action, so it should be a surface that is water resistant and easy to clean.

Materials that may be used for worktops and splashbacks include, metal, laminated and gloss worktops, natural stone such as marble and granite, which generally come with a polished finish , and slate , which needs to be professionally sealed to prevent the stone from shaleing. For the splashback the stone need only to be of veneer thickness as it does not have to withstand pressure or weight, but for the worktop it should be thicker, so that it is more robust and solid.