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Over the last 10 years, kitchen work surfaces have changed a lot. Gone now are the marble, granite and quartz effect synthetic worktops and in their place have come granite and quartz stone worktops, two very robust and hard stones perfect for any kitchen within the home.

Between the two, though, which is best? Well although they may appear similar to the eye, there are certain aspects of both which are better than the other.

Granite

Granite worktops are incredibly fashionable within both the US and UK home right now. This is down to a few reasons, however the combination of them looking fantastic under all light and being extremely easy to clean is a major buying factor. The problem with granite worktops though is that they are incredibly delicate, and granite as a stone whilst hard isn’t the most durable surface in the world. Typical scenarios where granite is susceptible to damage include placing a hot pan on the surface, dropping a large weight on a corner and scratching the surface under extreme stress. Unlike wood, which can be sanded down, granite can not be refurbished easily.

Quartz

Quartz worktops and quartz isn’t an earth-grown organic stone, and is in fact artificial, however you wouldn’t think that from looking at it. Due to this, quartz is available in a wide amount of designs and sometimes can even be custom built. A key advantage to quartz over granite is that is a much more durable material due to quartz having an even amount of iron content across one slab, and granite worktops are also a non-porous material – making it ideal for cleanliness and maintenance.

Like granite, quartz is an incredibly desirable work surface within the home.

Conclusion

Granite is a natural stone whilst quartz is an engineered stone. For the purists, granite is going to be the clear choice just for status reasons, however the smart person would pick quartz due to it being a non-porous stone and it also being more durable than granite thanks to it having an equal amount of iron content throughout the board. Price wise, granite can be expensive, whilst quartz can be too. Essentially, you should make the best decision for you based on whether you want to risk a broken worktop just because you want the more fashionable surface.

Overall fashion tends to change over time, so whilst granite may seem fashionable right now it may not be next year. If it were me choosing a worktop right now, I would opt for a quartz worktop based on its shelf life alone.

Here’s some brief thoughts from a home owner perspective of granite worktops. Opinions built up over 3 years of having one.

There is a massive difference between a cheap kitchen and a bespoke designed one, and more and more commonly now granite is being used as a worktop surface for a variety of reasons in new kitchens to add a premium finish to them. Granite worktops and quartz worktops are being used more and more now because of their durability and hardness against scratches, which wood is susceptible to. Now I know what you might be thinking; but what about stainless steel? Well, stainless steel isn’t very homely and personally, it’s way too industrial for myself and also just too cold to the touch.

Granite worktops then are a good balance between cleanliness and durability, and a good granite worktop will last for over 10 years providing you do not hit it with a sledge hammer and so could be called a very good investment too. Design wise, granite worktops are available in a fair few stone finishes, however my personal favorite is the star galaxy worktop which has glints of bronze and copper within the black.

There are many designs that you can put your home through – but one question always comes up within home improvement and home redesigns > Paint vs Wallpaper: Which suits your home best?

Of course there are many rooms in one house, with bathrooms obviously opting for paint over wallpaper for water damage reasons, but exactly what are the advantages and disadvantages of both materials and what can you do with them both?

Wallpaper Advantages

Wallpaper offers a huge variety of patterns to choose from as well as a huge selection of textures and colors which can be picked up at any home improvement shop or megastore. Plus, textured wallpaper can add more oomph to your walls which paints cannot offer (unless you get a professional painter which can be costly). Some new wallpapers even have beading, sequins, lace and ribbons that add more drama and style to a bare wall.

One of the main advantages to wallpaper is that it can easily hide holes in a wall or deep scratches which could have been caused from a variety of reasons. Also, if you are selling your home and have cracks in your plaster walls from general heating and cooling, a wallpaper session  can add new value to your sell.

Wallpaper is also your only option for fire damaged walls, unless the fire damage is light or you have arms of steel to get the soot off.

Wallpaper Disadvantages

The main disadvantage to all wallpapers is that they are horrible to clean and maintain as they (unless special wallpaper) soak up grease and stains quite easily. So if you have kids armed with crayons and chocolate covered hands your once beatiful wallpaper will quite simply become a mess.

Wallpaper can also be expensive, and the actual ‘putting it on’ time consuming if never done before. Wallpapaer generally also has a lower shelf life as they can fade under sun light.

Paint Advantages

Paint is a low maintenance, cheap and easy-to-apply interior treatment – Having painted walls means that you need not be so worried about maintaining and cleaning your walls. Most kinds of dirt and stains can easily be cleaned of a painted wall or when the stain does not come off completely, you can easily paint that area in the wall the same color to cover up the stain. While cover up stains and fixing unsightly marks on wallpaper can be quite difficult and expensive since you might have to remove one entire panel of wallpaper and replace it just because of a small stain.

Paint has a huge shelf life once applied, and if well maintained will last for years (ceiling paint excluded if you smoke as it will discolour due to nicotine stains).

Paint Disadvantages

Paint doesn’t really offer much texture or design and unlike wallpaper which can instantly create illusions, designs and texture where there are none, using paint to achieve the same effect can be a difficult task. If you want walls with flower designs without using wallpaper, you have to paint the flowers yourself which would take a lot of time and effort and usually only look crap anyway. You can also use stencils to paint designs although these designs would not be as detailed and flawless as those in printed wallpapers.

So which suits your home best? You now know the advantages and disadvantages to paint and wallpaper so take your pick . To be honest a mix of the two is always nice, and if you have a bedroom perhaps paint all round apart from the wall your beds headrest is on would be a good option.

All comments welcome.

There are many floor surfaces you can choose for your kitchen. It not only needs to look good, but it will also have to cope with knocks, occasional spills, scratches (from pets especially)  and stains.  Suppliers of flooring will most probably advise you on whether to go for a concrete, timber, vinyl or linoleum base to complement your area or space – but the decision in the end is up to you and what feels good under your feet.

Concrete flooring has become an increasingly popular trend in modern kitchen design as of late, and comes in all sorts of specialised patterns – of which you can even design yourself.

Concrete is incredibly strong and non flexible – meaning it will not shrink. When layered completely flat and with a good underlay, concrete flooring will last you up to 5 years. Usually a special coating is also available to make the concrete splash proof, meaning that red wine will not be an issue.

What this means, in terms of budgets and figures, is that concrete is a set price and can be layered in two ways – either as concrete tiles or a single sheet of which is layed within the kitchen on site (better get a takeaway ).

Over tiled flooring, concrete flooring can be non expensive and also underfloor heating safe as it can be mixed with heat variable chemicals < so no cold feet in the Winter as concrete is notorious for holding a cold.

In terms of Home Improvement concrete can be used in any rooms of the house to be honest, and can be mixed with wood in areas or even carpet – it is cheap, flexible and will last you agers and whats more, if you get bored, then overlaying with wood is not a problem.

Anyway just a quick post from work, if you have any questions please feel free to comment!

You have most probably seen many kitchens throughout your life – from your friends to your own, from showrooms to on the television. One thing that I have come across as a main talking point however is the use of tiles and wooden flooring within your kitchen, and exactly which one you should opt for. Both are modern, both are versatile and both are definaely fashionable – and so one would only guess the amount of decision making to be made when it comes down to the crunch.

First things first – how old is your home? If you have a house over 90 years old, chances are you have some lovely wooden flooring hidden away under those cracked tiles, manky carpet or laminate flooring. Take a look, old woode flooring generally can be salvaged to a state where it is both safe for bare feet and water sealed just lik tiles. Teak polish, washing up liquid and wood renovation liquids are very good tools if you ae dealing with old floorboards.

If your home is not old, and the flooring is MDF based, then you should choose tiled flooring. Tiled flooring can be relatively inexpensive nowadays – dependant upon the material by which it is made, if you like stone tiles < not handmade materialistic ones, then prices can vary. I however would recommend stone tiles as the stone it is made from has ben around millions of years and so is by far proven to last for ever < beats any manufacturers warranty doesn’t it? I doubt Home base or B&Q could match a million year warranty.

As for functionality, stone is cleanable and never wears down. And just like wood, if stone tiles do become a litte bit tired looking they can be sanded to bring back their original purchase-perfect looks.

So if you have a new build house opt for tiles – if you have an older house opt for wood. Take in to account also your own decorational items, you wouldn’t wear a pink jumper with a lime green skirt would you? The same applies to your house, keep the kitchen consistent and neutral yet welcoming and sophisticated.

Any questions please ask.