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sgdstuff

Kitchen Table Tops - What Material Is Best?

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hi :

if you're still researching on worktop material, i forgot to mention cement worktop. it's versatile and gaining in popularity as a material. so far however i hv not been able to garner much info as regard local suppliers frm my research. seems you may need to import, an option ruled out for the present as freight costs will be high.

here's a link to show cement worktops can be beautiful if proper mfr'ed. i m doubtful local mfr'ers hv the technology or eqt; but i hv seen some S'porean homes using cement worktops featured in local design mags last year. Am still trying to search for that pic on-line to show you. Still no success. the local cement wktop featured was cast and concreted, so it didn't look anywhere near the foreign one shown in the link above. Cement in its raw screed and form just don't cut it for me, at least not yet - unless you are into the "industrial" look! :rolleyes:

Also, note if local suppliers are able to produce locally be careful of their integrity as there's no quality yardstick or standards imposed by local auth. Not any that i know of. my poor user experience with my acrylic wktop came to mind in this regard. so very likely cement wktops can be made locally, but individually by yr builder/contractor instd of by a factory supplier.

cheers

Edited by BlueFly
 

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I seem to recall hearing that some stone materials are porous and allow moisture/bacteria to accumulate. I think granite seems to have that problem. Not sure with Quartz. I just finished my reno, and after reviewing the information back then, I choose solid surface top. Cost wise, it was the most economical (unless you use wood laminates).

Suggest you do a bit more googling...

The info about bacteria is found in my old post Worktops - How to Choose which I revamped and recast into shorter articles as a "How To's" series to make it easier for readers to locate info on my blog. The para on the bacteria is found towards the end of the old post:

"One interesting thing happened on our latest round of testing. The sealed products bred bacteria by a huge factor over unsealed granite. So much so that we are repeating the test to look for errors. Another result that was not going to be appreciated was a microban infused quartz product that performed poorly, very poorly although it grew mostly general coliform bacteria, it grew a lot of them. It will be re tested as well. So much can go wrong when you are dealing with microbiology testing, it pays to retest and be conservative."

In the revamped post, the above para is now in the shorter post titled "For Your Further Reference".

+++

My take on the bacteria issue: although we should view the info with concern, I 've not heard of anyone falling sick due to contaminated granite worktops. So it may not be too serious to worry about, though it is prudent to take note of. Esp for those who have family members recovering from cancer. As you know, cancer patients hv very low immunity levels in their bods, and are more susceptible to bacterial food poisoning.

Bacteria is ever present all around us - in various concentrations - in prepared foods (Yes!!) and on surfaces. The natural immune system in normal healthy ppl usually is sufficient to overcome majority of the bacteria present in foods and surfaces. However, if the bacteria colony rapidly multiplies in badly contaminated foods (recall the Geylang rojak case?) to a high concentration, ppl get food-poisoned bcoz the immune system can't cope with the high level of bacteria produced. I recalled at least 1 died in that incident (3-4 died?), but the rest (100+) who had diarrhea recovered in hospital. Others who also patronized the stall but didn't show symptoms were bcoz their immune systems were very healthy. Lesson? Don't only maintain yr "physical" external health but also yr "internal" health - yr immune level.

Many of us don't realize our internal health is more important than our external health. So eat more veg, fish with Omega-3, and fruits like red grapes and tomatoes.

For more info, this is a very impt video you shld watch: - please tell yr family members and friends - for their sake. And health.

Bluefly aka GreenCoal

Edited by BlueFly
 

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Quartz is supposedly much harder and scratch-proof, leak-proof and heat resistant than even granite. U can google more abt it. I also read abt quartz by searching older posts in this forum. There are 2 brands in the mkt, Caesarstone and Silestone.

for the resale flat i bought, the previous owner used solid surface (black), and after only 2 yrs of usage which i believed they do not really maintain, there are water marks and lots of cut marks (think they do cutting directly on the surface) and also white patches prob due to hot pots directly on the surface. Thats why decided to use quartz. For the price, u can chk directly with distributer or find contractor whom may get better price. gd luck!

Anyone heard of Samsung quartz before?

 

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Solid top = Shiny and least porous but subjected to scratches and heat.

Granite = very porous, w/o heat and scratches issue. So chose only the dark coloured ones.

Quartz = Composition or certain % of quartz and "plastic" stuff. Rather expensive, less porous than granite, no issue with heat.

Imho, every type of top will have its pro and con. I've use the most expensive choice Caesarstone, thinking it'll last a lifetime.

I guess it will, but then I was advise not to chop hard near the joint and now facing issue like newspaper stain are not easy to be clean off.

 

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