Kitchen table top
The layout of any dwelling necessarily implies the presence of a kitchen in it. This is the place where we store food, cook and eat food. It directly depends on its area, for what purposes the available space will be used - only for cooking or in it family lunches and dinners can be organized. Depending on this, we select the countertop.
What is the table for?
According to their purpose, kitchen tables are working, dining and multifunctional.
The worker is used to perform actions related to the cooking process. Therefore, the tabletop for him picked from the material that is most resistant to mechanical damage, moisture and microorganisms.
The dining table is needed in the kitchen in order to gather together for the whole family to have lunch or dinner. It is important that it is beautiful and comfortable, and dirt is easily removed from the surface.
To begin, let us analyze how the upper planes of the existing floor furniture modules are able to take over the working functions. If there are enough such cabinets in the kitchen, then you can purchase a dinner set.
Dimensions
In the case when kitchen cabinets in the lower furniture tier are placed in one row, where the hob and sink are embedded, a solid worktop is installed in the upper part. This will be the surface for cleaning, washing, cutting and other processes. The most convenient for work height is 85 cm, including the thickness of the tabletop, and the width is not less than 60 cm.
The table top for a dining table is usually made 60 cm wide, 80 cm long, the height of such a table is 75 cm. These dimensions make it quite comfortable to seat a family of four people. Often, such designs have a retractable additional surface or fold out like a booklet, which allows, if necessary, to get a few more seats. When purchasing such a table, it is necessary to take into account that after increasing the surface around it, another 40-50 cm will be required for the placement of chairs or other seating accessories.
In the case when you are lucky with the kitchen room, and it has pleasing dimensions, you can install the countertop on the surface of the lower cabinets, combining them into a common composition, and place the dining set separately in a special dining area.
The form
The table top of the dining tables often have a rectangular shape, because the manufacturer can make such a table with a little labor and material losses. During operation, it can be either attached to the wall or placed in the central part of the room.
Square tables differ from rectangular only in their shape. For ease of installation and use there is no significant difference.
Round and oval are convenient because they have no corners, which means that more people can fit behind them and there is no danger of hitting the corner. They are often made sliding, but even in the assembled state they need much more space for them.
The table top can have any other non-standard form. The main thing is that the owners like this form and support the general style of the room design.
The shape of the table top for the working surface is straight, if the furniture modules and equipment in the lower tier are located in one straight line.In the case when with the help of a worktop the lower kitchen components installed at different walls are combined into a single whole, its configuration can be angular, L-shaped or U-shaped. Thus significantly increases the functionality and rationality of the kitchen space.
Materials
Traditional dining tables are made of wood. At production the tree of solid breeds is used: oak, elm, beech, birch. Such surfaces are afraid of moisture, but with good care they serve for a long time. They have a serious weight and a rather high cost. As a worktop this material is not very hygienic.
Popular worktops made of laminated chipboard and MDF. They have good moisture resistance, practical, therefore, are widely used on any kitchen plane. With careful use, they will last far more than one year, weigh a little and are inexpensive.
You don't often see metal products in the kitchen. The main plus of the metal tabletop is that you can safely put a hot pan or a frying pan removed from the stove onto it. Therefore, if the idea of the kitchen involves metallization, such a surface would be quite appropriate.Weight and cost depend on the metal from which the tabletop is made.
Plastic tables in the kitchen are pleased that they can be varied in shape, color and pattern. They are lightweight and inexpensive.
Very elegant glass surfaces. They do not visually eat up the space, they are smart, they are easy to care for, they are reliable enough and have proven themselves well.
Used for the manufacture of natural stone countertops. They make beautiful tables with marble surface, as well as from granite, onyx, Brazilian slate. They are applicable in kitchens of various styles, look solid and noble. However, their practicality is low, as there are scratches, chips and stains. For the price of such products are available to few, and they have considerable weight.
Increasingly used to install countertops made of artificial stone. This material is popular as the upper plane of the lower kitchen cabinets, as it is hygienic, impact resistant, allows the hostess not to use a cutting board and cut anything directly on the table. Scratches can be removed by simply grinding, making the surface easy to renew.These countertops are lightweight, and the high cost is offset by ease of use.
Unconventionally look recently appeared tables and countertops from the tile. Comparing tabletops with ceramic and ceramic granite surface, it can be noted that ceramic granite is more moisture resistant and durable. Tiles are produced with a pattern resembling a natural stone that looks very elegant. However, dirt can accumulate in numerous seams, and frequent thorough rubbing will be required, which is not very convenient during operation.
The variety of kitchen worktops is able to realize the most sophisticated fantasies and satisfy the owners with any taste and possibilities. It is important to determine what parameters and characteristics of kitchen surfaces are required for you.
Installation
The table top of a simple form of wood, chipboard or MDF with certain skills can be made with your own hands. But the manufacture of complex products from expensive materials is better to entrust to professionals. Solid countertops are made from carefully measured measurements, since the insert of the sink and hob requires that the size of the hole matches the size of the installed equipment. The complexity of the work depends on the material used.
So, a table top made of laminated chipboard or MDF requires careful cutting. The metal surface during installation must be protected from scratches. Fastening natural stone tops is seriously complicated by their large weight and difficulty in cutting holes. Installation of surfaces made of artificial stone requires knowledge of the technology of their installation, as they are fastened strictly by measurements to the plywood frame with glue. Designs with tiled coating require the ability to make the base first, and then assemble the worktop of small fragments very carefully, without horizontal skewing.
Independent arrangement of the table top will reduce costs, will provide an opportunity to choose its color and shape for your taste. And the choice of a non-standard solution using new non-traditional materials will allow you to learn how to work with them.
Kitchen worktop is a very important element of the interior. It is important that, according to its texture and design, it does not look like someone else’s and harmonizes with the facades of furniture, household appliances, wallpaper and curtains. It is necessary to approach a difficult choice with special responsibility,since it is from him depends largely on the desire to bask in the family hearth.