When buying your first home on a budget, it is recommended you buy the worst house in the best street. However, that saying also means you've got plenty of weekends spent renovating in your future. You want to tackle the kitchen first because this is a room that will increase the resale value of your home. The kitchen bench tops, in particular, are a decision which requires thought. You don't want to choose a budget material because you have kids, but you don't want to spend the whole renovation budget on one thing either. Here are two ways you can choose a bench top that will last longer than the growing pains of your children.
Tough surface
Children aren't known for being delicate, so you need a bench top which will not easily chip or crack when their little hands are being rough. The most durable stone bench top you can buy is granite. It works well as a kid-friendly bench top because it withstands bangs and scratches. This durability means it won't easily chip when kids smack their toy cars on the surface. A granite bench top does have a limited range of colours though, so if you want a bigger range of hues then choose a cheaper benchtop.
Caesarstone is a cheaper stone option if granite is out of the budget. There are plenty of colour options to choose from, and the only real maintenance requirement is the need to reseal it every five years. Caesarstone is a human-made engineered stone, so it does not cost as much as a natural stone.
Non-porous surface
Children are also known for being quite clumsy. If there is food or drink around for them to spill, then you can guarantee a kid will find it. If you want the bench top to last until their less-clumsy teenage years, you need to choose a bench top which is non-porous.
While marble is a beautiful stone to look it, its porous nature makes it a bad choice for kitchens with kids. It can be sealed to keep the liquid stains out, but you must reseal the marble bi-annually to keep the stains away. Concrete has the same porous issues as marble, so should also not be considered for the new kitchen.
Granite again tops the list due to its stain resistance. A stainless steel benchtop, however, is number one for liquid repelling, but it is not as easy to keep clean like granite.
Visit your local kitchen showroom to talk further about which kitchen bench top is going to work best with your renovation design.
