.::. On hindsight – Kitchen tops .::.

We are using Samsung solid top, the one that is pure white with very little sparkles. It isn't cheap and cost anything between like $120 to $180 per feet. Those Korean acrylic tops like Samsung and LG are supposed to be of better quality, but the real reason that we chose it was because it's WHITE - as in, very white, pure white kind of white. Many other brands are slightly creamy or not as white or with some grains that I dislike.

So, if you’re like us and want a pure white kitchen, there are not many choices. Quartz was possible, but used to be very expensive although cheaper china-made quartz have been made available these days. There was this Caesarstone brand (and a few others) that had white tops too, but some reviews weren’t good and many said that it was not worth the price as it stains/scratches too.

Maintenance. 

That’s what most people are concerned about. The sad news is, It’s true, white solid top takes a whole lot of maintenance.

I’m someone who cooks often, at least 3 to 4 times a week, usually more as I cook my own lunch to work. I clean my kitchen top everyday and is very careful about scratching it or sliding my pots or chopping board across the top. I wipe constantly as I cook and generally do not let any colored stuff stay on top for long. It sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? It is, and has become a habit.

What happens when you are not careful? You will get scratches, there will be patches of stains. You can’t even put plastic bags like those from Sheng Siong or NTUC on it, the color will eat into the solid top and it’ll be embossed with the logo. I’ve wooded spoons, and they leave a brown patch when I leave the wet spoon on the solid top to dry. Slide your pots and pans across the top, and you can see the scratches. Whatever is left on the top eats into the solid top quickly. I wipe constantly as I do preparation on the solid top - even carrot juices eat into the solid top. I do not put hot pots on my top fearing that it’ll leave a burn mark. Be careful with coasters too, the color may eat into the top. Even water stains bother me, which explains why I wipe everyday even when I do not cook. I am very sensitive and careful about these, but many scratches or stains happens when guests comes and helps with cooking or cleaning. Some stains may be left for too long or people are used to sliding chopping boards and pots (mine are all really heavy). =(

The good news is, if the stain is new (like a day or two old), it’s relatively easy to clean it. I just spray the Magiclean kitchen cleaner and leave it there for a few minutes, most of it disappear. It may be still slightly visible if you scrutinize it, but generally it’s ok. Scratches can’t be saved, although cleaning it and keeping it white makes it less visible.

To people like me who loves white kitchens and use white solid top, take care of it lovingly and it will stay white and beautiful for long. It’s possible!

For people who do not want to put in the effort or have maids at home, do yourself a favor and get granite. Black galaxy granite looks beautiful although it isn’t very Scandinavian. It’s really durable, no scratches, can’t see stains and can withstand hot pots. China/India granite is cheap and prices are similar to normal solid tops, from $90 per feet onwards and I’ve heard of $70/feet India granite.

DO NOT EVER GET DARK COLORED SOLID TOPS!

If you have to get solid tops, get those with grains or lighter-colored ones. The main reason being that dark solid tops leave unsightly white scratches. Any scratch is white against your dark top. We wanted granite for our toilets, but we were given black solid top instead (I’m still pissed). Worse thing is we didn’t know until we visited other homes that used black galaxy granite and questioned the difference. Granite was more shiny and had joints, no curves to be molded to the sides. We put the washing powder on the black solid top and there are unsightly white scratches on it now. It was scratched with the cardboard base of the box of powder! I don’t even have any idea what brand was that solid top in my toilet, but just beware of white scratches on dark solid tops. They are really glaring and worse than stains – cannot be removed! Once it loses its shine (solid top does very quickly), all you see is white baby scratches against the dark top.

I still love my white solid top, although I may consider granite if I were to remake my kitchen. Perhaps white with black galaxy and peranakan and/or subway tiles? But if you have maids, I think white solid tops can be a disaster. For this reason, I may never get a maid. The husband thinks that white solid tops do not need that much maintenance, but what he doesn’t realize is that his wife is cleaning it everyday and making sure that there’s no stains left on it! I had this solid-top discussion with a neighbor and we both complained about solid top maintenance while the husband commented that ‘it’s not so bad’. Both of us women exclaimed and complained loudly, because we’re the ones who clean and notice those stains/scratches. Men sometimes don’t seem to notice many things!

Then again, if budget is not much of a concern, pay for Quartz - it should be better than solid tops.