The kitchen is a room where magic happens, where memories are made and unforgettable moments are spent. Considered by many to be the true heart of the home, it is essential not to make any mistakes when designing the kitchen, as every component needs the right level of attention. To ensure not only the best dishes, but also the highest levels of hygiene for your preparations, it is important to know that there are certifications, such as NSF, which guarantee the suitability of work surfaces for direct contact with foodstuffs: not all countertops, as beautiful as they may look, are also functional over the long term.
Choosing antimicrobial countertops is therefore of primary importance, both in residential and commercial environments. Investing in antimicrobial countertops protects against the growth of microorganisms, such as bacteria, mold and mildew. Because the kitchen contains food, moisture and a temperate climate, kitchen countertops are an ideal place for bacteria to flourish. Here are three countertop options to choose from when it comes to installing antimicrobial countertops in your kitchen or bathroom.
How to Choose the Best Material for Kitchen Slab Countertops
When it comes to choosing the best cooking surfaces, you need to take various criteria into consideration: appearance, strength, durability, hygiene, and ease of cleaning. Each material has its own pros and cons. Choose the best material for kitchen slab countertops must take all these characteristics into account.
First of all, think about resistance to scratching. The kitchen countertop needs to resist significant day-to-day stresses, and while no material is completely abrasion proof, they all offer different levels of toughness.
in terms of health, it is important to take the porosity into consideration: a porous material will retain germs and bacteria more easily. Marble and granite are naturally micro porous and so are more subject to bacterial proliferation than porcelain stoneware, whose surface is impermeable and compact, and thus intrinsically hygienic.
Being in the kitchen, a countertop will inevitably come into contact with different kinds of acids, from food ingredients to cleaning products.
Here are three countertop options to choose from when it comes to installing antimicrobial countertops in your kitchen.
1.Quartz
Engineered quartz is largely composed of natural quartz, an extremely hard substance that makes up about 90% of the counter material. This substance is paired with resins and polymers (as well as pigments, in some cases) to create a molded surface. Not only is the final product extremely durable and resistant to stains, chips, and cracks, with no sealing required, but it’s non-porous, which makes it easy to clean and resistant to the incursion of bacteria and other germs.
2.Natural Stone
Despite the fact that natural stone is more porous than engineered quartz surfaces, it’s still naturally resistant to microbes like bacteria, viruses, and other germs. When you add proper sealing and regular cleaning and maintenance, you’ll find that natural stone options like marble, granite, and quartzite offer similar antimicrobial properties as quartz due to their non-porous properties.
3.Porcelain
We can say in general terms that the best tiles for the kitchen are those made from porcelain stoneware: a material which is no longer the sole preserve of walls and floors, but is also perfect for kitchen countertops, backsplashes, work surfaces, tables, up stands and even doors. The best antibacterial countertop is therefore porcelain stoneware, taking into account its impact resistance, durability, ease of cleaning and antimicrobial qualities, combined with gorgeous aesthetics capable of reproducing the best-loved materials.
The Bottom Line on Antibacterial Countertops
While marble and granite are aesthetically beautiful, durable, and functional, they require proper sealing at installation and ongoing maintenance, including resealing annually to prevent bacteria from infiltrating the surface of the material. The good news is with proper ongoing maintenance, natural stone or marble will last for years and give you a lifetime of service.
If you are seeking a material that is 100% non-porous, virus, and bacteria-resistant, and requires little more than maintenance than wiping down your counters with an anti-bacterial cleaner, quartz is a perfect choice. Quartz is not only the cleanest of the most popular countertop surfaces. It’s available in a broader range of colors that stone, and delivering all of the style of marble, combined with the durability of granite, but with absolutely no porosity.
