Retail sales of kitchen furniture have seen growth of 4.5% in the last two years, representing a value of £2,225 million (excluding appliances). This growth is in spite of a 22% decline in the number of consumers purchasing over the same period
Retail
sales of kitchen furniture have seen growth of 4.5% in the
last two years, representing a value of £2,225 million (excluding appliances).
This growth is in spite of a 22% decline in the number of consumers purchasing
over the same period.
Although
the amount of time people spend preparing food is decreasing the amount of time
people are spending in the kitchen is increasing. Entertainment is now entering
the kitchen, with flip-down TV screens, in-built DVDs,
integrated coffee machines and wine cooling units. People want gadgets that
make life in the kitchen easier as life-styles become more hectic. The kitchen
is fast becoming a bit of a haven for people and people increasingly entertain
guests in their kitchens.
Also
taking into account 11.9 million people under 16 in the UK it is important that your
kitchen gives you all the functions which you need; hygiene and aesthetical
appeal. The amount of time spent in the kitchen means that there is more daily
wear and tear and with children it is imperative that kitchen worktops have
superior hygiene is imperative.
In the
past, unless you had a lot of money, kitchen
worktops were constructed from wood such as chip board that is
laminated or veneered with a plastic coating which can resemble anything you
like from wood finish to granite. Although a very cost effective way of
designing your kitchen this type of surface has a poor life cycle and questionable
hygiene. It is worth investing in a material which you know is going to last
and one which possess brilliant aesthetical qualities and this material is Corian.
Introduced
in 1967 and a registered trademark of DuPont, Corian is composed of acrylic
polymer and alumina trihydrate. Corian is a durable and
versatile material. Due to the nature of the kitchen environment which frequent
a lot of daily wear and tear Corian is an ideal material as it resists impacts
and so has a long life-cycle. Corian is also a non-toxic and very hygienic
material, again making it ideal for kitchen and bathroom environments, this is
due to the material being non-porous and so bacteria and mould have nowhere to
hide.
The look
and feel of your kitchen is extremely important as it is a room in which you
will spend a lot of your time. Using Corian for your kitchen worktops
is very beneficial as they come in many colours and patterns and due to the
colour and patterns running through the entire thickness of the material it
cannot wear away. This is massive contrast to veneered wooden worktops which
nine times out of ten will become chipped or burnt.
Perhaps
one of the best properties of Corian is that the worktops can be easily
maintained and fully restored with an ordinary non-abrasive cleaner. In fact
the material is so easy to maintain that burns from hot pans or burnt on food
to the worktops can be effortlessly cleaned off. Any damage to the surface
caused by wear and tear can be easily repaired making Corian eco-compatible.
In
kitchen applications Corain is very easy to work with is easily fabricated just
like hardwood using similar tools. Joining is also easy and can be glued
inconspicuously making virtually unlimited worktops possible.
Remember
you spend a lot of time in the kitchen along with your family. You want the
luxury of easily maintaining your kitchen as well as having an aesthetically
pleasing environment to surround yourself in. Corian
worktops are a very sound investment and one which you will be
pleased with for years to come.
| About the author |
Phillip Martins is an experienced kitchen designer and recommends Corian worktops or your kitchen worktops. More information can be found at http://www.worktopsolutions.co.uk |
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