Choosing a kitchen worktop for Dubai’s climate
The worktop is the surface you touch most in a kitchen. In Dubai, the sun, the heat and the way you cook all have a say in which stone will still look right in ten years.
Start with how you cook
Before choosing a colour, think about what the worktop will face every day. Turmeric, saffron, lemon and oil are part of many kitchens here, and hot pans come straight off the hob. A show kitchen used for breakfast and entertaining can take a more delicate stone than a back kitchen used for daily cooking.
Natural stone: marble, travertine and granite
Marble and travertine are beautiful and every slab is unique. Both are calcium-based, so acids such as lemon juice or vinegar can etch the surface, and both are porous enough to need sealing. Over time they take on a soft patina. If you love that, they are wonderful; if you want the worktop to stay exactly as installed, choose something harder.
Granite and quartzite are much harder and less sensitive to acids. They suit busy kitchens well, still with the depth of a natural stone.
Engineered quartz
Quartz worktops are made from crushed stone bound with resin. They are consistent in colour, non-porous and easy to keep clean. The resin is also their limit: very hot pans can mark them, so use a trivet, and long exposure to direct sunlight can change the colour of some quartz. Keep it away from strongly sunlit windows and from outdoor kitchens.
Sintered stone and porcelain
Sintered stone and large-format porcelain are made at very high temperatures. They resist heat, stains and UV light, which makes them a strong choice for sunny rooms and outdoor kitchens. Slabs can be thin and light. Edges and corners can chip if they are knocked hard, so we detail them carefully.
Choose the stone for the room it lives in: delicate where it is admired, hard-wearing where the cooking happens.
Finish and edge
- Polished finishes deepen the colour and reflect light, but show etching and scratches more.
- Honed (matt) finishes hide small marks better and feel soft to the touch, but can show grease until sealed.
- A waterfall end, where the worktop turns down to the floor, makes an island read as one solid piece of stone.
Our advice
Look at large samples in daylight, not under shop lights, and live with them for a day if you can. Put a drop of lemon juice and a little oil on an offcut and see what happens.
In the showroom in Barsha Heights you can compare stones side by side, and we will help you choose a worktop for each kitchen in the house.
See it in the showroom.
Compare the finishes in daylight, open the drawers and bring your floor plan. The design team in Barsha Heights will plan it with you.
