The world of kitchen tops is a mysterious one for those who aren’t in the know. Do you go for granite, wood, stainless steel, aluminium, or what? Ramona Depares helps us make sense of the myriad options available by attempting to carry out some groundwork she learnt while hunting for her own surface.

There was a time when choosing your kitchen tops was oh-so-simple. You could either leave it as is (which, in those days, meant oak or pine wood) or, exercise a bit of caution to defend your worktop from wear and tear, and add a granite surface to your kitchen model. There really wasn’t much to choose from.

The more confused and stressed out you become, the more likely you are to make a hurried, on-the-spot decision

Fast-forward to today, and the choice is mind-boggling. Of course, the upside to this is that the array on the market means we can give our imagination free rein to come up with the most effective and custom-made solutions to suit our personal foibles.

But there’s also the downside. The never-ending choice isn’t necessarily a good thing and can simply wind up adding to your stress levels when you’re running across the island to get the furniture for your new home sorted. There’s marble and granite, of course. Then there’s stainless steel, modern tiling, ceramic tiling, Corian, quartz...

If you’re anything like me, visiting showrooms and speaking to sales people only makes matters worse as the onslaught of information makes you zone out. You walk out none the wiser and just a little bit more confused with every outlet.

Unfortunately, the more confused and stressed out you become, the more likely you are to make a hurried, on-the-spot decision. And a hurried decision usually translates into a mistake that is probably an aesthetic, and definitely a financial, disaster.

The main and most popular categories each have their own pros and cons. Although you will still need to do the obligatory outlet drop-ins to come to a definite decision – nothing beats the experience of seeing the material ‘live’, so to speak – you can at least go armed with some basic information, and you can also eliminate the options that you are definitely not keen on from the get-go.

One word of advice: before embarking on the big search, sit down and have a quiet thinking session about what exactly you are after from your kitchen. Will you be entertaining a lot? Do you need something that is easily cleaned? Do you tend to give your kitchen top more wear and tear than usual? These are all elements that should affect your final decision.

Granite: This one is still a favourite with many Maltese households and, in reality, it does have a lot going for it. It is sturdy, long-lasting and relatively resistant to the daily wear and tear it is expected to deal with. Nowadays, it also comes in a good range of colours, so that you don’t need to limit yourself to boring grey, black, brown, or white.

The cons: Granite is not quite stain resistant, so it may be an issue if you are extremely house proud. However, there are ways to counteract this, and a regular anti-stain treatment is one of them.

Corian: This is actually not the material itself but a brand name. The generic term for it would be Solid Surfacing, but on the local market, most people tend to refer to it by its brand name.

Corian is a mix of acrylic and polyester; its main selling point is the fact that it is as non-porous as possible. This means that once you get it installed, you can pretty much forget all about it. No treatments are required and a quick wipe with a damp cloth will do the trick in five minutes flat. There are also myriad colour options.

There aren’t really many disadvantages to Corian. It is a tad on the expensive side, but then again, all good-quality kitchen top options tend to be.

Quartz: Made of a sturdy combination of resin and quartz chips that are tinted with colour, this is another synthetic option. However, the final look is more natural than that of Corian. Is is easy to maintain and to clean and availability of colours is not an issue.

Also on the expensive side, it is, however, likely to last you a lifetime and to keep its brand-new looks for years.

Marble: Despite its popularity, in reality marble is hardly suitable for the daily wear and tear of a kitchen. However, let’s face it, no material looks quite as luxurious as pure marble. If you want a statement kitchen, marble will do the trick.

On the plus side, marble withstands both heat and cold quite well, however, it stains, chips and loses its gloss very easily even with constant maintenance.

Tiling: This option has become quite trendy of late. The reasoning behind this is that since we tile our kitchen walls, we may as well keep going with the kitchen top.

This option is certainly cheaper than the rest – although it depends on the tile model you go for, obviously. Another advantage is that the design and colour options are pretty endless. So is the choice of materials, from ceramics and porcelain to the ‘stone’ variety. Tiles are usually good to withstand a reasonable amount of heat. And even should disaster strike, you can easily replace just the one tile (make sure to buy an extra box).

The one con – and this depends on the style of tile and grouting chosen – is the fact that an uneven surface is more difficult to clean and, given the surroundings, less hygienic. No one wants bits of leftover ingredients stuck in between tiles. However, this issue can be mitigated by sealing, so ask your supplier for all options.

Stainless Steel: I myself find this option to be way too clinical and cold, and too reminiscent of industrial and hospital kitchens. However, stainless steel is perfectly in keeping with the minimalist and modern trend that remains highly popular.

Stainless steel is practically impossible to damage and is both heat and bacteria-resistant. A winner all around!