The price per square metre for a granite worktop is on average around £270 although, you may find that high-end granites can cost as much as £450 per square metre.
The average price of a quartz worktop is around £475 per square metre. However, you will find that some companies charge half the price (£225) and others will charge at least double (£900). The reason for this is that quartz is a man-made material and takes a lot more resources to make than with a natural granite worktops. Price may sometimes be higher than granite countertops but, quartz worktops are more durable and their absorbency has been reduced to a minimum to make them very easy to take care of.
Ranking the materials
Ceramic materials are usually the most expensive, followed by Quartz and Marble. Your cheapest option would be granite worktops but, this is just average prices and you will always find exceptions to the pattern. Generally with Granite Worktops, materials make up around 50% of the end price with the other half being the cost of finishing, measuring and installation services. If you are looking for some new granite worktops for your kitchen, we recommend getting quotations from different manufacturers and including the cost of the finishing in the quote.
Kitchen Worktop Prices Mostly Depend on Thickness & Size
The dimensions of the surface material plays a huge role in the price of your granite worktops. Generally, the larger the area and thicker the piece, the higher the costs of the worktops. So, if thicker materials cost more, why should you choose them? There are specific places where thin worktops should just not be used in your kitchen. For example, if your granite worktop needs to extend over the edge of the supporting structure by even just 30cm, a thin worktop will mostly break once something heavy is placed upon it. Corners are also sensitive places and are usually not supported as well as other areas. We highly recommend that you make sure your worktop is supported.
Finishing Will Cost More
Finishing the openings of a component in a granite worktop means cutting openings into the stone worktop for stoves, sinks, taps etc. At first glance, this might seem pretty inexpensive in itself. However, if you have a large kitchen with multiple sinks, sockets, taps and profiles, the price can quickly come up. Granite & Quartz worktops are cut using automatic CNC machine tools.
Stove and sink openings can be cut using various methods, each with a different price.
A stove can be installed in two ways: overmounted and flush-mounted.
A sink however, can be installed in a number of different ways. The most common ways are: undermounted, under-up mounted, overmounted and flush-mounted. Each cut has its own price. The average cost of cutting a stove or sink opening is up to £180 and each tap opening may cost up to £65, depending on the diameter of the tap. Sockets can cost up to £80.
Measuring and Installation
These services may add 25-50% to the price of the granite worktop. The percentage is smaller for larger and more expensive worktops. The cost of measuring and installation depends on the location and the specific work required. It has happened that a worktop was too large to be carried to the fifth floor and had to be lifted in using a crane. This costs extra.
Measuring is very important and most companies will not cut the granite unless the worktops have been measured correctly.
Conclusion:
At Marble4Life, we offer quality, kitchen worktops. Whether you are in the market for new granite worktops or even quartz worktops, we offer a wide range of different colours and styles. We also offer instant quotations on any of our products and are happy to provide samples.