Most cooking spaces will feature a kitchen benchtop. These handy benches can be used to prepare food on, serve food on, store frequently used appliances and to display spices, seasonings and other bottled or containerised ingredients. If the benchtops in your home or business are looking a little shabby, why not give them a touch-up? This could be anything from glossing the surface to applying stickers and other aesthetic enhancements. Before you go ahead and replace that boring benchtop, try out the following ideas for restoring kitchen benchtops.
Cleaning Kitchen Benchtop
A little bit of cleaning could go a long way. In fact, failure to clean kitchen benchtops is usually the reason why they become shabby and worn before their time. Wood can rot and lose its condition fairly quickly if it is dirty or wet, so wipe it with a damp (but not soaking) cloth and some olive oil daily. Olive oil will give the wood its natural sheen. Lemon juice and water will work for cleaning stainless steel benchtops, as will borax or baking soda and warm water. Wipe the surface with a dry cloth to stop the formation of water marks. When it comes to cleaning granite kitchen countertops, soap and water will work like a charm. Nail polish remover can be used to lift stains, but use it sparingly with water to prevent colours from fading.
Painting the Benchtops
Not all surfaces can be painted, but wood is one of them. Painting kitchen benchtops is a good idea if you want to cover up minor marks and reduce the appearance of scratches. It will also brighten up the cooking space and turn that plain old bench into a focal point! Consider getting a new backsplash fitted that matches with the colour of the paint, as this will really liven up the kitchen and give it a dollop of personality, minus the big investment. Use a sponge to add layers and texture with paint or if you are dealing with wooden benchtops, head to a local hardware store and pick out some gloss or top coat varnish. This will give it a fresh look and protect what’s underneath.
Dealing with Laminate
Laminate – it’s affordable, it’s waterproof and it can be manufactured in a rainbow of colours. Despite this, it is a lot easier to scratch, scuff and damage than some other common materials for kitchen benchtops. Should you be dealing with laminate benchtops, refinish it with a peel-and-stick sheet of vinyl. You can pick up a sheet for a fraction of the price of professional refinishing services.
If your kitchen benchtops are past the point of restoration, get new ones fitted by the team at Stainless Benchtops.
