3 Things To Consider When Choosing A Plywood Benchtop For Your New Kitchen

Renovating your kitchen is a big home improvement project. It can also be an expensive one due to the many different features that you'll need to factor in. For most people, keeping the budget within an affordable range while still creating a stylish and modern room are two major concerns.

In trying to find a happy middle ground between style and affordability, you may have been looking at cost-effective alternatives for the more expensive items in your new kitchen. Using plywood instead of solid timber for your benchtop is an excellent way to get the luxe look for less. Here are three things to consider when choosing a plywood benchtop for your new kitchen.

1. The timber variety

Traditionally, plywood was almost always made from inexpensive softwoods such as pine. With the rising popularity of plywood as a decorative and architectural material instead of simply a structural product, there is now a wider range of timber varieties used.

Pine is still a great option, particularly if you're going to stain your benchtop.For a richer and more luxurious look, you might like to consider a hardwood such as Beech or Basswood. These are slightly pricier than pine but are still much more cost-effective than a solid timber benchtop.

2. The pattern

In the past, plywood provided very few options when it came to the finished look it provided. It generally consisted of a plain, uniform surface with the characteristic layers of timber on show at the edges of the product. These days you can also choose from a variety of striking and unusual patterns for the surface of your plywood benchtop.

These patterns include squares, diamonds, chevrons and stripes. They make creative use of the different colours and grains within the timber variety to create a surface that looks beautiful as well as being solid, durable and functional.

3. The finish

Most plywood products are naturally porous and they'll require a finish in order to be used as a kitchen benchtop. The finish will protect your benchtop from damage and staining and it will also help to magnify the natural beauty of the timber variety that you've chosen.

There are a number of different options to choose from when finishing your new plywood benchtop. You can opt to oil the timber for a natural and matte look or opt for a low-gloss, food safe liquid sealant. For a shiny and high-gloss look, a finish such as an epoxy glaze will provide a stunning and hardy surface for your benchtop.