Can I cut on my kitchen countertop or put hot things on it?
Countertops are the strongest, thickest parts of your kitchen furniture, that’s for sure, but can we do anything we want with them?
For example: can we cut directly on the surface of the countertops, or can we put hot pots or frying pans on them?
Because these are questions that come up quite frequently, and the answer is not as obvious as you may or may not think.
There are so many countertop materials offering completely different surfaces, why would we push away this possibility automatically?
Because the obvious answer is always no, you should never cut directly on your countertops, neither put hot containers on them.
Are you interested why?
Countertops are not giant cutting boards!
Accidents happen, that’s ok, but cutting directly on the bare surface of your kitchen countertops is something that is really not recommended!
But first things first: what are the available materials, and what are the problems with them?
Your countertops can be made of
- plywood,
- hard wood,
- kinds of natural stones,
- or artificial materials like porcelain, Dekton.
The first two are the most vulnerable ones, that’s logical, because both of them are wood (or mostly, in the plywood’s case).
A sharp piece of metal will always damage wooden objects, no matter if it’s laminated, lacquered or treated with anything else!
And hot pots or pans you just removed from the stove or cooking plates can burn the countertops severely, so be sure to always put a potholder under them!
And what about stone or porcelain countertops?
Although stone is something that we know as a hard thing, you’d better be careful with cutting on it for two main reasons.
- Natural stones like granite or marble have a hard crystalline structure, yet it’s not as stable as the one that can be found in steel, so a hardened kitchen knife can scratch their surface with ease.
- And mentioning knives: cutting directly on a stone surface will probably ruin their edge, so unless you’d like to sharpen them every single day, we really don’t recommend doing so.
Porcelain and Dekton are a whole other topic, since these are artificial materials, they have a much higher resistance to scratches and heat.
While if you place a very hot pot or frying pan on a natural stone countertop, it can cause irreversible change of its color, in the case of porcelain, you don’t have to worry about it.
Although, it may cause cracks in both, so it’s a movement you really should avoid.
The conclusion: always use some kind of protection!
Whenever you are cutting ingredients for a delicious meal, or you are about to place something really hot on your countertops, remember to protect them from harm!
Use a cutting board and potholders, otherwise you’ll notice the scratches, cracks and burnt spots, which are not so easy to remove.
But if something happens anyway, don’t panic and try to fix it yourself!
If your countertops are damaged, there are professional maintenance services available!
Contact us if something happens, and we’ll schedule an appointment, when our professionals arrive to your home, and attempt to repair the damage!
