"Luigi Zanasi" wrote in message
...

Arborite/Formical/High pressure laminate?
Solid surface a la Corian or others?
Paperstone?
Wood - vertical "real" butcher block or horizontal laminations? What
wood if not maple?
Stone (granite, marble)?
Others I missed?

Stone/granite is obviously front runner these days. Laminate totally
adequate if vulnerable to moisture when the core is chipboard. Wood though
is the best if you are comfortable with it and you wouldn't be here if you
weren't.

A real butchers Block is end grain so that the butcher can wallop it with a
chopper every day without chunks falling out of it. No domestic worktop has
to take that treatment so it is only for show and looks in the home. They do
look nice, but beware shrinkage, expansion, fixing method, and gaps opening
up at the edges.

Beech was always the preferred wood for food preparation items like boards,
table tops, spoons rolling pins. AFAICT that is because it has no taste or
smell, it has no unhygenic open pores so can be scraped and scrubbed clean,
it is resistant to splitting, It isn't high in tannins, it is inexpensive
for a utilitarian purpose and available in big widths. It's disadvantage is
that it has a high degree ov movement in service from variation in moisture
content. A lot of old tables and butchers blocks needed washing down with
water daily to prevent shrinkage.

Maple has a lot of the same qualities as beech but is a prettier wood with
less movement. That makes it preferable.

For wet areas teak or Iroko is the thing. They are so stable that with the
right adhesives, careful strong fixing and judicious use of gaps filled with
silicone you can make a surface which is totally impervious to water, a
complete leak proof wet area. Cool. Looks fine oiled or greyed.

HTH
Tim W

BTW I liked grey slate too. It's cheaper than granite, very soft but wears
and scratches in a pleasing way over the years.