Bathroom vanity top trends

It's the hardest working part of the bathroom. The bathroom vanity top has to deal with all kinds of knocks, oozing substances, creams, moisture and harsh cleaning agents. And while traditionally the most popular surface for a bathroom vanity top was tiles, in the last few years this has changed. With a desire for low-maintenance finishes that are easy to clean, people are ditching work-intensive grout for a simpler, streamlined look.

Stone bathroom vanity tops

Natural stone, such as marble and granite, has remained popular, and while some people love the inconsistencies found in natural materials, others are now embracing new high-tech surfaces such as engineered stone, which improves on the original.

Engineered stone (also known as reconstituted stone or composite stone) is made by mixing quartz, granite, marble or glass with a high-quality polymer resin. The result is an incredibly strong and hard-wearing surface that looks and feels almost exactly like natural stone, but doesn't have the drawbacks. While natural stone is porous, meaning that it can easily stain and needs to be resealed regularly, engineered stone is not – it's resistant to scratching, chipping, staining and acid. And because it's man-made, it comes in a much greater range of colours than Mother Nature's palette offers.

Acrylic polymer vanity tops

Another of the latest high-tech materials is 'solid' surface, which is essentially a block of plastic made from acrylic polymer. It's warm to the touch with a sleek, smooth, modern finish and comes in a large selection of solid colours and composite stone-look patterns.

It's a versatile material, able to be moulded into any shape, from soft curves to sharp lines, allowing for complete freedom of design. Numerous pieces can be fitted together, with seamless joins giving the appearance of a single piece, and it can also be used to integrate sinks.

Currently it's one of the most expensive bathroom vanity top materials on the market – even surpassing natural and reconstituted stone - but the hefty price tag comes with considerable benefits. The non-porous surface is stain resistant and easy to clean, with hygienic properties similar to stainless steel. And if damaged, it can be repaired without a trace because it can be liquid filled, sanded and buffed.