When planning an apartment renovation or building a house, people are most worried not at all because they have to part with an impressive amount of money. First of all, they are worried about the need to choose the material, which today manufacturers offer a huge amount, and a design solution that should make their home as comfortable and beautiful as possible.
This applies to the kitchen apron. Which one will be the best?
Primary requirements
Translated from German and Polish, the word “apron” means “hem” or “apron”. Already from this it becomes clear that this item is a work clothing used to protect against those contaminants that always accompany cooking. It is also used in the kitchen. This room contains the largest concentration of various household appliances, including an oven, stove, range hood, dishwasher, washing machine, as well as a wide variety of kitchen appliances and appliances.
An apron in the interior of the kitchen is one of the most “loaded” elements. First of all, it is affected by heat from any device turned on by the hostess. And this contributes to the appearance of a large internal mechanical stress in the apron.
In addition, cooking is always accompanied by an increase in humidity in the room, which manifests itself in the form of water vapor, direct exposure to water or its spray.
Also during frying and cooking, the formation of various pollutants. These are products from gas combustion, soot, food particles and aerosol drops of fat. And even if there is a hood that can eliminate up to 80-90% of such contaminants, the remaining part gradually settles over the kitchen surfaces in the form of a nasty sticky film, which is quite difficult to remove. All this remains on the kitchen apron.
Also, such a surface sometimes experiences direct mechanical effects from blows by kitchen appliances, utensils, or some heavy objects. Microscratches constantly appear on it, which leave abrasive components of cleaning agents.
Based on this, you can decide which apron for the kitchen is better. It should be made of a material that will withstand the temperature effects, will be moisture and water resistant, chemically inert to compounds that occur during cooking, cleaning and washing dishes. It is also necessary that the surface of the kitchen apron is wear-resistant and durable, does not emit harmful substances, and is easily cleaned of impurities.
For owners planning a repair, it is important that this surface is easy to mount and has a very reasonable final price. An apron and attractive appearance are needed.
As you can see, the list of requirements for this surface is quite impressive. How to make an apron for the kitchen? And what material to use for him?
Painting
There is the most budget version of the apron in the kitchen, which is universally used in new buildings erected during the USSR. It was an ordinary wall painted with oil paint.
But some owners tried to decorate their kitchen by gluing an oilcloth imitating tile on the wall. People with large incomes tiled the space under the apron, and sometimes even the entire wall or kitchen room with ceramic tiles. She has not lost its relevance today.
Ceramic apron
This material has been known since time immemorial. In ancient times, it was used to decorate palaces, temples, as well as houses belonging to rich people. However, as technology has improved, ceramic tile has become more affordable at its cost. That is why it began to be used in the decoration of public, industrial, as well as residential premises.
And if white tile was used on an apron before, today you can choose this material from a fairly wide range of colors. Among the advantages of such material are the following:
- Constantly at the peak of fashion trends.
- High mechanical strength.
- Moisture, water and vapor resistance.
- No dependence on temperature conditions.
- Chemical inertness and environmental friendliness, with the exception of absorbing a wide variety of undesirable substances.
- Easy to clean using conventional detergents.
- Long service life of 15 to 20 years.
- A wide range of materials of various textures, sizes, colors, as well as the presence of decorative elements, which allows you to develop any design of an apron for the kitchen that fits perfectly into any interior.
Ceramic tiles have their drawbacks. It:
- the need for preliminary preparation of the wall surface, which should be absolutely even;
- wall alignment and tile laying should not be carried out in the presence of kitchen furniture, as they are “wet”;
- the need to invite a specialist tiler, who takes a considerable price for his services;
- the presence of seams between the tiles, which are considered the weak point of the apron, where moisture can penetrate and where mold or fungus can form (the use of special grouts will be necessary to protect the seams);
- the high cost of quality material, and especially ceramic tiles with a pattern for the kitchen and decorative elements - borders and friezes.
As you can see, an apron made of ceramic tiles still has more advantages than disadvantages. That is why, when planning major repairs in the kitchen, it is worth considering this particular decoration option. And even though it will cost owners more than other types of aprons, the high price will certainly be offset by a long service life.
Porcelain apron
This material has a higher cost than ceramic tiles, but at the same time has a lot of positive qualities. First of all, they are in its high strength. In this regard, porcelain tiles better tolerate temperature extremes and mechanical stress. In addition, he painted not only the top layer, but the entire structure. This allows the material to be more resistant to abrasion.
Also, porcelain stoneware has lower water absorption indicators than ceramic tiles, which is a big plus for the kitchen surface.
How to make a porcelain stoneware apron? The process of performing wall cladding with this material is quite simple. It is available in the form of tiles 300x300 mm, 400x400 mm, as well as 600x600 mm and 1200x300 mm. Due to this, the number of joints on the surface of porcelain will be small, which is just fine from the point of view of its practicality.
How to make an apron from such material? To do this, you should carefully prepare the surface for decoration. You will need to apply special adhesive compositions, because the usual ones for this material will not work because of its dense structure.
Porcelain apron will simply look amazing in any kitchen. However, it is especially good to combine matte material with a glossy kitchen set (and vice versa).
Laying a kitchen apron made of porcelain stoneware will require the hiring of a highly qualified master. A tile that has a size of 600x600 mm and a thickness of 10-11 mm weighs about 10 kg. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the porcelain tile after laying it on the wall very quickly. He literally immediately "sticks" to the adhesive mixture, so it is very difficult to tear it off the wall.
Natural stone apron
The owner of such a surface can only be a wealthy person who has an exquisite taste. Of course, a stone apron implies the presence of a stone countertop. And it is installed in kitchen sets made of precious wood.
In most cases, granite with a thickness of 10-20 mm is used to make such an apron. This is a gorgeous-looking stone with impressive density and strength, practically not absorbing water.
In addition to granite, the walls are faced with slate, sandstone, quartz, quartzite, basalt, onyx or marble. These stones have a structure that is less dense than granite, which is why dirt that has appeared is more difficult to remove from its surface.
Artificial stone apron
How to make an apron that looks as natural as possible, without spending a lot of money? In this case, it is worth considering the option of using artificial stone. They make it from acrylic resin, which contains mineral fillers and various coloring elements. Externally, this material is very similar to natural stone. There are no pores in its structure, which allows the apron made from it not to absorb pollution and moisture.
When facing a wall with artificial stone, an almost monolithic surface is formed. This becomes possible due to the good joining of the plates.
Such an apron will serve a long time, not inferior in this to porcelain stoneware and ceramic tiles. But at the same time its price is slightly higher than that of these two materials.
Mosaic apron
Such a wall lining in the kitchen looks pretty advantageous, because mosaic aprons can create a unique and very beautiful interior.
How to make an apron in this type of kitchen? Mosaic masonry is a real art, which not everyone can master. That is why those owners who choose for themselves this particular apron option will need to call the wizard and decide on the styling method. And it can be:
- Monocom (monochromatic). Such masonry is performed using mosaics of only one color. However, it is possible to grout a contrast or other tone. Such an apron is perfect for classic cuisine.
- Type "mix". Such styling involves the use of the same color, but with different shades. Moreover, the more there will be more, the more interesting will be the appearance of the apron. True, the cost of facing will increase significantly.
- Gradient. Such styling also involves the use of mosaics of various colors. However, they should not be located randomly, but with the creation of a smooth transition from dark to light and vice versa. Such a “wave” can go both horizontally and along any complex curve.
Sometimes when laying mosaics a pattern is created.
They make it, as a rule, in interiors of the eastern type. It is also possible to combine mosaics with decorative elements and ceramic tiles.
MDF aprons
Fiberboard has long been used in the manufacture of furniture facades and wall decoration in rooms. They find their application in the creation of aprons in the kitchens. This material has its undeniable advantages. They are concluded in the following:
- A wide range of colors. Tile, stone or wood decoration allows using MDF-boards for any interiors.
- Does not require thorough surface preparation. Such plates can be installed on a wall having small bumps.
- Installation is not a wet process. This allows you to create an apron from MDF with the kitchen already installed.
- It is mounted quickly enough.
- It has a relatively low cost, because of which it will be easy for the owners to change this element of the interior.
- With proper care, the apron will last for several years.
MDF boards are recommended for those kitchens where cooking is a batch process.
This material is rather moody:
- does not like overheating;
- absorbs water;
- cannot be cleaned with detergents with abrasive particles;
- easily damaged by mechanical stress.
How to make an apron in the kitchen from MDF? You can attach the plates to the wall both on glue and on the crate. The first option is the simplest. For its execution, it is enough to cut the sheets to the required dimensions and apply an adhesive composition around their perimeter. After that, the panels are pressed against the wall and fixed with spacers. Before the final setting of the glue, 30-45 minutes should pass.
Somewhat more complicated is the installation on the crate. To do this, you need to make a frame, taking for it the bars 10x40 mm or 20x40 mm. The material is attached to the wall with dowels. Panels are joined to such a crate with self-tapping screws, the hats of which are masked with decorative caps selected in color. Holes for outlets on such a screen are cut out in advance, and their installation is made after the final installation of the plates.
Glass apron
This material is associated in many people with fragility, brittleness and something sharp. However, for a kitchen apron of glass, they do not choose ordinary material, but tempered, having a thickness of 6 to 8 mm. It is quite durable and is able to withstand temperatures up to 300 degrees.
A kitchen apron made of glass can be made of triplex. This is a material that consists of two layers glued together by a laminating liquid or a special film.
Glasses are glossy, dull, tinted in a certain color, colorless, with or without a pattern. The advantages of such aprons are their moisture resistance, chemical inertness, strength, ease of cleaning, original and beautiful appearance. The disadvantage of this material is only two. One of them is a high price, and the second is the risk of destruction under shock loading. However, it should be borne in mind that no traumatic fragments from the tempered glass are not formed.
To create a kitchen apron made of glass, it can be attached using one of three methods:
- mounted, involving the formation of a single protective shield, in which the material is located at a distance of 4 mm from the wall;
- on silicone glue (with small sizes of apron parts);
- using Velcro, which is mounting directly to the wall.
Apron dimensions
To clarify the location of the protective surface in the kitchen, you must have an idea of the placement of furniture on it. Better if it is already purchased.
The apron should be located in the space between the lower surface of the wall cabinets and the countertop. At the same time, he should go beyond these limits by about 2 cm. As a rule, the distance between the cabinets and the countertop is 60 cm. Based on this, you can calculate the size of the apron in the kitchen. But, in principle, depending on the growth of the owners, this distance can be in the range from 45 to 70 cm. This will reduce or increase the size of the apron in the kitchen accordingly.
When using a standard hood above the hob, this coating must be continued in height based on the width of the device. The apron should reach the bottom edge of the hood, but it is better if it is laid out to the very ceiling. For the lateral surfaces of the cabinets located in this place, it should be brought to a distance of at least 5 cm.