Should I have Drainer Grooves in my stone worktop?

One design consideration when purchasing a stone worktop is whether to have drainer grooves.

In reality, drainer grooves are more aesthetic than practical but we think they look stylish and help to define a sink area.

They do help to channel the water in the right direction and prevent water from spilling over the edges of the worktop but unfortunately water doesn’t voluntarily drain from the grooves into the sink. This is due the surface tension of water, even if they’re at a relatively steep angle you do need to physically wipe any water towards the sink.

They can also be useful when draining crockery after washing up as the grooves will allow air into anything upturned to enable it to dry and the grooves should prevent anything from aquaplaning across your worktop.

In terms of maintenance, everyday cleaning of drainer grooves can be done with soapy water or an antibacterial spray and then for more stubborn marks we recommend to rub over the area with a cream cleaner and non-abrasive scouring pad or a toothbrush. Any pooled water should be dried up after use, particularly if the property is in a hard water area where limescale is more likely to appear.

If you are choosing a worktop that is not full bodied, where the pattern is printed on the top of the slab such as our KönigCeramic and Athena Collection surfaces, drainer grooves will be the core colour and not include any veining or pattern.