Talk about habits before finishes.
Do you cook every night, bake on weekends or mainly make coffee and gather around the island? Think about the spills, heat and preparation your surface will see. A worktop should suit the care you are willing to give it.
Learn the character of each material.
Warm-white quartz can offer a consistent visual direction. Honed limestone brings natural texture and variation, with a specific sealing and cleaning routine to discuss. Stone-look laminate gives another visual and budget starting point, while joints and heat protection need attention. None should be chosen from a screen alone.
Bring the whole palette together.
Put the worktop beside the cabinet front, floor and handle. See the combination near natural light and from a few steps away. A small sample helps narrow the direction, but a larger slab or full product sample may show variations that matter to you.
Ask what the actual quotation includes.
Edge profiles, cut-outs, joints, templating, fabrication and installation affect a real worktop project. The Casken planner uses a fictional per-run allowance to compare ideas simply. It is not a fabrication quote. A professional specification is the next step.