BENCH TOPS
Choosing your kitchen benchtop is one of the most important decisions you will make during the design of your new kitchen. The large surface area means that the colour and material will dominate the space and will need to tie in to your choice of cupboards and the style and colour scheme of the rest of your home.
The benchtop needs to be functional and highly durable. You want it to withstand knives, hot spills, oily ring marks, drops of curry, chocolate or cream and all of the other challenges we throw at a benchtop on a daily basis.
There are many options you can consider.
Quantum Quartz – Quantum Quartz engineered stone contains more than 93% natural quartz, the remaining content consists of a bonding agent, pigment and additives that creates the over 40 different varieties of stone on offer.The most popular applications for Quantum Quartz are kitchen, vanity and other bench top applications.
Quantum Quartz is the designer’s and architect’s choice for an application that is stylish, low in maintenance and ultra hygienic. It is ideal for residential and commercial indoor applications. Quantum Quartz is available in slab format which is fabricated to your specific needs by a stonemason.
Quantum Quartz characteristics:
Non-porous
High resistance to scratching & chipping
High abrasion resistance
High resistance to acids & oils
Strong resistance to staining
High flexural strength
Heat resistant
Quantum Quartz offers a 10-year limited warranty
Caesar Stone-quartz surface- Scratch resistant, non-porous, waterproof, mould and mildew resistant, the natural beauty and functionality of Caesarstone® surfaces make them ideal for kitchen and bathroom applications. Caesarstone® surfaces never require sealing while large slab sizes provide a sleek and modern aesthetic, minimizing joins and therefore maintenance.
Caesarstone® quartz surfaces offer numerous advantages over other types of surface materials such as marble and granite. As one of nature’s strongest and most abundant minerals, quartz has a hardness of seven on the Mohs scale (this measures the hardness of a mineral); a diamond is the hardest at ten. Caesarstone® surfaces offer four times the flexural strength and double the impact resistance of granite. Caesarstone® offers 10 years limited warranty.
Laminated benchtops- Laminate kitchen benchtops now come in a range of gorgeous ‘on trend’ colours and realistic imitation finishes that will help you achieve a look worthy of a home magazine. There are no less than 120 realistic stone prints and neutral solid colours in the laminate range. A distinguishing feature of today’s laminate is the exceptional colour depth and clarity that’s achieved, which is akin to natural materials. Most laminate benchtops come with a 7 year warranty.
Corian-Corian benchtops are also a very popular option. They are a solid, seamless, non-porous surface made from natural minerals and acrylic resin. Being non-porous, they are easy to clean and hygienic – mould and mildew don’t survive on Corian countertops. Another reason they are so popular is because they can be ordered in a single piece, eliminating the need for multiple joins.
Each type has its own unique properties that suit different styles. Our expert designers can consult with you on your design to ensure that you are getting the most suitable benchtop material to compliment your kitchen. Along with the material, we can also customise the colour of your benchtop to fit the design of your kitchen. For example, your island unit could be a contrasting colour that accentuates the look to make your entire kitchen look beautiful and feel inviting.
