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Choosing a Benchtop Material

Choosing a suitable bench top for your kitchen, bathroom etc can be a hard task. Here is a brief overview on many of the most popular materials with Pro's & Con's to make your selection process a bit easier.

LAMINATES

Today's Laminates are stylish, durable and come in a huge range of colours, patterns, styles and finishes. With a number of companies making a variety of Lamiante products, there is something to suit everybody's taste and specifications.

Pros
| Affordable alternative | Endless design possibilities | Can be custom designed | Huge variety of products and finishes including granite & marble look | Durable i.e: stain resistant |

Cons
| Not as prestigeous looking as natural or man made stone options |

GRANITE

Granite has been a favourite for decades. It cannot be matched in quality, finish or colour. Because it's a natural product, Granite has individual character, colour and pattern variation. It is un-disputably a classic, stylish material, which has made it such a long lasting favourite amoung people doing kitchen & bathroom installations.

Pros
| Long lasting | Easily wiped clean | Natural | Prestigeous looking |

Cons
| Heavy | Expensive | Needs to be sealed often | Harsh on crockery, dinnerware (if you drop it, you break it!) | Limited range of colours |

MARBLE

Marble is another popular product when considering a benchtop material. Its soft character makes it an elegant choice.

Pros
| Looks fantastic | Natural | Colour & pattern variation |

Cons
| Heavy | Soft, will mark & scratch | Needs to be sealed often | Very porous material, will hold moisture (not a good choice for kitchen counters) |

MAN MADE COMPOSITES

Today you can get the look of Granite and other natural stones with a man made composite, such as 'Caesar Stone'. These products are made up of a combination of stone, adhesive, glass, etc to form a durable, great looking stone like surface. The range available is broad, with some types featuring mirror chips, shell, mother of pearl particles and different coloured glass fragments.

Pros
| Durable | Great colour range | Non-porous | Contemporary looking | Sealed- never needs to be sealed again |

Cons
| Not the real thing | Limited styles |

TIMBER

Timber benchtops have remained a very popular choice. They can co-ordinate with any other surface materials depending on the colour and timber type. They have a warm and inviting look, suitable for many different styles of architecture.

Pros
| Looks great | Can be sanded & re-sealed | Natural |

Cons
| Soft, will mark & scratch | Needs to be sealed & looked after to maintain its condition |

CORIAN

Corian is a man made material that is becoming vastly popular. It has a finish that is crossed between plastic and stone. One of its great features is you don't need to use a chopping board on this surface because it is non-porous and will not mark. There are quite a broad range of colours and styles with some patterns and stone look styles. Many different profiled edges are also available.

Pros
| Renewable surface | Seamless design | Intergratable sink | Won't scratch or stain easily |

Cons
| Not to everyones taste | Limited colours |

HIDC Exhibitor(s) who specialise in this area;

Alchemy Design

Designer Laminates

Future Insights

Granite Transformations

Nepean Stone