Selecting a perfect benchtop for your new kitchen can be confusing and time-consuming. The large selection of surface materials, or minerals, in Melbourne stone shops as well as the number of suppliers – Cosentino, Caesarstone, Vicostone etc – make it challenging to pick up the right option for your lifestyle, budget and space. As a rule, whiter and busier patterns are more expensive. Solid colours like Moonlit Shade (QXeron, a silica-free alternative to former Silestone, by Cosentino) will be, thus, less expensive than Mooncrest. Can we say that one is better that the other? No way! Both are perfect for the purpose and your choice is rather related to aesthetics than durability or functionality. Alpine Mist by Caesarstone, for instance, is one of the most popular stones in our projects for its versatility and luxurious feeling created by delicate elegant white veins across beige slab.
Three key elements of your ideal benchtop are appealing design, durability and low maintenance. Ten years ago everyone wanted marbles or engineered marbles such as Calacatta (i.e. Caesarstone 5115 Calacatta Stillstorm) with their dramatic or delicate veins. Polished stones were most popular, too.
Since 1 July 2024 a ban on the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs applies in all Australian jurisdictions.
Engineered stone is a man-made product that dates back to the late 1980’s. The main component in engineered stone is quartz which is one of nature’s strongest minerals. For the purposes of the model WHS Regulations, engineered stone is defined as an artificial product that:
Today we can find familiar and new stone patterns in Silica-free surface materials or minerals
Generally, engineered silica-free stones copy natural patterns such as a natural quartzite with the soft, creamy-white background and delicate golden known as Taj Mahal. Stone designers create beautiful patterns inspired by nature and technology helps to avoid disadvantages related to genuine stones such as porousness or acid micro-etching. Overall, best of silica-free materials or hybrid surfaces of minerals and recycled materials , namely Silestone - Qxeron by Cosentino, ensure high scratch resistance, stain resistance (including acids like lemon juice), and high impact resistance. New Silestone comes in 20mm thickness slabs of 322 x 162 cm format which makes it cost-effective for any project.
You can continue to use existing engineered stone in your home as the ban does not require its removal. Your health is not affected!
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