HOW TO SELECT A KITCHEN BENCHTOP
NOTE:
As of 10/07/24, we have created an updated blog post about the silica free benchtop options. You can read all about it here.
Hi. I'm Melissa Lunardon, and today, I wanted to share with you the different types of stone benchtops there are out there on the market. Whether you're building or renovating a kitchen or bathroom, it can seem really overwhelming. So I'm here to help you navigate your way around the different materials. And let's start with sort of the top end range and work our way down to the least expensive. I'll also talk about the different properties in each as well.
So first up the most strongest, I should say, stone on the market is granite. It's been around for such a long time and these days they are available in some really beautiful, different colors and finishes. So granite is super, super durable. It's not porous. And it can actually used outside. This is a natural stone. So you're going to pay... It is up there in the market. It can be available in 30 [inaudible] and that is great for kitchens, barbecue areas and really high level sort of traffic areas too. So this is a really, really good option.
Next in terms of durability would be quartzite. So quartzite is still quite strong, not as strong as granite, but quartzite is such a good option if you're wanting that beautiful sort of natural vein in your kitchen benchtop, but don't want to be worried about maintenance or cleaning. This is brilliant too. Quartzite is stunning. It can be used for benchtops. It can be used for a splash back in the kitchen. Once again, same sort of thickness. Is up there in price, but if you're wanting a natural stone for your benchtop, but don't want to be worrying about maintenance, quartzite is your option.
Next we have in terms of durability, fairly new to the market, is porcelain. It's been around in commercial interiors for such a long time, but now we are seeing it more and more in residential use. So porcelain is a porcelain tile if you wish, but the great thing about porcelain, is it is available in huge slab sizes. So 3, 3.2 meters in length. So if you're doing an island bench, you are not going to get a join out of porcelain. It's indestructible as well. Lots of brands. You've got Dekton. You've got QuantumSix. You've got Infinity. There are so many out there.
It is great for heat resistance too. So put it on a splash back is great around a cooktop. If you want to use it outdoors for barbecue areas. And you can also use it for external cladding too. So that's why it was used in commercial quite a bit for apartment cladding, shopping centers and floor and walls in shopping centers, too. Great, great option if you're wanting that sort of natural stone look, but don't want to worry about maintenance. This is 100% the way to go in terms of maintenance free, and you can get some great, great sizes with porcelain. Still up there in terms of natural stone pricing, but you're paying for the fact that it is no maintenance.
Next we have natural stone in terms of marble. So marble is a porous stone. That means anything you sort of spill onto it is going to absorb. So you've got to be really careful with marbles, Statuary, Carrara, Calacatta, all those types of marbles. It's a soft stone. So you've got to look after it. For a kitchen, maybe you could use it for a splash back and then for the benchtops, because you do cook and prep a lot on the benchtops. So you could use a porcelain for an example, and really save on maintenance issues. Marble is stunning, but yes, there are some maintenance issues that you just got to be aware of. Some people absolutely love the fact that if you spill something on it, it's just going to add character. If you are someone that is wanting a clean, pristine, sterile sort of look and don't want to worry about the maintenance, I don't think this is your guy.
There's some beautiful, beautiful, different veining options and different marbles. You got travertine and all sorts of beautiful natural stones, but yes, you just got to keep a look-out for maintenance and you can get some protective films over the top to really help with sort of cleaning. It won't stop the spills from happening. It just gives you more time to actually wipe it up. It can be used used for benchtops and for splash backs as well.
Then next in terms of durability and probably the most affordable on the market is your reconstituted stone. So that is Caesarstone, Quantum Quartz, Stone Ambassador. Its price point is amazing. Within these reconstituted stone ranges, they have their own different categories. So they've got the entry level, which is really basic flex. And then they do have the marble, natural stone look, but it is great in terms of maintenance. You might pay a little bit more for the more natural stone looking reconstituted stone, but not compared to natural stone, the real natural stone. But indestructible as well. You can't really put it for a splash back, because it's made up of a resin and that's combustible. So you want to make sure if you're wanting to use a reconstituted stone for a splash back around a cooktop, it's got to be that minimum 250 millimeters away from open flame. But if you are using an induction cooktop, you have no trouble using this as a splash back.
I hope that has helped you with the different selections and the different options out there. Remember, just like all the cabinetry options, the stone benchtops reflect back on your budget. So if you are wanting to have that absolutely beautiful marble, natural stone look, is it going to be a reconstituted stone option? Is it going to be the real deal? And where can you use it? But if you still feel a little overwhelmed and need some help putting these selections together and unsure of what can actually look great for your kitchen or bathroom, you can book in a complementary design call with me. So I'll pop a link with a button to take you straight through to there. And I can't wait to chat and really share some great ideas with you. Thanks for watching.
