Let's get the name right.
There’s often confusion between tradesmen and homeowners when it comes to quartz benchtops. This can be because the tradesman are so use to using terms like engineered stone, man-made stone, quartz, and they presume that everyone one will know what they are talking about.
To get the name right first. Engineered stone, quartz, and man made stone are all different names for the same thing. Like some may say automobile, vehicle, or car. In this article we will use engineered stone.
How is engineered stone made?
To really understand a product I find looking into its history helps to make you understand why it was invented and what gap it fills in the market place and more importantly why it is used in homes.
Nearly all of the engineered stone, mostly quartz surfacing, is created using a similar patented process developed by Breton Spa, an Italian company that first began in the production of equipment for working natural stone. It was this company that Sir Marcello Toncelli founded and then drove to solidify his vision of creating Bretonstone, an agglomerate stone material that could be mass produced in as many square meters as were required, in the same color, with the same structure and all at the press of a button.
Now, 50 years later, engineered stone is one of the fastest growing categories in the surfacing materials industry, with dozens of brands all kin to the original Bretonstone.
All the world known brands of engineered stone and made using the same Breton technology. This is like everyone having the same blender but each puts in there own slightly different recipe hence different colours and different patterns.
In the past technology had limited the colour choice to aggregate type looks and mono colours however with recent advances now engineered stone is able to create looks of very exotic marble (veined) patterns.
What brand of engineered stone is the best?
Are some brands better than others when it comes to engineered stone? Short answer, Yes. We've written a "Which brand of engineered stone is the best?" article which explains how and why. We hope this will help you navigate and learn about the different types of engineered stones you can choose from, their origins and differences.
If you have found this article helpful then please leave us a comment. If you have more questions, don't be afraid to reach out to us. We offer a free home consultation to get the best stone benchtop for your kitchen.
