There has never been a better time to be in the market for a new kitchen benchtop. Once upon a time you were limited to a few mottled laminate colours, but now, a home owner is able to choose from hundreds of colours, patters, textures in materials ranging from natural stone to composite stone, concrete, wood, acrylic and ceramic tile. Of all of these choices, Composite Stone or Quartz remains the growing trend in kitchen design.
What is composite stone?
Composite stone, often referred to as Quartz or Engineered Stone is a man made stone made up of 94% crushed quartz chips bound with an impervious polymer resin in a ratio of 94% quartz to 6% resin.
Composite stone has the look and feel of granite with a few added features.
- Colour range: Composite stone is available in a wide range of colours, patterns and textures. There is a colour, texture and pattern for every style of kitchen or bathroom.
- Durability: Quartz is one of the hardest minerals, coming second to diamond. Most composite stone slabs come with at 10 year product warranty. They are stain, heat and scratch resistant.
- Easy care and maintenance: Composite stone is non-porous and stain resistant. Products such as lemon juice and wine do not stain the surface as can be the case with natural stone.
- Affordability : Composite stone is competitive with most mid-range granite prices making it an affordable luxury for many New Zealand home owners.
A kitchen benchtop is the largest and most used surface in your kitchen so it is important to be well informed about the product and fabricator you choose helping you make the right choice for your kitchen, design and lifestyle.
