“Postformed bench tops are a very good budget option,” says Mengler. “They are versatile, and have improved. There is now a plethora of laminate brands beyond Formica and Laminex to choose from.” At around $150 per square metre, it is affordable and adaptable.
Quartz is a manmade alternative to the traditional worktop. Natural quartz is fortified with resin to create a truly hard wearing and customizable worktop. Pros: Hard wearing, durable, easy to clean, antibacterial, wide range of colour.
Engineered stone is the best all-around surface for kitchen countertops. It is more durable than all natural stone countertop options, which saves you money in the long run. Quartz also comes in a much wider array of styles than natural stone, making it more versatile.
Kitchen Benchtop Materials – The 11 Best Options
- Engineered stone benchtops. Smart Stone.
- Laminate benchtops. Laminex.
- Timber benchtops. Nullarbor Sustainable Timber.
- Solid surface. Corian CASF.
- Stainless steel benchtops. A chef's favourite, stainless steel can also be the texture you need to balance your palette.
- Polished concrete benchtops.
- Marble benchtops.
- Granite benchtops.
DON'T put extremely hot things on your benchtop.
Most of the stones are heat resistant but not heat-proof. Always use a hot plate rest or trivet. You can crack or discolour your benchtop if you put an extremely hot saucepan on it!Both Caesarstone and granite are tough materials, but Caesarstone may have an edge over granite when it comes to practicality. Caesarstone has been tested to be more impact and stain resistant than granite. If a uniform benchtop colour is called for, Caesarstone might be the better choice.
An increasingly simple yet elegant surface, stone benchtops have a price tag that reflect their first-class furnishes. With classic stone benchtops, you're looking at between $700 and $2000 per square metre, and that includes installation.
You really can't go wrong with either of these quartz brands. If you're more price-driven, we suggest you go with Silestone, but if you're looking for a countertop with bold colors and textures, Caesarstone is your best bet.
Re Laminate Countertop Costs
Expect to pay $100 to $300 for materials and an additional $35 to $85 per hour for labor. You can re laminate post-formed surfaces with square edges. You'll need to replace pre-formed types. Installing new laminate countertops costs $800 to $1,800.On average, expect countertops to range in price from $40 to $100 per square foot installed, according to a 2013 report by Consumer Reports. Granite countertops range from $50 to $250 per square foot, while tile counters can start at as little as $10; butcher block at $30, and solid surfaces at $35.
Marble countertop slabs are more expensive than quartz, depending on the quality chosen. However, the labor cost for quartz is higher due to the complicated installation. Therefore, the cost difference is not dramatic. Quartz, however, runs slightly less at $55 to $75 per square foot.
Have a look at these tips to decide: Price: When it comes to price, the average cost of purchasing and installing granite can be between $2000 and $4000. When it comes to engineered stone or Quartz kitchen countertops, the price of purchasing and installing lies between $1500 and $5000.
Laminated Bench Tops
Made from fusing together plastic with pressure, heat, and adhesive, laminate is nice and glossy. Non-porous and easy to maintain, laminate bench tops are scratch resistant and not immune to chipping, scarring, or scorching, thus making them a great addition to your kitchen.IKEA even sells Caesarstone quartz countertops, priced between $43 and $90 per square foot. Of course, if you time your purchase with IKEA's periodic kitchen sales, you'll also get the 15 – 20% discount — if you spend enough.
Caesarstone Benchtops Cost. Caesarstone benchtops range from $390 to $550 per square meter plus installation fees.
Price-wise, you'll probably pay more for a polished concrete kitchen benchtop than you will for cheaper options like laminate, and maybe slightly more than you will for engineered stone (like Caesarstone) but this is mostly because of the labour that goes into making it and the cost of the grinding pads.
To calculate the square metre area (m2) of your benchtop multiply length and width of each section, then add the m2 area of each section to give you the total m2 area of your new benchtop.
The most durable engineered stone kitchen benchtops
- DEKTON. Dekton is a high-tech solution for those whose hearts are set on the look and feel of stone, without the bulk, weight or upkeep.
- SILESTONE.
- LAMINEX.
- PAPEROCK.
- CAESARSTONE.
Caesarstone is good! All big brands like caesarstone, silestone and cambria are the best brands in the market for quartz surfaces. Beware of Caesarstone HONED (matte) surface! It is porous, shows stains and marks easily.
Quantum Quartz is an inferior copy of caesarstone, although you will find with the 10 year warranty and technical backup caesarstone as well as being much more cost effectie will last a life time..
Smartstone is from $450/lineal metre, including installation (smartstone.com.au ) while Caesarstone starts at $450/m² installed (caesarstone.com.au ).
Essastone is made from up to 95% quartz and like Caesarstone is an engineered stone product.
Caesarstone Ltd. manufactures quartz surfaces in three different sites, two in Israel – Kibbutz Sdot Yam and the Bar Lev Industrial Zone near Karmiel, and in its new plant in Richmond Hill, GA, USA, since May 27, 2015.
A typical resin based material will consist of 93% stone aggregates by weight and 7% resin (66% quartz and 34% resin by volume) . Different types of resins are used by different manufacturers. Epoxy and polyester resin are the most common types. Chemicals such as UV absorbers and stabilizers are added.
The reason that quartz countertops are so durable is because quartz is one of the hardest minerals on earth and is more resilient than marble, granite and stone. Caesarstone surfaces are composed of up to 93% quartz and are highly resistant to stains and scratches and shrug off many common household chemicals. .
A. Smartstone requires minimal maintenance. To keep it clean, simply wipe it with a soft cloth, warm water and any pH neutral liquid detergent.
Bang-For-Your-Buck Kitchen Countertop Materials
- Quartz. Quartz has become popular with thanks to its durability and low maintenance.
- Granite.
- Marble.
- Laminate.
- Solid Surfacing.
- Slate.
- Recycled Glass.
- Wooden Butcher Block.
Quartz countertops are the easiest natural stone to take care of. They are engineered using ground stone and resin, so they don't require regular sealing they way most granite and marble countertops do. This stone is non-porous, so it does not easily stain or etch.
What Are the Current Trends for Countertops?
- Quartz Countertops Remain Popular.
- Neutral Toned Countertops.
- Full Backsplashes.
- Honed, Polished and Leathered Countertops.
- Countertops with Veining.
- Various Kitchen Sink Styles and Colors.
- Granite Countertops.
- Stainless Steel Countertops.
Topping the list for healthier countertop materials is lead-free (US-made) ceramic tile, followed by solid surface products such as Corian, then engineered quartz and cultured marble. Plastic laminate and granite fall to the bottom of the ranking.
The only countertop materials that you can safely set hot pots and pans on are Soapstone and sintered surfaces; in fact, they are recommended as countertop materials for that purpose. Setting hot items directly on quartz or granite may not damage them immediately, but they could eventually crack due to thermal shock.
#1 Quartz Kitchen Countertop ($40 to $100 per square foot)
The durability winner is quartz, the man-nature combo countertop. Crushed quartz stone is mixed with resin to produce countertops that range from solid colors to the look of real granite, but they'll beat natural stone in toughness.The cheapest kitchen countertop alternatives to granite are quartz, granite tile or a recycled solid surface. Granite remains the most popular kitchen counter material in use today.
- Marble. Marble countertops cost $1,000 to $10,000 depending on your location and the size of your kitchen.
- Quartz & Engineered Stone.
- Wood.
- Tile.
- Stainless Steel.
- Concrete.
- Laminate.
- Recycled and Sintered Stone.
