Kitchen Benchtops Perth & Sydney: Glass Benchtops VS Sintered Stone
Stone Benchtops Perth: Everything You Need to Know
The last twelve months have seen the most dramatic shift in stone benchtops in Perth in over twenty years. But what does that mean for you, who's renovating or wanting to use stone benchtops for your Perth project?
In this guide, we'll answer everything you need to know about the state of engineered and traditional stone benchtops in Perth and right around WA.
What's banned, what's changed and what's never been banned and is safe for use in your home or project.
As we know, the sale and use of engineered stone benchtops in Perth was banned on July 1, 2024. This means that you can no longer use high crystalline silica based engineered stone products from any supplies. This includes brands like Caesarstone, Stone Ambassador, QStone and the traditional high silica engineered stone suppliers in around Australia.
Similarly, fabricators are no longer allowed to fabricate these high silica versions (Above 1%) in anyway, shape or form due to the complete ban around Perth and Australia.
From September 1, 2024, Worksafe will again meet to look at stronger regulation of these man-made products on the market today.
You can read more about that here
So, if all high crystalline silica products have been banned, what's the alternative and what do you need to know to make informed decisions in 2024 and beyond?
Let's take a look at a comparison between sintered stone and the new glass based stone surfaces on the market today.
1. Glass Based Kitchen Benchtops Perth & Sydney
As the ban was announced, the major brands worked to introduced new glass based "Mineral" and "Vitrified Compact Surfaces" to the marketplace. Made of recycled glass and polyester resins, these new surface types hit the marketplace within 12 months of the initial announcement.
But, what are they really made of?
Well, as we take a look at the available SDS sheets from particular brands online, it's clear that the make-up of these new glass based products are still far from natural, unlike Techlam Sintered Stone.
Glass based product Ingredients:
- Polyester Resins (Synthetic)
- Titanium Dioxide (Synthetic)
- Inorganic Pigment Mixtures (Pigments containing metals)
- Recycled Glass (Origins unknown)
2. Glass Based Kitchen Benchtops Resistance to Stains & Scratches for Sydney & Perth Projects
As these brands have invested significantly into this new material, they have given assurances of their high resistance to common spills and stains, however as with traditional engineered stone in its previous form, this does not mean completely resistant unlike sintered stone.
- Can it stain - YES
- Can it scratch - YES
- Is it heat resistant - NO
- Is it sunlight resistant - NO
- Can it be used outdoors - NO
- Can it be used as flooring - NO
- Can it be used behind gas cooktops - Only with a 200mm clearance.
Unfortunately for these new glass based products and brands, there is no historical data to prove that these products are just as resistant as they say they are.
Report suggest some brands are already having problems with fading and even having to send large volumes of stock back to China due to quality issues.
So whilst it might be the more cost effective option, the longevity of the product is currently unknown as there is no more than limited testing data and SDS sheet's to go off, with very little real-world use to show this product can work long term.
3. Can glass based kitchen benchtops be used outdoors in Sydney & Perth?
The short answer is no. All companies has made it very clear that this product can only be used away from direct sunlight and any issues caused by sunlight will not be covered by any warranty terms whatsoever.
4. The Use of Recycled Glass For Kitchen Benchtops for Perth & Sydney Renovators
Brands on the market have come out stating that their products feature up up 85% recycled glass in every slab. However, what they do not tell you is the source of the glass and the quality of it being used in their slabs.
This has been the cause of concern for some brands, as they use cheaper, lower quality glass to keep costs low, effecting quality and durability of the material.
Until these brand release data on the quality of the glass and the source of it, we are unable to know how good the quality and longevity of the product truly is.
What About the Ingredients in Techlam Sintered Stone?
Our entire range of Techlam Sintered Stone is completely natural and hides nothing regarding its makeup and origins of materials. Our partners at Levantina Spain own their own natural stone quarries, some of the largest in the world, where they procure all materials for our range of Techlam Sintered Stone.
Techlam Sintered Stone product ingredients:
- Ball Clay (Natural)
- Kaolin (Natural)
- Talc (Natural)
- Flux raw materials (Natural)
- Natural pigments (Natural)
- Natural residues (Natural)
Image: Techlam Levantina natural stone quarry - Spain
Sintered Stone Resistance to Stains and Scratches
Due to its production process and being fired (Or baked) at temperatures of over 1000celcius, Techlam sintered stone is ultra resistant to
- Heat
- Stains
- Scratches
- Spills
- Chemical
- Bacteria
- And even sunlight
Can Techlam Sintered Stone be Used Outdoors?
Absolutely. In fact, it's covered in our 25 year warranty, which covers everything to do with external weather factors, including heat and direct sunlight.
The above image shows our Pure Ice being used as external building cladding in this apartment project in Spain.
Fabrication of Techlam Sintered Stone - Does it Crack?
Even though Techlam is used in over 100 countries around the globe, it was vital that we partner with local fabricators to run test cutting trials to ensure the high quality we know Techlam to be.
So far, we have performed over fifty fabricator trials around NSW and WA and are proud to report that all of our fabricators were extremely pleased with the results.
Allowing fabricators with both bridge saws and waterjets to Techlam Sintered Stone confidently, without any tension, cracking or chipping issues.
Take a look at some of our cutting trials here
The verdict on glass based kitchen benchtops
While glass based benchtops might seem like the logical next step to traditional engineered stone, the lack of historical data and unknowns regarding long term quality are an area of concern for this new kitchen benchtop material.
Comparing to Techlam Sintered Stone which has been in use globally since 2007, contains completely natural materials and has extreme heat, stain, scratch and spill resistance, the answer is obvious.
If you are looking for safe, sustainable and natural materials for your next kitchen benchtop or design project, Techlam Sintered Stone is the obvious choice.
Want to know more regarding samples, pricing and availability in your area?
Chat with our friendly team today who would love to help.