Hi Burstybear,
I believe they manufacture in full too (the cheaper MDF benchtop without laminate then they add the 3mm Caeserstone), which is still waaaay cheaper than the full thick slabs.
Browse Forums Kitchen Corner Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 21Apr 14, 2009 8:45 pm burstybear Thanks John for that link, that looks like a really good alternative. Problem is we are entirely remodelling our kitchen so will need totally new benches. From looking at the website they install over your old benchtops? Hi Burstybear, I believe they manufacture in full too (the cheaper MDF benchtop without laminate then they add the 3mm Caeserstone), which is still waaaay cheaper than the full thick slabs. John, Tarin and the Kids Built and moving in to the Regent Grande with Masterton homes http://thebrownsaremovingtothecountry.blogspot.com Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 22Apr 14, 2009 9:31 pm fairy blue Possumchops From the small amount of research I have done on benchtops recently, you can actually get some types of granite benchtops cheaper. I'm off to look at polished concrete tomorrow for my own, which I have been informed is cheaper than granite but won't be able to give you a rough idea of price until I get back. Obviously laminex is the cheapest option, not sure of the difference in cost between the different version though. We are having polished concrete benchtops. It is costing us approx $1900 for the upgrade. This includes upgrading the cabinets to accept the extra weight. Not sure of the actual square metres but we are having a U shaped kitchen so the amount of benchtop is substantial. I'm hoping it will look a bit like this. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ An upgrade of only $1900 is pretty impressive for the polished ocncrete. I expect to pay more becasue the guy doing mine will need to travel 2 hours each way. I'm hoping for this sort of look, but with a different join between top and side. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Possumchops Now the proud owner of 3.7acres of Serenity. Colour selection completed! Soon to go to council. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 23Apr 15, 2009 9:04 am That looks great. I wasn't game enought to ask for the waterfall side! We have a guy who is making it locally so no travel involved. I love the fact that it is made to order and in one piece, so no join to try and hide. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 25Apr 16, 2009 12:21 am nice... Good luck with it all. Will they be poured insitu? onc Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 26Apr 16, 2009 7:29 am Quote: Will they be poured insitu? Ours won't be, its all done in his factory and then he will bring it up and install it. So we will need our cabinetry all done so he can get a tight fit. We will also have a join in each bench because they are 4mts long each there is a high chance of it breaking where the holes will be for the cooktop and sink. Much rather a join than a crack. Sorry, we've managed to turn this thread into a whole other conversation now. Possumchops Now the proud owner of 3.7acres of Serenity. Colour selection completed! Soon to go to council. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 27Apr 16, 2009 8:19 am Possumchops Quote: Will they be poured insitu? Ours won't be, its all done in his factory and then he will bring it up and install it. So we will need our cabinetry all done so he can get a tight fit. We will also have a join in each bench because they are 4mts long each there is a high chance of it breaking where the holes will be for the cooktop and sink. Much rather a join than a crack. Sorry, we've managed to turn this thread into a whole other conversation now. Ours are made in the factory also. Now you have me worried about the crack factor!! And a sorry from me too for the hijacking! Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 28Apr 16, 2009 10:30 pm Quantum quartz is usually a little cheaper than the others, depending on the stonemason and the kitchen manufacturers mark up on the product Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 30Apr 22, 2009 2:03 pm I'm also going with polished concrete however I'm having it coloured black (well close to black) with moonstone chips layed in the top surface so the moonstone shows instead of the the agragate and it has silver glitter mixed in as well. the sink is mounted under the bench so the bench will have an intergrated drip tray with raised aluminium drip rails and aluminium ribs near the stove for putting hot pots on! My Owner still Building thread viewtopic.php?t=9026 Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 31Apr 22, 2009 3:05 pm Can I ask a daft question? What does laminex minerstone actually feel like??? We were going to have caesarstone but like everyone else, what to make sure we get bang for our buck and if we went with something different and cheaper but still nice we could also afford a glass splashback. I am just worried that the laminex mineralstone might feel plasticy somehow. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 32Apr 22, 2009 3:19 pm laminex diamond gloss was standard with our builder.. so we chose that for all our benchtops.. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 33Apr 22, 2009 3:34 pm Here is my Diamond Gloss Pure mineralstone benchtop, this was my solution to c/s benches...it was just not in our budget, and it looks fab, it looks very close to c/s, am very happy with the benches. See my new kitchen thread for more pics. Cheers, .M. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ OMG...why did we start this project....!! Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 34Apr 22, 2009 3:36 pm loretta Can I ask a daft question? What does laminex minerstone actually feel like??? We were going to have caesarstone but like everyone else, what to make sure we get bang for our buck and if we went with something different and cheaper but still nice we could also afford a glass splashback. I am just worried that the laminex mineralstone might feel plasticy somehow. Feels like really smooth laminex! If you have laminex show room near you go and check out one of their diamondgloss displays. They look fantastic. Most tile shops also have laminex samples where you should be able to get an idea from that. It doesn't feel 'cold' like the stone benchtops do, but really, who's caressing your benches anyway?? Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 35Apr 22, 2009 7:24 pm Draconis I'm also going with polished concrete however I'm having it coloured black (well close to black) with moonstone chips layed in the top surface so the moonstone shows instead of the the agragate and it has silver glitter mixed in as well. the sink is mounted under the bench so the bench will have an intergrated drip tray with raised aluminium drip rails and aluminium ribs near the stove for putting hot pots on! That sounds gorgeous! I was excited when our guy said he could put broken beer bottle into it to give it an individual look. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 36Apr 22, 2009 8:19 pm Ooooohhhh, black with the moonstone sounds noice! And the trivets, we are going for those too. Can't ait to see the pics of all these concrete tops when they are done. Possumchops Now the proud owner of 3.7acres of Serenity. Colour selection completed! Soon to go to council. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 37Apr 26, 2009 8:41 pm I't might be a few weeks I havn't finished the wireing yet so sheeting is still a few weeks off yet then my kitchen! Mwhaha (I'm a little over not having a decent place to cook!) oh well it's the biggest draw back with owner building everything lol My Owner still Building thread viewtopic.php?t=9026 Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 38Apr 26, 2009 8:55 pm JellyLegs loretta It doesn't feel 'cold' like the stone benchtops do, but really, who's caressing your benches anyway?? .....actually I caressed my benchtops several times during our appointment with the tiler, and I have raved non stop about them ...i think my partner is worried that I am going to run away and elope with my sable luxe essa stone benchtops! Kylie handover happened 15/6/09...love living on an acre but still so much to do! Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 39Jul 13, 2009 5:44 pm burstybear Thanks John for that link, that looks like a really good alternative. Problem is we are entirely remodelling our kitchen so will need totally new benches. From looking at the website they install over your old benchtops? Hi, In relation to the above and Granite Transformations, we are owner building our house and are having Black Star Granite tops. They can do new new kitchens, they just have to build a subframe to put a cover over new cupboards. I don't know exactly how they do it yet as we have just signed up the cabinet maker, I should know in about 4/5 weeks. Re: Benchtops - cheaper alternative to caesarstone, help! 40Mar 17, 2010 12:27 am Stumbled across this and thought i'd put in my opinion on laminex diamond gloss as well - we had it installed 2 yrs ago in our laundry and for a laundry it has been fine. However, for the past few weeks during our kitchen installation we have been using our laundry as a 'kitchen' and despite being careful I am quite amazed at the amt of scratches now visible in the surface. Not entirely sure i would recommend it for a high activity benchtop like in a kitchen. Ours is the black colour so probably shows the scratches more than the lighter colours would. We have gone with laminex freestyle for the kitchen (an acrylic) which also shows scratches, but they can be buffed out and have chosen a light colour which is meant to show them up less. Our quote for laminex freestyle was about $3500 (laminate benchtops would have been $1500 approx for our kitchen as a guide), whereas a caesarstone quote was $5500 + GST. Would have loved caesarstone, but this was (meant to be!) a budget kitchen! My mother just had her caesarstone tops arrive for her bathroom cabinets and they do look gorgeous! I was surprised that corian quotes for her two bathroom cabinets came in significantly cheaper than caesarstone as i always thought it was the opposite way around. My two cents anyway! Might cheaper to changer your idea of what makes a home, have you considered building a porch? 2 49342 That drawing’s in the old units. The sewer tie is 1.44m deep and 4.5m offset from left boundary however the levels were taken ages ago so the surface level will have… 1 3547 Hi there, long-time lurker but first time posting. I've bought a house 2 and a bit years ago and last year we had some major water damage on a converted pergola area… 0 5788 |