Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Jul 15, 2010 2:45 pm I must be an odd-bod here on H1 but I'm not a fan of stone benchtops. They just feel cold, hard and unwelcoming to me. At a pre-quote meeting today with a cabinetmaker, he showed me some samples of Laminex Freestyle and I think it's perfect! It seems to have a classy look like Caesarstone but a bit of give in it (I know some would call it "plasticky" LOL!). Anyway, I'm looking for anyone who has lived with it for a while and wondering what they think. Love? Hate? Indifferent? Kylie Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 2Jul 15, 2010 4:08 pm Recently I saw Freestyle in a display and it looked fabulous, the colour was Brioche and is not quite as yellow as Quantum 'Coral Reef' which looks quite dark, yellow and dirty some days..well at least my sample does, which makes it hard to choose between it and Turino. Atm, I'm tossing between Freestyle and QQ...have you looked at <www.thinkon.com.au> which is the DIY version available through Bunnings? Corian is a similar product and they have some nice colours. Both Think and Corian will mail samples if you request via their website, but unfortunately they will only send a few each time, just make more requests. I phoned ThinkOn and they include a DIY installation kit which includes a router bit for cutouts etc as well as the necessaries for joins etc..they also have great looking timber benches for something a little different. I'm considering these in the bathrooms and laundry. Iirc, Royalblue (H1 member) has had Corian in a kitchen for around 10 years and still very happy with it...read this a few days ago. Hope this helps? Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 3Jul 15, 2010 8:15 pm I agree also as Im having the same thoughts. our local Laminex distribution wharehouse has a really good display of freestyle (ORANGE) I actually think its a bit warmer than stone/granite. Thinksolid also make reconstituted products as well and the one thing I like is that they can manufacture in a long length 3.6m and from memory 1.2mwide therefore for my large island bench no joins (this product is actually also sold through Bunnings custom product its made of polymer and natural resins). LG make a product as well - LG - HiMacs. I have ceasarstone in the bathroom bench and I do like it but my kitchen is so large (3.6m long and 1m wide island and the back area) it will cost me around $7,000. The quote from thinkcustom is $5,000 including the waterfall sides on the island bench. Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 4Jul 25, 2010 4:56 pm I've noticed on the laminex website that the Freestyle comes in 12mm thickness. Do that mean you can lay it on top of existing benchtops? I guess you'd need to do a bit of edging too. It does look good, any idea of pricing? Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 5Jul 26, 2010 6:05 am armitage57 the one thing I like is that they can manufacture in a long length 3.6m and from memory 1.2mwide therefore for my large island bench no joins My island is similar - I hadn't realised that I might need a join with the manufactured stone products. beckandbubs It does look good, any idea of pricing? Our quote came back with a similar price to upgrade to the stone quoted by another builder. The kitchen guy who gave me the freestyle quote told me the price was on par with granite. I'm now facing the dilemma of what to choose - Which would I regret more ? Spending that extra $6000 on kitchen benches or NOT spending that extra $6000 on kitchen benches... Kylie Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 6Jul 26, 2010 10:58 am I can't believe the price of benches... I know I'd rather spend the $6000 on some thing else, like appliances! But I guess if you are building a home then what's another $6000...? Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 7Jul 26, 2010 12:41 pm kb46 armitage57 the one thing I like is that they can manufacture in a long length 3.6m and from memory 1.2mwide therefore for my large island bench no joins My island is similar - I hadn't realised that I might need a join with the manufactured stone products. beckandbubs It does look good, any idea of pricing? Our quote came back with a similar price to upgrade to the stone quoted by another builder. The kitchen guy who gave me the freestyle quote told me the price was on par with granite. I'm now facing the dilemma of what to choose - Which would I regret more ? Spending that extra $6000 on kitchen benches or NOT spending that extra $6000 on kitchen benches... Kylie Get quotes to have it installed by your own contractor (in negotiation with the builder) during the build - takes some persuasion and organisation though! I'm getting a 2.6m x 600mm bench and a 2.5m x 1.2m island with waterfall edge (all 20mm thick granite) for $3250 Or thereabouts, cant remember the exact figure) - the builder wanted $5500 for essastone and no waterfall edging. Yet to see what my "refund" will be for the laminate benchtop I have deleted, I'm not expecting much! Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 8Jul 27, 2010 6:54 am Huggy_B Get quotes to have it installed by your own contractor (in negotiation with the builder) during the build - takes some persuasion and organisation though! Our quotes are direct from kitchen contractors! (We are building a custom design privately.) Our builder almost fell over at the price himself. He is from Rockhampton and says the quotes he is seeing from suppliers/subbies in Mackay are 20-25% more than what he paid in Rocky! He even brought up a painter from Rocky to save $4k or so. He's taken our kitchen specs back to Rocky to check if he can get me a better price but we're still waiting on that. beckandbubs I can't believe the price of benches... I know I'd rather spend the $6000 on some thing else, like appliances! But I guess if you are building a home then what's another $6000...? It's $6000 in variation costs that aren't accounted for in our home loan (so we have to find it out of our pockets all up front which will involve tightening our belts to an insane level and still maxing out our credit card)! Also, I'm pretty sure nice benchtops won't add that much to the value of our home if we were to sell. - That's the logical side of me speaking. The less logical side of me says we have spent so long waiting for our house we deserve to have nice benchtops... I think I will compromise with myself. We are having the timber floor put in before the kitchen so changing benchtops at a later date won't be difficult. I could start with Laminex and if I really really really still want the Freestyle I can save up and get them done down the track. Kylie Re: Anyone living with Laminex Freestyle Benches? 9Jul 27, 2010 8:39 am Can you get a decent sized sample and 'use' it as you would a kitchen bench for a little while ... as in see if it scratches from everyday use that sort of thing? ~ trying to build our dream home by the sea ~ Caesarstone, quantum zero, Q Stone zero, porcelain. All the manufacturers are pivoting into zero silica materials. Google any of those and have a look. Some are still… 1 1069 I would be wary. Is you site demilished but nothing else done? Sounds like liquidity problems to me. Our builder did the same. 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