Hard Decision
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Some Facts:
Essa Stone - 95% quartz
CaesarStone - 93% quartz
FreeStyle - Acrylic, no quartz?
Pluses and minuses for each product (please correct me if I'm wrong):
Essa Stone :
- Only comes in 3000mm, therefore visible joins.
- Only comes in 20mm thickness.
+ However, cheaper than CaesarStone.
+ Scratch & Heat resistant
CaesarStone :
- Only comes in 3000mm, therefore visible joins.
- More expensive than EssaStone
+ Comes in 30mm thickness.
+ Has more colour variety.
+ Scratch & Heat resistant
Freestyle Laminex :
- More prone to damage & stains.
- No heat resistance
- High maintenance.
+ Comes in longer pieces, due to the fact that it can be seamlessly join
+ Seamless joins
+ Comes in 30-40mm thickness
I would like some feedback from people who have any of these 3, especially FreeStyle.
Would you choose Essa Stone/CaesarStone over Freestyle Laminex if you had a choice?
caesarstone standard is 20mm, some colours available in 13mm or 30mm
I was just highlighting advantages of CaesarStone over EssaStone.
However, would the gap/visible join on either EssaStone or CaesarStone bench be a huge deal breaker over seamless Freestyle Laminex?
Basically this is one of my concerns, as well as quality of product...
We have Essastone on our 4m+ bench with a join near the sink which you can hardly see - we have 20mm but I believe it also comes in 40mm.
Thanks for your reply, can you post a picture of a join? Such a simple decision became a mission of epic proportion
Standard range Essa Stone rrp is over $1000 (unless you've gotten a good deal) how is this less expensive than Caesar Stone rrp STD Range $871.00
I'd definitely use Caesar stone or even look into Quantum Quartz. I'd also minimise my bench to 3 metres. Well it's actually 3060 give or take a few mm.
Standard range Essa Stone rrp is over $1000 (unless you've gotten a good deal) how is this less expensive than Caesar Stone rrp STD Range $871.00
Standard range Essa Stone rrp is over $1000 (unless you've gotten a good deal) how is this less expensive than Caesar Stone rrp STD Range $871.00
Thanks for your suggestion. Unfortunately I can't shorten the island bench because microwave and dishwasher recess is already inbuilt.
What is the retail price for Freestyle Laminax? What will I be looking at (price wise) if I were to upgrade from included Freestyle Laminex to Essa Stone? And what's the RRP of Quantum Quartz?
Does all Reconstituted Stone (Quantum Quartz, Essa Stone, CaesarStone) come in 3000mm length pieces?
Thanks again for your help.
I have essa stone dusk which is whitest one out there (out of essa)
I wouldn't worry too much about the joins honestly
Haven't got the up close picture of the joints, but can show you the whole bench fairly close
and you wont' be able to tell where the joints are....
I'd definitely use Caesar stone or even look into Quantum Quartz. I'd also minimise my bench to 3 metres. Well it's actually 3060 give or take a few mm.
Standard range Essa Stone rrp is over $1000 (unless you've gotten a good deal) how is this less expensive than Caesar Stone rrp STD Range $871.00
Standard range Essa Stone rrp is over $1000 (unless you've gotten a good deal) how is this less expensive than Caesar Stone rrp STD Range $871.00
Thanks for your suggestion. Unfortunately I can't shorten the island bench because microwave and dishwasher recess is already inbuilt.
What is the retail price for Freestyle Laminax? What will I be looking at (price wise) if I were to upgrade from included Freestyle Laminex to Essa Stone? And what's the RRP of Quantum Quartz?
Does all Reconstituted Stone (Quantum Quartz, Essa Stone, CaesarStone) come in 3000mm length pieces?
Thanks again for your help.
All reconstituted stones are about 3m long. There is now radianz by samsung which is 3.1m X 1.5m
Quantum Quartz is about $560 per slab STD Range.
I'd definitely use Caesar stone or even look into Quantum Quartz. I'd also minimise my bench to 3 metres. Well it's actually 3060 give or take a few mm.
Standard range Essa Stone rrp is over $1000 (unless you've gotten a good deal) how is this less expensive than Caesar Stone rrp STD Range $871.00
Standard range Essa Stone rrp is over $1000 (unless you've gotten a good deal) how is this less expensive than Caesar Stone rrp STD Range $871.00
All reconstituted stones are about 3m long. There is now radianz by samsung which is 3.1m X 1.5m
Quantum Quartz is about $560 per slab STD Range.
Ok, so I see no one picked Freestyle Laminex in my poll.
Looks like Quantum Quartz is the cheapest compare to Essa Stone and CaesarStone but what about the quality; which one would be the best out of these three?
More people picked CaesarStone - is there a particular reason for it? Is it better quality than EssaStone or was it picked because of variety of colors it offers?
QQ is affordable, and in my opinion just as good as Caesar stone.
I took photos of the undersurface of the CS to register the warranty, and have my own record of serial numbers, and once this is done they send a freebie cleaning pack. A nice little touch!!
If you are wanting to save a few $$$'s (and who doesn't) have you looked on eBay or GraysOnLine? Freight might be a killer for you if you can't find anything in the west.
Good luck with your choice, it's one I agonised over too but in the end I chose 30mm CS in Nougat, although the stone is more grey in the actual slabs than the samples, which were beige/taupe. I would chose the same stone again, just a different colour.
I am (well my husband is) a stone mason and we have our own business and we are putting QQ White Swirl in. We were originally going to be putting in Calcutta marble but with three young children, not a good idea!!
Width is 900mm, however at one end we have 250mm overhang (breakfast bar?).
I've heard that 20mm benchtop is not suitable for breakfast bar/overhang as it need extra support, is that correct? Therefore, we need to go with 30mm thickness stone bench?
BUT...
Unfortunate thing is that EssaStone doesn't come in 30mm (only 20mm) - so that one is out.
Quantum Quartz new jumbo slab range is perfect for our bench length wise (no joints), but only comes in 20mm.
CaesarStone comes in 30mm but have joint as the size is smaller than our bench.
Looks like the only thing that is left is Freestyle
What to do, have no idea...
I had CS installed in my kitchen as that was what my builder offered; personally, I much prefer stone benchtops to laminate just because they are so tough. It's also nice to have the cool stone to put pastry etc directly onto. As others have said I think the choice largely comes down to what you like the look of and how you plan to use your benches.
With regards to the joins I wouldn't be worried at all. My bench has one join (as it's in an L shape) and you can barely even see it. Of course it may be more noticeable on an island bench (I have an island but it's not more than 3m long) but if you have a stonemason who knows what he's doing it shouldn't be a problem.
Hope that helps
I would go for CS with the joint - it comes in 30mm thickness, definitely better quality and depending on what colour you are after, the joint will be almost invisible. If unsure ask the supplier to show you some benchtops with joints to put your mind at ease.
Related
15/08/2023
5
depends on your council, some 1 day some 14 days