Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 25, 2012 11:00 am Sorry if this has been done before...I have done a search, and I can't find exact definites from people or my entire query answered. What I would like to know is: How easy does diamond gloss scratch? How easy is it to clean as opposed to normal laminate? Does it show water streaks/fingerprints/marks etc more then normal laminate? I have noticed on our rental, the normal laminate in the kitchen shows water streaks quite easily...it is a matt plain lightish grey, so could have something to do with the colour? In my old house we had laminate which was a light timber colour, matt still, and i never noticed water streaks. Would you recommend it with a toddler? Would you recommend it with a hubby who is a bit rough with things (he doesn't do a lot of the cooking, so no problems with putting hot stuff on the bench, more scratching etc)? Thanks for any advice you can give! Would love to see some pics of your diamond gloss too, kitchen/laundry or bathrooms! Our colours are licorice linea for the cupboards and platinum micro for the tops. Cheers Re: Diamond gloss query 2Jan 25, 2012 11:08 am Hi, We have put diamond gloss in the kitchen (for cupboards, we have ceasarstone benches) and laundry & bathrooms for both cupboards and benches. We only take the house over today so not sure just yet about cleaning and scratches. Have been wondering this myself. I will post some photos hopefully later tonight. Ours are white doors and mineralstone benches. Re: Diamond gloss query 3Jan 25, 2012 11:26 am Hi vans, it is actually crystal gloss if for cupboard fascia and diamond gloss for benchtops. Personally I wouldn't go with the diamond gloss benchtop as they will scratch easily and age quickly especially if you have family that will treat it fairly rough I had a gloss benchtop in my first house and ended up getting laminex out to inspect as it wore badly ended up with a replacement matt finish. I have the same combination as MelanieG and my cupboards had fine scratches through it when installed but you have to be in the right light to see it so builder wouldn't replace it, I haven't had to clean them to much as I don't have children in the house . Hope this helps. Kazzbah Re: Diamond gloss query 4Jan 25, 2012 3:00 pm I really wanted a diamond gloss kitchen bench top, but our builder wouldn't do it. Too much risk of it being damaged during installation, they said. I'll be very interested to see someone's photos though. Apparently diamond gloss solved a lot of the problems that the normal gloss laminate had, but that could just be the marketing spiel... Diamond gloss query 5Jan 25, 2012 5:49 pm We have just installed Diamondgloss in our poolhouse - Lava Mineralstone from memory. Looks gorgeous but unfortunately the house isn't finished yet so I don't know how it handles. Some things are worth waiting for. Re: Diamond gloss query 6Jan 27, 2012 9:38 am Thanks for the replies! Kazzbah, I've been told the new stuff is a lot stronger then old stuff...how long ago did you have it in your first house? I have probably until Monday to make up our minds...if our building liaison officer allows a variation so late. I was all for it, but if it does scratch...???? Daughter will just want to put her hands all over it so she isn't rough...hubby would just not think and put something on it he shouldn't, then it would get moved (ie pushed) along the bench. Not rough all the time, just not thinking! We are going to go on the weekend i think to some display homes, see if we can find a house with it...i am hoping there is something with the benchtop in the gloss too, but normally they have the stone in the display home Is there anyone else out there who can shed some light who has lived with it for a bit, even just a month or so?! Re: Diamond gloss query 7Jan 28, 2012 8:06 pm Hi vans it was a long time ago and there products have improved ofcourse, maybe select a colour that will not show scratches I have seductive limba crystal gloss on cupboards and essa stone top. Im sure I have seen a post a long while back 1year or so on diamond gloss benchtop I think it was in melbourne on homeone kitchen site type in diamond gloss benchtops there are quite a few comments on there hope this helps. Kazzbah Re: Diamond gloss query 8Jan 29, 2012 9:33 am I had the same decision to make, and asked for feedback etc.In the end I went with the diamond gloss in a black ebony marble, after I had asked others with the same ,all who said it does get streaks etc but not that hard to clean.weve been in our house for 2 months now, and yes the gloss does get a bit streaky looking if you dont clean it properly but If you wipe over with a teatowel after you wipe it down it cleans just fine, or with a bit of windex, maybe a minute longer than it would normally take you.[I also work in a deli kitchen with lots of stainless steel so Im used to wiping everything with a streak free finish] have 3 grotty teenage boys and a husband whos domestically challenged and I am okay with the kitchen, it does get a bit streaky if you just wipe over with a dishcloth, but doesnt look reallly dirty,and not badly enough that Im running arounfd cleaning it constantly and we have not put any scratches in it at all.It does have a small scratch where it was damaged during installation, but not by us.I too hummed and haad over making this decision but havnt regreted it at all, whereas the charcoal matt tiles I got in my wet areas, I curse almost daily!they show up every speck of water, dirt, dust and drive my crazy.I also tossed up getting a dark matt benchtop but feedback I got was its terrible to keep clean.I did also toss up dark gloss cupboards and white benchtop, but after being in here, I think the plain gloss black doors would have been a nightmare to keep clean.good luck with your decision, but seriously I m happy with mine. Re: Diamond gloss query 9Jan 29, 2012 12:22 pm Hi Vans! We had Diamond Gloss in our last house, but only in the Ensuite and Main Bathroom (we had a different product in the kitchen). Our colour consultant advised against it in the Laundry, due to the potential for wear and tear in there. Having said that, it was fantastic in the bathrooms. I can't recall any issues at all with watermarks. In fact, the matte Laminex in this rental is horrid for watermarks, and there was no problem with the DG. If you are worried about the wear and tear in the kitchen, but really love the product, I would just invest in a good cutting board and trivets, to ensure that hot/sharp items aren't placed/used on the bench. Be sure to let us know what you choose! Re: Diamond gloss query 10Jan 29, 2012 1:59 pm I've got diamond gloss on the benchtops in my kitchen (Pure Mineralstone) and I love it. I don't find it too difficult to clean... when we first moved in I was just using spray & wipe with paper towels and it always looked streaky, so I started using windex as well and that worked perfectly. I also tried the windex wipes, which worked well, but would be an expensive option long term. However, a few weeks ago I just gave it a quick wipe over with a damp sponge (hot water and dishwash liquid) and then wiped it over with a clean tea towel and it came up just as well as the windex option. I had a gloss finish laminate in the old house (not diamond gloss) and I found it did scratch easily and after about 2 years it was noticeably faded and aged with little scratches and rough spots on it, but we have been here 15 months now and this still looks like new. I was researching kitchens for my grandmother a few months back and went to a few joinery's and spoke to the kitchen designers - we were trying to keep the cost down for her, so ceaserstone was not an option and the designers that I spoke to all suggestion diamondgloss. They said it is a lot stronger and more fade resistant than the standard gloss laminates, and it is more scratch resistant that standard laminate as it has the coating on it to give it the high gloss finish. So far, I agree with them. Nic. Built the Coral Homes Hamilton 252 - moved in 20/10/2010 and loving it!! https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=27215 Re: Diamond gloss query 11Jan 29, 2012 7:57 pm Thank you for your replies! I went to b*nn*ngs, they have a gloss laminate of some brand in the kitchen displays there, only the cupboards, not the bench tops. It was good to see as they have trolleys bumping into them all the time, and you can't see the scratches. I also did the finger print test on the different colours, and the gloss black really showed the marks, but the woodgrain gloss didn't. We then went to some display homes today, and again saw it in the cupboards and in the laundry for some display homes they used it for bench tops too. No finger prints. Infact, the plain matt finish showed more marks. So I am quite sure we are going to go ahead with it, IF we don't get charged a variation fee. Crossing fingers they allow us to do it! Thank you for your comments...been very helpful! Also thanks for the ideas on simple cleaning techniques! Re: Diamond gloss query 12Feb 06, 2012 1:17 pm Just bumping this up...is DL alot more expensive than regular laminate? Re: Diamond gloss query 14Feb 06, 2012 10:19 pm We have decided to go against the diamond gloss. We were told by our builder that there is no warranty on the diamond gloss by the builder or the cabinet maker as it is a product that is not hard wearing. After much umming and aarghing, we decided that with tradies being tradies, it is best not to risk it and we aren''t going with it. We could still get the silk finish which is on the cupboards only. If we were getting stone bench tops we wold have gone with the silk finish, but because we aren't, we decided against the silk finish too. We could only get it in the kitchen and laundry anyway, with the colours that we had for the bathroom and ensuite, and we just didn't think it was worth it. It was going to cost us $450 for all cupboards, or only 1 cupboard. Not a lot, but just not for us. A shame about the diamond gloss, but I am sure our colours are going to look stunning without the shine anyway! 2 7184 There is no reason why building contract reconciliation cannot be done prior to handover, if the builder won't do it get someone to do it for you. Why would you pay for… 3 6682 Hi, planning on using the attached stone pieces in my bathroom. I want to remove stains and gloss seal. 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