Cheaper stone benchtop alternatives

Has anyone ever used one of the cheaper stone benchtop alternatives such as Polygramm or YDL? They seem much cheaper than Caesarstone, Essay Stone, Stone Italiana, etc. If so, care to provide feedback?

 

These are all quartz stone - and not as in natural stone like marble or granite and really are the same but quality and servicing. YDL is china based brand but i had one that discoloured. i have done a lot of kitchens in my time - but there is one that is not bad and affordable. Ambassador Stone (get some viets stonemason in melb -they're pretty cheap) i did this for 1.5K both sides island and cooktop

But for warranty caesarstone will come and replace if there are faults - YDL (prob just ignore your phone calls)

 

Laminam XL is what you want . Its a 12mm porcelain slab. Lighter than quartz stone. cheaper than quartz stone. UV and fade and scratch and stain proof. You will never look back.

There is one distributor in each state. In VIC its these guys

Laminam XL: The future of surfaces now available at Signorino - Signorino

This video shows the durability of the 3MM Laminam and the 7MM Laminam. Couldnt find anything for the 12MM product, but obviously its going to be significantly stronger than the 3MM and the 7MM versions...

 

@euro73 love the product mate but it certainly isn't a cheaper alternative to Quartz tops.

 

That's not what my experience was...


I just bought 2 slabs, whjich was more than enough to do the kitchen island, rear kitchen countertop, the splash back and 3 vanities for 10.5K including all masonry , installation etc. Just the kitchen island and splashback would have cost that using smartstone or quartz stone.

The other advantage is slab size. I was able to avoid any joins in a very large kitchen island..

 

@euro73
What slab length did you get?

Currently looking at Smartstone for my PPOR kitchen which comes in 3050mm slab

 

The ones he used are 3240 x 1620mm

 

Can I just say @euro73 .....that is one AMAZING looking kitchen you have there....

 

Thanks @Jamie_ just read his post above..

My bench run is 3650mm so I think a join is unavoidable..

 

Thank You. Yeah we are really pleased with it .

 

Neolith is another one thats oversized and almost bulletproof... unfortunately you cant quite get it large enough for a 3650 island...

You can get 3600 but its the 3MM thickness...which is great for cladding or feature walls or fireplaces etc... but not as a benchtop. The 12MM is limited to 3200.

We reduced our island length to fit the slab... preferred that over having to deal with seams/joins which will become dirty over time and spoil the look.


About Neolith - CDK Stone

 

I did my kitchen a little under 3 years ago and it definitely wasn't cheaper than Caesarstone at the time (we used Frosty Carrina and Dreamy Marfil which are in the tier 2 range). It was considered a newish, premium product and hence more expensive. Things may well have changed though so will consider it for my next project.

Btw, @euro73 that kitchen does look beautiful. I love traditional kitchens. Ours has been done in a similar style although the colour scheme is very different.

 

First 3 quotes we got were pricey. Spoke to the importer and they gave us some other names and voila - saved a small fortune. The guys who did the work said the product is not that new . He said it’s 10+ years old but most stonemasons are a little intimidated working with it and mark up their prices as a result. Maybe we got lucky with our guys

 

u really know how to pick the good stuff

 

When you renovate a large house like this that's going to be your 20+ year home , you gotta do it right

There's a thread on the reno somewhere .... PPOR reno

 

The 3mm & 5mm have been used for many many years as wall cladding, floor cladding & splashbacks, the 12mm is roughly 2 years old

 

There you go...

either way, I suspect its a product that will become ever more popular given its durability and slab sizes...

 

Pics?

 

Never heard of this one before. Price-wise, how does it compare to Caesarstone (or stone in general) and Laminam?

 

I cant recall ... you can understand we did a huge reno and got lots of quotes for everything...but I "think" it was quite similarly priced . At least, I dont recall it being uber expensive. Maybe in line with the dearer Ceasarstone range....

I went to the factory where the guys allowed me to smash it with a hammer... it put off some small sparks and showed no sign of damage...

If the slab sizes had been just a smidgeon larger we probably would have used it

Im sure there's somewhere in Melbourne where you can go and see it Victoria - CDK Stone