The Biggest Change In The Benchtop Market Arrives
If you are like us, you have been wondering just what the benchtop marketplace is going to look like after 30th June 2024.
Since the ban on engineered stone was announced by the Federal Government late last year, suppliers have done some very interesting things to get ready for the second half of 2024 and beyond.
What Are Suppliers Doing About The Ban?
The much-maligned Essential Stone offering by Bunnings already exited the market at the end of last year and Essastone, a product supplied in Australia by Laminex is being discontinued all together come the end of June.
Smartstone, who has become a real player in the Australian market has also decided to exit their engineered stone offering in favour of porcelain.
OK, so what options are still available?
With these suppliers moving away from engineered stone and a lack of information in the media about what other suppliers are doing, it has been easy for consumers to become unsure and confused about which material to select for their new benchtops.
Although laminate benchtops have come a long way in recent years, they are still below the look and feel that most Australians have come to expect in their homes and investments in 2024. Natural stone is still available but is a premium and expensive choice. Always was and always will be.
This leaves porcelain, a notoriously fickle and hard-to-work surface, and others acrylic (Corian) in the market. Both of these benchtops can be beautiful however they tend to command a premium that Australian buyers are not used to paying.
But there is good news!
Starting with Quantum Zero by WK Stone, 0% crystalline silica engineered stone is now available in Australia. That is right! Just like the asbestosis crisis that James Hardie faced 30 years ago, suppliers of engineered stone have pivoted and are now supplying a product that is not only safe for fabricators, but is in fact more durable, sustainable and no more expensive than existing engineered stone.
Caesarstone has been the major player in the engineered stone space since the early 2000’s, and they too have just begun releasing their crystalline silica-free offerings. Other major suppliers such as Stone Ambassador and YDL Stone have indicated they have 0% silica stock ready to go and these will phase in over the next two months.
So, what does this mean?
The fact is the ban on engineered stone containing crystalline silica is a good thing. It has forced suppliers to innovate or perish in the interests of keeping Australians safe. And that is just what has happened.
We have already had confirmation that suppliers such as Caesarstone, YDL Stone and Stone Ambassador will be entering the market with their own 0% silica products soon.
The new generation of engineered stone is making use of recycled glass so it will be better for the environment as well as the health of benchtop fabricators.
This is truly a leap forward in technology.
These new products are harder, more impact resistant and less susceptible to thermal shock, all whilst actually being lighter than quartz based engineered stone. Most importantly they contain no crystalline silica, meaning that silicosis in the stone industry is hopefully on its way out too.