Stone or Formica bench top?

This is one of the most common questions that are asked when a customer is designing their custom kitchen. The pros and cons are not that easy to see which is why we we've written this blog post.

Stone bench tops

When speaking of stone kitchen bench tops, most of the time we are actually speaking of man-made engineered stone which is a composite material made of crushed stone (usually quartz) bound together by an adhesive. This is the most popular choice when it comes to stone. We also do Granite bench tops which is 100% natural.

Being a man-made product, engineered stone actually has many great benefits:

It's more cost efficient than natural stone
Due to the materials used, it's extremely tough
It's non-porous which means no stains and easy to clean
Design/Stylewise, there's more options to choose from
Maintenance free
Durable - stone has a very long lifetime

Our clients love our stone bench tops and it's been a great hit.

Bonus tip! The lighter the bench top, the less stains and particles are visible. Our clients love our Diamond White, be sure to ask for it!

Formica bench tops

Formica is often a choice for customers looking for value, and these benchtops can do the job well. However a word of caution: Usually stone benchtops will easily outlast 2-3 Formica bench tops, which means that in the long term you'll end up paying more. Stone Benchtops also look a lot nicer!

Formica is essentially laminate over particle board which means that it's not heat-resistant nor water resistant once there is any hole or chip in the laminate.

However, we understand that the price aspect can be a decisive choice and we've installed hundreds of Formica bench tops over the years.