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The Marble Man - would like to share information for your consideration - Manmade, engineered stone is also known as agglomerate, manufactured stones or reconstituted stones. They are made from a combination of approximately 7% resins, cement, and coloured pigments and upwards of 93% natural stone chips such as quartz or marble. These materials are bound together to make a slab. Engineered stones are designed to emulate natural stones such as marble and granite and are an extremely popular alternative to natural stone in building today. Some of the engineered stone brands include Caesarstone, Essastone, Quantum Quartz, Silestone, Technistone, Smarstone and HanStone. These stones are similar in composition, varying only by a few percent in total quartz used. Their differences lie in the colours, patterns and applications offered. Some engineered stones are just made for benchtops whereas, others can be used for tiles. For you the home renovator, builder or owner the preference to choose engineered stone over natural stone is purely a personal one. Natural stone is attractive because of it’s unique inconsistencies in colour, texture and patterns. The Marble Man enjoys the qualities of all natural and manmade stone. When you view engineered stone for consideration for your home, you will see a more consistent colour and patterning in the stone. Take the time to view the full sheet of stone and consider the overall look and effect of the colour you choose for your interior. There are many reasons why engineered stones are being chosen over natural stone: Engineered stones are durable, scratch, stain and heat resistant * They come in a variety of colours and patterns Natural marble is susceptible to etching and staining, however a marble look can be created with the etch and stain resistant properties of granite, making it a good choice for high stress areas such as kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities The quartz used in the engineered stones is a similar hardness to granite and rates a 7 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness It is easy to clean and will require less long-term maintenance like granite if cared for according to manufacturers instructions. Please be sure to speak with the sales team about your uses of the benchtop, stone, surface and address how you plan to use the surface before finalising your choice. Manmade, reconstituted stone is only ‘resistant’ to scratching, staining and heat and therefore hot pots must not be left on for extended periods, cutting boards should still be used under hot pots, pans or dishes. Spills must be cleaned up immediately as in the case of any natural stone to prevent stains. It comes with a manufacturers seal therefore additional sealing is not usually necessary. * In our experience engineered stone kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities do chip and scorch, however we have developed processes to repair even large chips making them virtually undetectable, and to restore the factory finish to surfaces damaged by heat. Enjoy your home, enjoy the stone you choose for the benchtops in your home. The Marble Man is happy to assist with stone information, repairs, polishing and sealing all stone surfaces. We service Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Northern NSW, Sydney and Canberra for all stone repairs, polishing and sealing Stone surfaces - simply call 1300 627 626. Learn more on The Marble Man website - www.themarbleman.com.au

I'm working on a couple of projects that my clients have asked specifically for terazzo; where stone is needed for the long term durability (bench tops etc) it's a great way of adding texture and/or colour to a space. I look at it as a modern classic with a lively character. Corian, Caesarstone, marble & granite definitely have their place & I still use them extensively; they all have their own distinctive characteristics in terms of look, durability and maintenance that need to be taken into consideration with each individual project.

Corian here in our kitchen for thirteen years. I’ve really found it excellent. It’s not cold , that’s true, but it is also quiet and harder to break things on. It comes in very many colours. It feels very solid (because it is), not plasticky like laminate. It NEVER stains. It’s very hard to scratch. I use a trivet for really hot things, not mildly hot. Heat marks etc can be professionally rubbed out if needed, I haven’t needed it yet. I use cutting boards for sharp tools but it’s not precious. It doesn’t try to be stone, can be formed in to infinitely large joint free runs and even edgy, free form shapes. It is a sealed surface so, like stainless steel, can be made/used in areas where a ‘germ free’ surface is ideal. It really has a role in choices but seems to be used less in domestic settings. It does have plastic involved in manufacture but can be recycled in some way. It doesn’t need to be cut out of a mountain. The more modern versions of these are even better and not the knee jerk benchtops we see everywhere. It’s not for everyone but it’s definitely worth considering. A very viable alternative worth exploring. Best of luck.