Stone vs Laminate

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The question of stone versus laminate never gets old because the technology, colours and innovations for both continue to advance every year making the choice a difficult one.

We know that specification decisions for any renovator or new home builder are never taken lightly, it is hours and hours of toiling through flyers and magazines as well as googling to the wee hours of the morning. Not to mention, everyone is so different in their aesthetic tastes, practical requirements such as day to day use and the context of the decision such as is it for your ‘forever home’ or an investment property. You are trying to make a decision with quality, longevity, aesthetic and budget in mind and it can be very overwhelming.

Let’s break down a few considerations for you!

Stone Considerations

  • Stone is generally considered to be the more luxurious and modern option over laminate, including to touch.
  • It also comes with a luxurious price tag. Stone is more expensive to both purchase and have installed.
  • Sturdy! More heat, scratch and stain resistant than laminate. Need to keep on top off stains and spills straight away so they don’t stick around.
  • However, stone chips and cracks are difficult to fix and you may need to replace the whole benchtop.
  • More of a seamless look with minimal amount and size of joins.
  • From a design perspective you can also create a versatile amount of looks with varying diameter sizes as well as water fall edges and other features.
  • Whether that be engineered stone or marble or granite it provides a natural and earthy feel which many enjoy.
  • Limited colours to select from.
  • Cold to touch which some people don’t enjoy.

Laminate Considerations

  • Affordable! Laminate is much more affordable to purchase, manufacture and install.
  • Quicker to manufacture and install. With laminate, your cabinet maker can manufacture and install cabinets and your benchtops so can be finished quite quickly and by one trade. Whereas with stone, generally a stone mason will need to install after the cabinets are fitted so they can create a template. In saying this Spectra Lifestyle is one of the exceptions to this rule and can manufacture and install stone as well in the same day, but there are few cabinet makers who do this.
  • Colours, colours and more colours! If you can think of the colour, likelihood there is a laminate to match, including stone and wood grain looks.
  • Sometimes the colour selections as well as the finish selections can be seen as a negative as it can be very overwhelming to choose. Especially when each finish and colour has it’s own pros and cons. For example a gloss finish has a stone look but will show scratches more easily.
  • Easier and cheaper to flip and change to stay up to date with the latest and trendiest design aesthetic if you are this way inclined.
  • Water and stain resistant however does scratch easily and not as heat resistant as stone.

Our Suppliers

If you’d like some more specific and technical information on the laminate or stone you are hoping to use it is often best to go and have a look at the suppliers and products themselves. As a starting point, our suppliers are as follows:

In Summary…

Everyone’s decision is so individual and there is no right or wrong answer. Although we hope this article helps you way up some of the pros and cons, it is often best to get help from a trained and experienced expert.

Request a quote from our team today and our interior designer will be in touch and would be happy to guide you through this specification process.

Founded in 1998, Spectra Lifestyle was established as Nathan’s Cabinets, a family owned and operated residential cabinetmaker. We pride ourselves in producing quality work every time.