FAQ’S

Engineered Stone is made up of 91-97% natural quartz. The rest of the slab is composed of resins, polymers and various types of pigments. This allows the manufacturers of the Engineered Stone to produce high quality, strong and durable products. There is a huge colour range available, with a growing trend of the imitation marble look, giving you the gorgeous look of marble, at a fraction of the price, without the continuous upkeep that marble requires, or wear that it suffers.

Engineered Stone slabs are fairly colour consistent. The process in which it is produced creates hundreds of slabs at one time that are batch matched. There can be some inconsistencies between batches, but this gives you the ability to select a colour from a sample without the absolute necessity of viewing a slab beforehand.

Popular for kitchens, bathrooms and other uses such as splashbacks and fireplaces, engineered stone benchtops are manufactured from man-made stone slabs. The slabs are made with 95% natural quartz aggregates that are bound together with polymer resins and pigments. Here we take a look at five of the top reasons why so many builders and homeowners choose engineered stone benchtops.

Durability
The combination of quartz – which is one of the world’s strongest stone substances – with the specially designed resin makes for a slab and surface which are built for the long term. The slabs are resistant to cracking and heat and are easy to work with. Engineered stone is robust enough to handle transportation and the demands of installation on your site.

Scratch, Chip, and Stain Resistance
Naturally, you want your kitchen or bathroom’s “as new” look to last. You can rest easy in the knowledge that engineered stone has superior scratch, chip and stain resistance performance to alternatives such as marble. It’s an ideal solution for the demands of any kitchen – the combination of quartz and high-performance polymers readily stands up to the clatter of pots and pans and the inevitable spills that go with the territory. Coffee, wine, vinegar – you name it, engineered stone handles it all.

Versatile Range of Colours and Designs
The versatility of engineered stone means that fitting in with the design and décor of your home or project is a breeze. Professional designers looking for high-end finishes know that engineered stone comes in a huge range of colours and styles, including marble and granite finishes which blend the best of both worlds by providing a natural finish with all the strength and durability benefits of engineered stone.

Low Maintenance
Engineered stone benchtops are virtually maintenance-free. Unlike other benchtop materials such as marble and granite, engineered stone doesn’t need regular resealing to keep it looking fresh and new. A regular clean with your normal kitchen or bathroom products is all that’s required.

Affordability
Engineered stone solutions are often cheaper than natural stone alternatives. Add to this the absence of ongoing maintenance costs and the peace of mind that comes with long warranty cover, and engineered stone benchtops become a very attractive investment option.

Acrylic solid surfaces are made of acrylic resin and natural materials. They can be shaped as desired and generally formed in one piece, so they are seamless. They are extremely stain resistant and very strong.

Acrylic sinks can be integrated into the benchtop leaving a pristine clean look.

This product is widely used for countertops, vanity tops and used frequently in commercial projects such as banks, restaurants and healthcare.

• Multiple colours to choose from with many modern and attractive patterns
• Acrylic Benchtops are non-porous and don’t need sealing
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Seams are nearly invisible
• Integrated sinks and drainboards are possible
• Can be formed into basically any shape desired
• The surface can be illuminated, so the countertop glows
• Can charge your phone or tablet just by placing it on the counter top
• Damage can usually be repaired

If you have an artificial stone surface installed in your home please do not worry. Stone benchtops don’t have to come with a fear of Silicosis. The engineered stone surfaces that we work with comply with the strictest local and international safety standards and are completely safe for domestic use.

We aim for a 4 week turn around from accepting of quote to completion of your new kitchen.

Our lead time is generally 10 working days for 20/30mm solid and 15 working days for build up, but this time can vary depending on work load. ** Please note prior to accepting a job into our production schedule we need the following:

1. Bowl, Tap and Hob or anything requiring a cutout is on site for our templater.
2. Material must be available in our yard.
3. 50% deposit has been paid.
4. All temporary tops have been removed prior to templater arriving.

** The lead time starts when we have all the above finalized.

Your new benchtop is resistant to scratches, stains and heat; however, we do not advise that you put this to the test! The manufacturers have spent millions of dollars in research and development to ensure a hard-wearing surface, but we do require you to follow some general rules to ensure your new benchtop keeps looking as good as the day you got it.

• Always use a heat mat or chopping board to put any hot pots or pans on. This includes fry pans, slow cookers etc.
• Use a chopping board for cutting foods
• Do not drag objects across the surface of your benchtop.
• Avoid using abrasive cleaners such as jif, oven cleaner etc
• For day to day cleaning, warm soapy water will do the trick. We recommend using Quartz Cleaner once a week to keep your benchtop looking great. For further for cleaning information, please visit our Care & Maintenance page.

The most popular and recommended method is undermounting, there are a few extra options available in Acrylic like drainer flutes etc, these can be discussed at our show room.

**Please note we will not take responsibility if we undermount an overmount designed bowl with a drainer tray

** We will not undermount granite bowls with drainers in Laminate tops and will not Undermount any bowl with drainer over 1050mm in Engineered stone.

** Please note sink over 1060mm for the cut-out will need to be overmounted**

**Please note some sinks and drainer are designed to be either overmount or undermount, Lamiform will not undermount a sink recommended for overmount**

Our joints are approximately 2mm wide. They are then filled with a coloured epoxy to make them unobtrusive. There is still the need for some flexible joints around the perimeter. Joins will be visible in Stone and Laminate benchtops and Noticeable in high swirl content acrylic benchtop colours.

We always recommend that hot pots and pans never be placed directly on the stone surface but onto a heat trivet or wooden chopping board avoiding damage by sudden and rapid temperature changes.

Family owned business who has been a Taranaki local for all his life. Laminate formers has been part of Taranaki for 30+ years. The business has been passed onto workers who has passion to keep the business going to the high standards we have today. Lamiform is Taranaki’s only accredited silica fabricator. Lamiform is also a Corian accredited fabricator. Taranaki’s leading manufacturer for over 30 years. Lamiform has been built and driven with their passion for corian and with strong support from their like-minded team of professionals.