High pressure laminate (HPL) is the technical term for what most people call "Formica".  It was invented in 1913 and used as an electrical insulator and was a much cheaper alternative to Mica. So thats how it got its name, it was a replacement for mica - FORMICA!

It is made from saturating layers of paper with melamine resin. They are then pressed under heat and high pressure so that the layers consolidate and form a single sheet of laminate.

The sheets of laminate are then pressed onto a substrate of whatever thickness you require, usually between 30mm to 60mm thick.

It is by far the leading choice of kitchen benchtops because of the choice of hundreds of colours, finishes, it is hardwearing, easy to clean, longlasting, and compared to other surfaces - really cost effective!

There are differing levels of quality when it comes to laminate. Thickness plays a big part. The thickest is Pionite at 1mm, followed closely by Formica at 0.9mm. Most quality laminates are 0.9mm or 0.8mm thick, going donw to 0.7mm on the budget range. There are thinner laminates out there. Be careful - they don't last, they delaminate and damage very easliy!

Granite was once out of reach of most consumers and was considered a highly premium product. It is now much more affordable thanks to volume and the influx of supply from China.

Granite is a natually occuring stone. It is shipped to NZ in slabs, then it is polished and sealed. It is a porous material and needs to be re sealed every few years. It is extremely hardwaring and looks fantastic!

The real expense in granite is the cost of turning it from a dull stone into what you see here. Generally it is around 4 times the price of a laminate top.

There is a downside - granite tops need templating, so there is a 2 to 3 week delay bewteen the cabinets being fitted and then the top going on - so have a think about how you are going to cope if it is a renovation project!

Stonex is one of many new generation stone tops known as "engineered stone". It comes in sheets 6mm thick. These sheet are made from a process which grinds up stone aggregates such as quartz and binds them together with a resin, and coloured with pigment.

The great thing about Stonex is that the colour is easier to duplicate, as opposed to granite which is a naturally occuring substance. For this reason, the white colurs are particularly popular.

The other advantage is that you can build up the thickness to achieve a chunky look as shown here.

Remember - needs templating, just like granite.

Cost? Similar to granite, budget around $5,000 or so.

Probably the best known acrylic surface is Corian by Dupont. Staron is a new product that posseses the same properties as Corian. It is an acrylic, which means it is a synthetic resin (plastic) based material.

Its major advantage over all the other tops is that you get perfect joins. When the top is fitted, resin is applied into the joins, then sanded off so the join becomes invisible. The material is also non-porous, so it has excellent hygeine properties.

Just like any other upgraded top - it needs to be templated, so think about the delay!

The reason we use Staron instead of Corian is simply because it is more cost effective!

Cost? Budget 5 times the laminate price, lets say around $6,000 for an average size kitchen.

Stainless steel is the most hygeinic surface you can buy. Thats why you find it in hospitals and in the catering industry.

Seemless bowls are an advantage and it looks great when used in the right way.

We recommend you think about different finishes such as the linen finish as shown here. They are much tougher and don't show scratches as easily as a plain surface.

Costs around 4 times the price of laminate, but we recommend you use stainless in conjunction with other surfaces. Usually we would use stainless around the cooking area, with Stonex or granite on the island sink area perhaps.