Kitchen Benchtops & Splashback

Pictured: Caesarstone Statuario Maximus
Kitchen Benchtops
Being the main focal point, the benchtop will heavily influence your decisions around the rest of your kitchen finishes so it’s a good place to start when selecting materials.
The kitchen bench is often used as a dining table or entertainment area as well, so it may need to accommodate more than one practical use.
Choosing the right surface is paramount. Depending on your individual needs, some options will be more suitable to you than others as each have their own unique advantages and disadvantages.
Compare the most popular kitchen benchtops
PRO TIP
Ever considered using two different benchtop materials? Think about how each space will be used and pick the most appropriate material for that area. e.g. engineered stone for food prep areas and timber or laminate for the section where you’ll be dining.
Pictured: Quantum Quartz Carrara
Kitchen Splashbacks
The most popular choice is to use the same material as the benchtop for a harmonious, elegant look that oozes high end.
Although, depending on your benchtop material, it can add to the cost considerably so it’s not always feasible.
If you’re not 100% sure, it’s best to leave this decision until after you’ve selected everything else. This way you’ll have a better idea of which product would best compliment the rest of the kitchen.
Even on a tight budget your designer will be able to help you find something that suits your design without costing a fortune.
Compare the most popular kitchen splashbacks
“It’s becoming more popular to combine two different benchtop materials together – for style and functionality, because you can separate your work spaces and use the most practical material for each.”Craig Seldon, designer for Premier Kitchens

Stone Benchtops
Edge Profile
The pencil round is a square edge with rounded radius corners. It’s clean, simple & sits flush with the kitchen cabinets. It’s also the least expensive of all edge profiles.
There are also more detailed edge profiles for those wanting something to suit a more traditional style kitchen, such as the lambs tongue (see images below.)
Edge Thickness
Which thickness is best for your kitchen design? It really comes down to personal preference and the style, mood or era you are trying to achieve. Your kitchen designer can help you select a profile and thickness to best suit your desired outcome.
Generally, thin tops feel lighter and are more subtle in relationship to the rest of the design and thicker tops appear heavier and tend to dominate the space a bit more. Thicker tops usually work better in larger kitchens, where the piece has room to breathe and looks in proportion to the space.
If your kitchen is particularly small, you might find a thinner benchtop more appropriate as it will feel less crowded. See below for examples of available edge profiles.
Edge Join – Mitred or Layered?
However, if you want your benchtop in 40mm or thicker, then you will need to choose how you’d like the edge join to be done, to create the thicker edge (see images below).
There are two types of joins to choose from – Mitred or Layered.
Mitred Edge Join
A mitred edge join is less noticeable than a laminated edge. It can be a little more prone to chipping but this is not a common problem with careful, regular use. In most cases, a mitred join is an excellent choice, however it is more expensive than a layered edge.
NOTE: Mitred joins are only available with a pencil round edge. All other edges in 40mm or thicker must be laminated.
Layered Edge Join
NOTE: Layered joins are less noticeable on colours with finer details (e.g. fine stone flecks) and more noticeable on colours with larger detail (e.g. veining).
PRO TIP
Join lines in general tend to be less noticeable in lighter colours.
20mm Pencil Round

20mm Arris

40mm Half Bull Nose, Layered Edge

20mm Half Bull Nose

Lambs Tongue (20mm)
Double lambs tongue (40mm)

40mm Shark Nose, Layered Edge

20mm Bull Nose

40mm Pencil Round, Mitred Edge

20mm Shark Nose

40mm Pencil Round, Layered Edge
Slab Sizes – Engineereed Quartz
Caesarstone
Slab size: 3060mm x 1440mm
Slab thickness: 13mm, 20mm, 30mm
Warranty: 10 Year limited warranty
Outdoor Use: Not recommended
Silestone
Slab size: 3050mm x 1400mm (Standard) and 3250mm x 1590mm (Jumbo)
Slab thickness: 12mm, 20mm, 30mm
Warranty: 25 Year lifetime warranty
Outdoor Use: Not recommended
Quantum Quartz
Slab size: 3040mm x 1400mm
Slab thickness: 20mm, 30mm
Warranty: 10 Year limited warranty
Outdoor Use: Not recommended
Smart Stone
Slab size: 3050mm x 1600mm
Slab thickness: 20mm
Warranty: 15 Year limited warranty
Outdoor Use: Not recommended