Staining is one of the most common issues for many natural stone surface materials such as limestone, marble and even some types of granite, generally the light coloured ones when being used as kitchen worktops. To minimize the chances of staining, users would need to seal their stone surfaces every 12-24 months, ensuring their worktops remain resistant to staining from foods and liquids with colouring agents in them. This annual routine not just adds up to the cost of owning the material but also significantly increases the maintenance requirements of your worktop surfaces. Thanks to the latest manufacturing technologies, there are now several great materials which are stain-resistant and do not require sealing yet look exactly like natural marble, granite, limestone or even like building decoration materials such as concrete and cement.
If you are looking for such advanced materials, we have some great options for you-
1. Silestone
Silestone is created from mixing pure natural quartz and a host of raw materials which are extraordinarily resilient and hard. The material is stain resistant, strong, and also resistant to heat and scratches. All these outstanding characteristics are combined with beauty similar to that of natural stone, making it a great choice for every modern home. Silestone is available in many different colours, slab sizes, thicknesses and textures to help you pick the right material as per your requirements.
2. Caesarstone
Headquartered in Israel, Caesarstone is a world-renowned quartz surface manufacturer. The engineered quartz surfaces offered by the Company are made from natural quartz, polymers and pigments which are compressed under high pressure and vibrated in vacuum to create a material that is not only beautiful but also has advanced physical characteristics, resulting in surfaces that will never require sealing. Caesarstone has come up with designs such as Rugged Concrete, Raw Concrete and Sleek Concrete which evoke the natural beauty of industrial materials such as cement and concrete, without any of the issues inherent to this popular materials.
3. Dekton
Dekton is the latest technological combination of a formula of 20 carefully selected minerals, including porcelain, quartz, and glass. These materials go through an advanced SPT (Sinterized Particle Technology) process which is an accelerated version of the metamorphic process which natural stone goes through over thousands of years. Dekton is non-porous, ultra-compact, stain-resistant, and is free from micro-defects which are responsible for creating weak spots on stone surfaces. Dekton is further enhanced when compared to quartz in that it is resistant to UV rays, meaning it can be used indoors as well as outdoors, brigning new design possibilities to gardens, patios, terraces and balconies.
4. Compac
Founded in 1975, Compac is a reputed Spanish decorative surface manufacturer, producing quartz stone and also marble composite materials. The Company offers an extensive range of marble and quartz surfaces in different sheet sizes, finishes and thicknesses, ensuring there is a right type of Compac surface for any type of interior application. This Company is popular for the wide range of colour options that it offers for its quartz surfaces as well as for being very active in coming up with new and distinctive materials before the rest of the market. Its latest quartz Collections include, Unique and Ice of Genesis, which can be considered by buyers looking for a stain resistant and beautiful material for their home.
5. Neolith
Neolith offers a wide range of sintered surfaces which are highly durable and ideal for interior and exterior installations. Since its inception in 2009, The Size who makes Neolith alongside other materials such as Granith has managed to come up with new and revolutionary designs that have made it a world leader in stone surfaces.
The Company regularly launched new materials and is a preferred choice of professional architects, homebuilders and designers all over the world. Some of the most popular collections from Neolith are Classtone, Timber, Colorfeel, Iron, and Steel. The Company also offers a large number of finishes including Nanotech Polished, Satin, Silk, Decor Polished, and Riverwashed.
6. Unistone
Unistone is a hard composite material which is made from approximately 90% natural quartz. The innovative Breton technology is used for manufacturing this material which ensures that the final product is strong, durable and versatile. Unistone is manufactured in Asia and shipped to the UK being rebranded by renowned Distributor Brachot-Hermant who has over 100 years trajectory in the stone industry.
Apart from being stain resistant, Unistone is also antibacterial, food-safe and acid-resistant, smudge and scratch resistant. The maintenance-friendly surface is available in Polished, Velluto, and Letano finishes.
7. Technistone
Headquartered in Czech Republic, Europe, Technistone is a renowned quartz surface company which offers engineered quartz materials aimed for applications in bathroom cladding, kitchen worktops, and floor tiles. The hardened stone is stain resistant, scratch resistant, bacteria resistant, and waterproof. The Noble Collection, Harmonia Collection, Starlight Collection, Rustic Collection, and Essential Collection are some of the top offerings from the brand which also brought out designs evoking the natural beauty of marble and granite with a product that enjoys superior performance characteristics.
8. Diresco
Diresco uses quartz granulates and resin to manufacture engineered surfaces with excellent strength and versatility. Diresco is a brand from Belgium who has been supplying the UK market with their quartz materials for over a decade with a good degree of success in both the residential and commercial project markets.
The Company uses an advanced Bio-UV technology with the help of which it has altered the limitations of quartz surfaces and has significantly improved their physical characteristics. Apart from the Beton range, all the other collections offered by Diresco are available in velvet which provides a matt yet silky touch, and polished finishes.
9. Cambria Quartz
Located in Minnesota, USA, Cambria is a manufacturer of engineered quartz surfaces which are maintenance-free, strong, non-porous, and irresistibly beautiful. Cambria Quartz Company run by a family with origins in the UK, making most of the designs owe its names to the different regions of the United Kingdom, which preserves the history and heritage of the brand.
Cambria is the only brand of quartz stones that never discontinues their designs, which means their Collection builds up over time. Available in more than different 140 designs and counting, plus multiple finishes to help you pick the best for your home. All quartz products offered by Cambria come with a limited warranty for complete peace of mind and each design is carefully produced with an almost artisan-approach, creating unique and stunning surface materials.
These are some of the most popular stone surface brands if you are looking for materials that are stain-resistant and do not require sealing in 2018 for your kitchen in applications such as worktops, splashbacks and table tops. Get in touch with a reputed stone supplier in the UK to know more about these surfaces and select one that perfectly suits your budget and requirements.
