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Engineered stone („quartz“) was developed by Italian company Breton in 60ies of the 20th century.
Engineered stone contains circa 94% natural materials (crushed quartz, sometimes less granite); the rest is formed
by polyester resin, additives and pigments.
The trademarks Technistone (Czech product) and Silestone (Spanish product) do not differ much; they are manufactured
on the same technology. A slight advantage of Silestone is antibacterial protection Microban and in the meantime also special colours resembling marble (so called „veins“ technology, on which Technistone is working now, too), the disadvantage is higher price.
Bulk density |
2.4 g/cm³ |
Hardness |
6-7 according to Mohs |
Flexural strength |
50-70 MPa |
Abrasiveness |
about 6 mm |
Volume absorption |
0.02 % |
Heat resistance |
140°C guaranteed, 180°C reached by kitchen tests |
Chemical resistance |
product will be damaged by long-term action of KOH (200g/l), H2SO4 (70%), KMnO4 (10g/l), HF (10%), for standard kitchen service quite irrelevant |
Ecological parameters |
meets the 51 NSF/ANSI Standard for contact of the material with foodstuffs, thanks to completely closed surface it does not support bacteria growth |
Advantages and disadvantages by usage as surface material
Advantages:
High hardness and almost zero absorption
Practical 100% colour consistency
Quite sufficient chemical resistance
Resistance to microorganisms
Disadvantages:
Average heat resistance
Visible joints on longer products necessary (longer than 3m)