When you are undertaking a kitchen renovation, the kitchen benchtop is an important element that can raise the profile of your home. A well-chosen benchtop not only improves functionality but also sets the aesthetic tone for the entire kitchen. It’s one of the most touched, seen and used elements that deserves attention.
So, when you think of your dream kitchen, what benchtop do you envision?
Whilst there are many options on the market, we’ve come up with three benchtops that give a stunning finish to your Gold Coast kitchen renovation.
We have chosen these three because they each represent a distinct and powerful design direction: timeless nature, industrial chic and rustic warmth. Looking at these options will help you decide what style truly suits your home.
Natural Stone Benchtops
You can’t beat the nature and especially when it comes to natural stone benchtops. A natural stone benchtop might come with a slightly higher price tag, but when you’re looking for quality, you can’t argue that it’s worth it.
Natural stone is beautiful and unique. Nature does not do mass production, so you can guarantee that your natural sandstone will be unique to you. If properly sealed, maintained and looked after, natural sandstone can last a lifetime.
How Much Do Natural Stone Benchtops Cost?
Natural stone benchtops sit at the premium in the market, costing from $500 to $2,500+ per square metre, depending on the cost of quarrying, transporting, cutting and polishing real stone. Here’s a full guide for pricing in Australia:
Sandstone Benchtops
As one of the most affordable natural stones, sandstone typically ranges from $500 to $1,200 per square metre.
Granite Stone Benchtops
Generally, it’s more affordable. Granite benchtops typically range from $700 to $1,900 per square metre. More common colours will be at the lower end, while rarer, darker slabs will be at the higher end.
Marble Stone Benchtops
As a symbol of luxury, marble is more expensive. Expect to pay between $900 and $2,500 per square metre. Famous and rare marbles like Calacatta or Statuario are under the highest price brackets.
Quartzite Stone Benchtops
Often sitting at the top end, quartzite’s price reflects its desirable mix of beauty and durability. Prices are similar to marble, often ranging from $1,000 to over $2,500 per square metre.
*Note: Prices can also vary depending on its thickness, edge profile, cutouts for sinks/cooktops and installation complexity.
While this investment is higher than other materials like concrete or timber, the durability, aesthetic appeal and property value uplift make natural stone a worthwhile consideration for many homeowners.
Design & Aesthetic Flexibility
Natural stone offers limited design flexibility due to its naturally occurring patterns and colours. When you select a slab, you’re essentially choosing the final look of your kitchen benchtop. In return, you gain a truly unique aesthetic that sets the tone and character of your entire kitchen space. Below is an overview of each stone’s key design characteristics:
Sandstone Benchtops
Sandstone offers a warm, earthy and often rustic appeal. Its appearance is typically layered and textural, with beautiful bands of colour that evoke natural canyon walls. It’s a great choice for creating a relaxed, coastal or Mediterranean feel.
Granite Stone Benchtops
Granite offers a huge range of looks. It can have a speckled, “salt-and-pepper” appearance or feature bold waves of colour. You can find it in deep blacks, striking blues, earthy greens and soft creams. This makes it flexible enough to suit a classic country kitchen, a sleek modern design, or a warm, traditional home.
Marble Stone Benchtops
Marble provides a look of timeless elegance. Its signature is soft, flowing veins that create a graceful and luxurious feel. While best known for its classic white and grey look, marble also comes in green, black, and pink varieties. It is the perfect choice for a high-end, Hamptons-style, or classic kitchen design.
Quartzite Stone Benchtops
Quartzite gives you the best of both worlds. Many quartzite slabs have the stunning, layered veining that people love in marble, making them a true showstopper. They often come in light whites, greys, and soft neutral tones that are very popular in contemporary and coastal kitchen designs.
These materials are capable of detailed surface finishes. Available in polished, honed (matte), leathered and textured touch, offering a sleek appearance.
Things to Consider Before Choosing Natural Stone Benchtop Material
Natural stone offers incredible beauty and durability, but it also comes with a few important considerations that may affect your decision.
Weight: Stone is very heavy, which means your cabinetry must be structurally strong enough to support its weight, especially on islands.
Regular Maintenance: Natural stones are porous and require sealing to protect against stains from liquids and oils.
Natural Variation: Each slab is unique as they are all natural, so you’ll need to check our stone in person to ensure the colour and pattern suit your design vision.
Price: Natural stone benchtops are custom-made and typically range from $700 to $2,500+ per square metre, depending on the stone type, thickness and finish. Making this one of the most luxurious options available for kitchen surfaces.
Concrete Benchtops
If you’re looking for a focal point for your kitchen benchtops in Gold Coast, then you need to look at concrete. No longer just reserved for the outdoors, concrete is making its way into the house, and it looks sleek and sophisticated.
Not a fan of grey? You’ll be surprised to find that concrete engineered stone benchtops come in a variety of hues and textures.
Concrete not only looks good, it is durable and long-lasting too, so you know that you will get a beautiful benchtop for many years to come.
How Much Do Concrete Benchtops Cost?
If you’re looking for a focal point for your kitchen benchtops in Gold Coast, then you need to look at concrete. No longer just reserved for the outdoors, concrete is making its way into the house, and it looks sleek and sophisticated.
Not a fan of grey? You’ll be surprised to find that concrete engineered stone benchtops come in a variety of hues and textures.
Concrete not only looks good, it is durable and long-lasting too, so you know that you will get a beautiful benchtop for many years to come.
Design & Aesthetic Flexibility
One of concrete’s greatest strengths is its flexibility with shapes. Concrete offers an ideal solution for kitchens with unusual angles, long, sophisticated island benches or dramatic waterfall edges where the benchtop flows vertically down to the floor.
Concrete does not limit your colour options as much as you might imagine, either. By adding pigments to the mix, a huge variety of colours can be created. From sharp whites and soft neutrals to deep charcoals and earthy tones, the finish can also be adjusted to your preferred texture to suit your style.
If you want to be creative, you can have features like sinks and drainboards integrated directly into the benchtop surface. This gives concrete another layer of design flexibility while keeping a clean, unified look that is both practical and visually striking. Using modern Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete (GFRC), the slab material is also lighter and stronger than traditional concrete, allowing for these more daring designs.
While concrete is sometimes overlooked as a material choice, it can be an essential element for creating stunning industrial, modern, or minimalist kitchens.
Things to Consider Before You Choose a Concrete Benchtop Material
Sealing: Concrete is naturally porous. To protect it from stains from everyday spills like oil, coffee, or wine, it must be sealed with a high-quality, food-safe sealer.
Hairline Cracks: As concrete cures and settles, tiny, non-structural hairline cracks can sometimes appear. It is not considered a flaw, but something to be expected.
Weight: Concrete benchtops are significantly heavier than laminate or even natural stone. Your cabinetry must be strong enough to support the benchtops.
Regular Maintenance: Food safe oil sealer will need to be applied regularly to maintain its stain resistance.
Timber benchtops
Timber gives a very classic and rustic look to a home. By adding a timber benchtop to your kitchen renovation, you can add some old-world charm to a modern style. Timber, if treated properly can be durable and long-lasting, it is easily repaired and there is no mistaking how good it looks.
How Much Do Timber Benchtops Cost?
Timber benchtops offer a more accessible entry point compared to stone or concrete, although pricing depends on the timber species, thickness and whether it’s solid timber or veneer.
The cost of a timber benchtop varies widely depending on the type of wood you choose. Common, readily available timbers are quite affordable, while rare or reclaimed hardwoods will be more expensive. You can expect to pay between $600 to $1,800 per square metre installed.
Design & Aesthetic Flexibility
Timber offers a warm and natural kitchen aesthetic that no other material can quite replicate. The specific type of wood you choose defines the final look, allowing you to match the benchtop to your personal style.
Pinetrees & Bamboo Benchtops
Pinetrees and Bamboo brings a light, fresh and often modern aesthetic to a kitchen. Pine is known for its creamy-yellow colour and distinctive knots, and is a perfect timber for country or Scandinavian-style homes. Bamboo is a sustainable material offers a very clean and contemporary look, most suited to the relaxed coastal kitchens on the Gold Coast.
Oak & Australian Hardwoods Benchtops
Oak and Australian hardwoods represents the timeless and popular looks for kitchen benchtops. Oak is a classic choice, light-to-medium brown tones that provide a perfect foundation for hamptons, provincial and traditional designs. Australian Hardwoods, such as Victorian Ash, Tasmanian Oak and Blackbutt are the ideal choice for creating a warm, natural and distinctly Australian feel in any kitchen.
Walnut & Jarrah Benchtops
These timbers are chosen for their deep, rich colours and luxurious appearance. Walnut is a premium hardwood, instantly recognisable by its deep, dark chocolate-brown colour and smooth, elegant grain, making it an ideal choice for sophisticated high-end modern or mid-century style kitchens. Jarrah, a classic Australian hardwood, is famous for its deep reddish-brown hues that darken beautifully over time. Its density and rich colour create a bold and elegant finish, perfect for traditional homes or as a dramatic, warm contrast in a contemporary space.
Unlike the cool touch of stone or concrete, timber feels warm and soft, making the kitchen feel less like a sterile work zone and more like the true heart of the home. It’s a surface that evolves with you; over the years, it will develop a unique patina, a rich character that tells the story of the life lived around it.
Things to Consider Before You Choose Timber Benchtop Materials
Moisture Sensitivity: Timber is vulnerable to water damage, so sealing and regular oiling are essential to prevent warping or mould.
Regular Maintenance: To keep timber looking its best, you’ll need to oil or reseal the surface every 6–12 months, depending on use.
Scratch & Heat Risk: Timber can scratch or scorch more easily than stone or concrete. Use cutting boards and heat protection at all times.
Movement with Climate: As a natural material, timber expands and contracts with humidity and temperature changes, so installation must allow for movement.
A kitchen renovation that will last
When renovating your kitchen talk to KBHI on the Gold Coast, we are the kitchen specialists. If you want to know what materials will complement your kitchen renovation, we can assist you. Call 07 5522 1570 to achieve your dream kitchen today.