Frequently asked questions
Do you come out to take "site" measurements?
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Yes, for solid surface benchtops such as engineered stone or acrylic, we come out to your home or commercial site to take precise measurements of your new benchtop. We can only do this once your new joinery is in place. We call this process, "taking a template".
We don't need these precise measurements for quoting purposes though, so send us your own measurements and we will quote from your measurements. When taking a template, if we find that there is a big enough discrepancy between your measurements and the actual measurements to warrant us making a change to the quoted pricing (either way), we would always discuss that with you at the time.
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For laminate benchtops, we don't generally take a template, we normally make to your measurements. However, we can take templates on arrangement. Call us to discuss the options.
Can you quote based on a square metre rate?
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Due to our vast range of materials, sheet sizes, price points, patterns, thicknesses, and designs, it is impossible for us to provide you with a square metre rate for your benchtop. Instead, we will provide you with a quote tailored to your requirements; you can call in with your drawing, or email it to us at info@benchtopconcepts.co.nz. Alternatively, visit our quote page.
What do we have to do before you come out to take a template?
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We visit your place to take a template when your joinery is in place. If your kitchen or bathroom is undergoing a renovation, for a true and proper template we prefer to take the template when your old benchtop has been removed, but we can work around it if absolutely essential. However, if you have an older style "coved" upstand, we will definitely require your old benchtop to be removed prior to templating.
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If we have agreed that your old benchtop can remain in position while we template, we do ask that you remove all objects from your benchtop (including those last minute breakfast dishes), and clean it down, before we arrive.
Where are the joins, and will they show?
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For laminate and stone benchtops, any benchtop joins will be visible, although we do our best to make them as neat as possible. If a seamless look is required, consider one of our acrylic products.
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In order for you to obtain a full warranty on stone benchtops, we will always place a join in an "L" shaped benchtop. If the placement of that join is important to you, please discuss it with us, otherwise we will make the decision based on our own expertise.
The samples we have looked at are so small, can we see larger sheets?
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Decision making can be tough! If we don't have either large offcuts or full sheets of your selected colour choice in our own factory, we can often arrange for you to visit our supplier, particularly to inspect large slabs of stone. This is especially important with "grainy" patterns, as a small sample is often not representative of the overall look of the sheet. We love to do this, please don't hesitate to ask.
How long does it take to make our benchtop?
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For a solid surface (acrylic or stone) benchtop, allow about 10 working days from templating to installation.
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For a laminate benchtop, generally allow 2-3 weeks from when you place your order with us through to completion ready for pickup. Often we can push a job through for you though, so just call us to discuss your requirements.
We are coming to visit your showroom, what should we know?
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The experienced showroom team here at Benchtop Concepts know that it can be a bit overwhelming coming into our showroom and being faced with so many options! To help us to assist you to make the right choices, it's extremely helpful if you bring along your dimensions, and some swatches of the materials you are already using - flooring sample, paint colour, joinery sample, etc. If you doing a kitchen makeover and have existing joinery you are trying to match, consider removing a kitchen drawer and bring that in to us so that we can help you find just the right colour match!
If you don't have any of those things - no problem! We love to talk about our product ranges and feel sure we will be able to show you something which will inspire you.
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We are happy for you take samples away and look at them in your own home for a day or so.