A Hunter bench-top supplier says a new ban on engineered stone has had financial implications for the industry, but her firm has moved on to selling other products.
The national ban on selling and supplying engineered stone came into effect on Monday amid mounting evidence that cutting the stone was putting workers at risk of the deadly lung disease silicosis.
Business owner Kate Welsh, from Hunter Valley Granite and Marble, said she no longer stocked or sold engineered stone, having replaced the product with a new mineral-based stone this year.
Most of the major bench-top manufacturers have started using the mineral-based product, which they say does not include dangerous crystalline silica.
Ms Welsh said the new product "looks exactly the same" as engineered stone, though it was five to 10 per cent more expensive and a full replacement colour range would not be in stock until the end of the year.
Engineered stone became the main choice for kitchen and bathroom renovators because of its price and appearance, but Ms Welsh said customers were increasingly using natural stone and porcelain bench-tops.
"We're completely finished with silica," she said.
"We stopped ordering it some time ago.
"People were worried initially about the engineered stone they already had in their houses, but it's fine as long as you don't put a grinder to it."
The new legislation allows the "controlled processing" of homeowners' existing engineered stone for minor modifications, repairs and removal.
Ms Welsh criticised the way the government had introduced the ban.
"They should have spent the money on proper audit and licensing systems at the factories instead of banning it," she said.
"All the stonemasons in the Hunter were doing the right thing. In Sydney, they're still cutting silica."
The NSW government has budgeted $2.5 million this financial year to help SafeWork NSW police the ban.
Ms Welsh said all suppliers had been left with a hefty bill to dispose of the engineered stone they had in stock.
"It's costing between $60,000 and $100,000 in lost materials and landfill expenses," she said.
"It's had huge financial implications for every business."
