Handover-day photographs are a poor guide to material quality. Everything is clean, nothing has moved, and no surface has been through a monsoon yet. The useful question is what a material looks like after seven years of ordinary use.
Surfaces that improve
Natural stone, solid timber and lime-based plaster all develop character rather than damage. Scratches read as patina. They cost more up front and less over the life of the building.
Surfaces that only decline
High-gloss laminate, thin veneer and painted MDF look their absolute best on day one and every day after that is a small step down. They are the right answer for a rental or a five-year fit-out, and the wrong answer for a family home.
The joint matters more than the material
Most failures we are called to fix are not material failures. They are junction failures — where two materials meet, where a slab meets a wall, where a window meets its frame. Specify the detail, not just the finish.
- Ask how each junction is sealed and what happens when the building moves
- Insist on a movement joint every 4–5 metres on long tiled runs
- Check that wet-area waterproofing turns up the wall, not just across the floor
