Ovi Boaru believes in his engineered, silica free benchtops so much, he has used them in all of his kitchens and laundries.

“They look elegant and beautiful and it is difficult to tell that they are not real concrete or marble,” he said.

The Cooma based, Romania-born civil engineer, imports, supplies and installs benchtops made from recycled glass, which have the appearance of concrete and marble.

Operating under the business name, Discount Benchtops, he said he is the only person providing a wholesale product like this in the local area.

“Canberra would be the closest,” he said.

“I have manufactured and installed benchtops in Eden, Canberra, Smiggins, Cooma and Bermagui.

“They are affordable and less expensive than natural concrete and marble and we are aiming to bring the price similar to the cost of laminate benchtops which people like.”

Ovi said working in the construction industry has given him an interest in sourcing good quality alternatives to expensive products like benchtops for bathrooms, kitchens and offices occasionally.

“I started the business as there were unreasonable delays and high costs to get the stock,” he said.

“My main intention was to be a wholesaler but 80 per cent of customers seem to ask also for installation and go all the way to a ready to use benchtop.

“When I started importing I found going to natural products was expensive, and then there was a ban on quartz based benchtops for safety reasons, so I researched and started again with the recycled glass products three months ago,” he said.

Ovi has five available designs at the moment.

More can be sourced subject to market demand.

“I cut them to size and then can either supply to the customer or install,” he said.

“They are ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, offices, for interior and cooler surfaces.

“When I started there was a decent demand, but things are a bit slow at the moment, the cost of construction and cost of living have gone up.

“Hopefully with all the new sub-divisions and better interest rates, things will pick up again.”

Ovi moved to Cooma in 2002 from Canberra and is settled in the area while being self-employed and married with four children.

“My main line of work is as a civil engineer in the construction industry.

“Discount Benchtops is my sideline business.”

Ovi can be contacted on 0402 152 216 for more information.