Media Room
DURAFLEX Media Room
Welcome to the DURAFLEX media room.
The materials on this page may be used for editorial coverage of DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film. High-resolution photography, full test reports and founder interviews are available on request.
Media contact
Chris Dean
Co-founder, DURAFLEX
chris@surfaceprotectionfilm.com.au
The story
The Age of Marble Anxiety™
The Age of Marble Anxiety™ is the DURAFLEX editorial platform, the company's continuing body of published work on what it actually costs to live with natural stone. It runs through the DURAFLEX knowledge base, the brand campaign artwork on this page and the founders' own commentary, and it is the house narrative behind every section below. Media are welcome to draw on it and to cite it with attribution to DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film.
Swipe through the story, or read the condensed release below.
Press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · [RELEASE DATE]
DURAFLEX reaches more than 1,100 stone-protection installations across five Australian states
The self-funded Melbourne company transformed a question from an automotive client into a stone-specific surface protection system and accredited installer network.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - Marble has always come with a quiet catch.
It is beautiful, individual and inherently vulnerable. Red wine, lemon juice and ordinary daily life can leave staining or acid etching on the surface. DURAFLEX calls it Marble Anxiety™: the fear of damaging the very surface that was chosen to be enjoyed. This is the story, in nine short chapters.
The Dilemma
Red wine. Lemon juice. Guests. Children. Life. Owning marble meant playing the marble police. With marble came Marble Anxiety™.
The Promise
For decades marble owners were sold a cure. Sealers. Coatings. Epoxies. Coverings. A promise, not a solution.
The Concept
2020. Christopher Dean and Matthew Pilarinos, working in automotive paint protection film, hear a client ask: if film can protect a car, could it protect marble benchtops?
Harsh Realities
Cars are not kitchens. Paint is not stone. A bonnet is not a benchtop. Automotive PPF was not the answer.
The Pivot
Bootstrapped. Self-funded. Built brick by brick: time, investment, development, testing, certification. The idea became the entire business.
The Solution
A transparent polyurethane film developed specifically for stone. Invisible. Stops staining. Stops etching. Self-healing on ULTRA Satin-X. Independently tested in Australia.
The Vision
The finish standard came from automotive paint protection film, and the founders concluded the skills to meet it lived there too.
The Network
DURAFLEX brought the best automotive film installers in the country on board, factory teams and accredited independents. Architects and stone galleries began calling.
The Standard
DURAFLEX did not enter the surface protection film category. DURAFLEX created it. The product. The process. The network. The trust.
More than 1,100 installations across five states later, DURAFLEX remains bootstrapped, self-funded and headquartered in Melbourne, with warranties of up to 10 years depending on the product and application. The promise has not changed: choose natural stone without being afraid to live with it.
Don't worry, it's DURAFLEX.
"We did not set out to create a category. We set out to solve a problem we kept hearing about, and we refused to release anything we would not put in our own kitchens. Everything else followed from that."
Christopher Dean, Co-founder, DURAFLEX
"Our automotive background taught us that the product and the installation cannot be separated. The finish has to meet the same standard every time, which is why the installer network became such an important part of the business."
Matthew Pilarinos, Co-founder, DURAFLEX
The full press release is available to media on request.
Evidence and testing
Tested. Documented. On file.
CSIRO fire testing
Product: DURAFLEX ULTRA Satin-X
Standard: AS/NZS 1530.3:1999
Report: FNE13372
Report date: July 2025
Laboratory: CSIRO, NATA accredited laboratory 165, tested under ISO/IEC 17025
- Ignitability Index: 0 (Test range: 0-20)
- Spread of Flame Index: 0 (Test range: 0-10)
- Heat Evolved Index: 0 (Test range: 0-10)
- Smoke Developed Index: 0-1 (Test range: 0-10)
AS/NZS 1530.3 evaluates the ignitability, flame propagation, heat release and smoke development of building materials under specified test conditions. The specimen tested was the DURAFLEX laminate film applied to a marble substrate, that is, the product in its actual application rather than a generic laboratory coupon. These are fire-reaction indices. They are not a measure of contact heat, cookware or sustained surface temperature performance, and should not be reported as such.
SGS Australia
Product: DURAFLEX ULTRA Satin-X
Report: SP040463
Report date: December 2025
SGS Australia characterised the product's heat-activated self-healing performance under the conditions described in the report.
Patent-pending technology
DURAFLEX surface protection film is the subject of Australian standard patent application 2026200993, filed 11 February 2026 under the title Surface Protection Film, and provisional application 2026904630, filed 13 May 2026. The applications cover the film formulation and adhesive construction.
These applications are pending. They confer no granted patent rights at this stage, and DURAFLEX makes no claim of exclusivity in the surface protection film field on the basis of them. Please report the technology as patent pending.
Food-contact testing programme
DURAFLEX film is made from food-safe materials. A formal food-contact testing programme for the finished, installed product is currently underway.
That programme has not concluded. DURAFLEX holds no completed food-contact certification and makes no food-safety claim for the finished product, and no such certification should be reported until the programme concludes and results are published on this page.
Full test reports are available to media on request. Testing statements relate specifically to the product samples, methods and conditions identified in the respective reports.
Founders
Christopher Dean and Matthew Pilarinos
Christopher Dean
Co-founder - Brand, Strategy and Commercial Direction
Christopher Dean is the co-founder and strategic architect of DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film.
Before DURAFLEX, Chris built and worked across advertising and eCommerce businesses, developing experience in brand positioning, customer acquisition, digital growth and bringing new products to market.
When the opportunity in stone protection emerged, Chris shaped how the problem would be understood and how the solution would be brought to market. He developed the DURAFLEX brand, articulated the concept of Marble Anxiety™, designed the customer journey and established the company's position as a specialist stone-protection business rather than an extension of automotive film.
Today, Chris leads brand strategy, marketing, sales, customer acquisition, product positioning and the broader commercial direction of DURAFLEX.
Matthew Pilarinos
Co-founder - B2B, Operations and Industry Partnerships
Matthew Pilarinos is the co-founder of DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film.
Before DURAFLEX, Matthew built his career in high-end automotive detailing and paint protection film. His clients expected exceptional preparation, precise installation and an uncompromising finish, standards that matched Matthew's own attention to detail.
As DURAFLEX moved entirely away from automotive film and into stone protection, Matthew played a central role in developing the installation process, trade model and accredited installer network.
Today, Matthew leads B2B relationships, operations, installer development, industry partnerships and commercial trade relationships.
About DURAFLEX
Company descriptions
100-word company description
DURAFLEX is a Melbourne-based Australian company that develops and installs surface protection film that stops staining and etching on natural and engineered stone. Founded in 2020 by Christopher Dean and Matthew Pilarinos, DURAFLEX grew from their combined backgrounds in advertising, eCommerce, automotive detailing and paint protection film. Rather than rebadging automotive film, the founders developed a stone-specific polyurethane film and installation system. DURAFLEX ULTRA Satin-X has been fire tested by CSIRO, with heat-activated self-healing characterised by SGS Australia. More than 1,100 installations have been completed across five Australian states through accredited, automotive-trained installers, with warranties of up to 10 years.
50-word company description
DURAFLEX is an Australian surface protection film company founded by Christopher Dean and Matthew Pilarinos. Developed specifically for stone rather than rebadged from automotive film, the system stops staining and etching and is installed by accredited, automotive-trained specialists. DURAFLEX has completed more than 1,100 installations across five states, with warranties of up to 10 years.
One-sentence description
DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film permanently prevents etching and staining of the protected marble substrate while the film remains correctly installed and intact.
Quick facts
DURAFLEX at a glance
Company
DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film
Founded
2020
Founders
Christopher Dean and Matthew Pilarinos
Headquarters
Melbourne, Australia
Business model
Bootstrapped and self-funded
Category
Surface protection film for natural and engineered stone
Installations completed
More than 1,100
Current coverage
Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia
Installer model
Accredited, automotive-trained specialists
Warranty
Up to 10 years, depending on product and application
CSIRO report
FNE13372
SGS Australia report
SP040463
Media contact
Chris Dean, chris@surfaceprotectionfilm.com.au
DURAFLEX in action
Real installation: the DURAFLEX Bundoora project.
Photography
High-resolution, captioned images for editorial use. Credit: DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film.
Installed projects
Suggested caption: DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film installed over natural stone to create a transparent physical barrier that prevents staining and acid etching from reaching the protected stone. Credit: Image courtesy of DURAFLEX.
Project photography
Full project galleries for every completed installation are at surfaceprotectionfilm.com.au/projects.
Project films
Web-optimised installation films, no audio, suitable for embeds and social. Credit: DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film.
- Brighton East, 30-second kitchen feature (MP4)
- Beaumaris installation feature (MP4)
- Ivanhoe whole-home feature (MP4)
- Glen Waverley installation feature (MP4)
Additional web-optimised project films are available to media on request. The films supplied here carry no audio track and are cleared for editorial use. Full-resolution masters are not distributed.
Product and application
Suggested caption: An accredited DURAFLEX installer applies and precision-trims surface protection film over a sealed stone benchtop. Credit: Image courtesy of DURAFLEX.
Suggested caption: DURAFLEX installations are completed by accredited specialists with backgrounds in automotive paint protection film. Credit: Image courtesy of DURAFLEX.
Brand campaign artwork
Suggested caption: DURAFLEX's The Age of Marble Anxiety™ campaign visualises the fear of damaging natural marble and the company's origins in automotive surface-protection technology. Credit line: Campaign artwork courtesy of DURAFLEX.
DURAFLEX-created campaign artwork, supplied for editorial use and never presented as editorial coverage. Credit line: Image courtesy of DURAFLEX. A designed text version is held by DURAFLEX and available on request.
Brand assets
Primary logo
Download SVG (vector master). PNG exports and dark-background variants are available to media on request.
Please use the full DURAFLEX Surface Protection Film lockup at first mention. Use it unaltered with clear space around it; do not recolour, stretch or restyle it. Dark-background and wordmark-only variants are available to media on request.
Expert commentary
What our founders can speak to
Christopher Dean and Matthew Pilarinos are available to journalists, editors and producers as named expert sources on the following subjects. Interviews can be arranged in person in Melbourne, or by phone or video.
- Acid etching on marble. Why household acids dull and mark a polished stone surface, and why etching is a physical change to the stone rather than a stain that can be cleaned off.
- Staining and absorption. How porous natural stone takes up oil, wine and pigment, and what that means day to day in a working kitchen.
- The limits of sealers and coatings. What penetrating sealers can and cannot do as a category, why reducing absorption is not the same as preventing acid etching, and how the resealing cycle is usually presented to stone owners.
- Whether marble is practical. The question buyers, designers and stonemasons argue about most, and an honest account of the trade-offs.
- Living with natural stone. Owner behaviour, the anxiety that surrounds an expensive surface, and where that anxiety comes from.
- Physical protection film as an approach. How a transparent applied barrier differs in principle from a chemical treatment, and the practical limits of each.
- Developing a stone-specific product. Why automotive paint protection film did not transfer to stone, and what had to change in adhesive behaviour, clarity and installation method.
- Patent-pending technology. The film formulation and adhesive construction described in the pending applications set out above.
- The current food-contact testing programme. What is being tested, why a benchtop film raises the question at all, and what a result would and would not establish.
DURAFLEX will not comment on, or adjudicate, the test results or marketing claims of other companies.
Media contact
Chris Dean, Co-founder
Interviews, high-resolution photography and full test reports for media.
Don't worry, it's DURAFLEX.
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