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™
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. Heat resistant. Self-healing on ULTRA Satin-X. Tested and certified.
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
- 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.
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.
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 specifically for 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 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 is an Australian-developed surface protection film system designed to protect natural and engineered stone against everyday staining and acid etching.
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 against everyday staining and acid etching. 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)
Full-resolution masters and additional project films are available to media on request.
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.
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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