counters

Reply to: The reason some people can get away with a hot pot on one granite and not another is the same reason you cant put it on Quartz.....Resin. In the granite industry 25 years ago it was more abut monuments and construction materiel than it was counter tops. The selection of stone was not vast as it was now if you want an example of what colors existed 25 years ago take a walk in a cemetery not to much choice. The reason I point that out is those original granites where quarried out of the ground in the shape of a loaf of bread (block)then sawn up like the slices in a loaf of bread (slabs). Next they pass the slabs through a line polisher and polish it to a high gloss. These colors are dense stones and usually free of micro fissures mica and other crap that makes granite fragile this is the type of stone you can put a hot pot on no problem. As popularity for the use of counter tops grew so did the demand for more exotic colors but these exotic stones once cut into slabs were full of cracks holes pits mica and all the other crap us fabricators dislike in natural stone. To make these colors practical for counter tops resin was introduced. After the sawing process the slabs are heated up and coated with a liquid resin the heat helps the resin penetrate deep in the stone. After the resin drys it continues to the polisher as usual. The result of this resin is a more durable slab with a cleaner surface finish that is also darker with a great gloss. This is the type of stone if you put a hot pot or an acidic product on you will burn the resin in the slab and end up with pictures like joseph. Now a days the stone industry has more granites with resin than without even the older original stones are getting a coat of resin to enhance the colors. So when people ask me can I put hot pots on granite the answer is no. You might hear how Quartz companies say their product is safer for your health than stone, Well its true. Radon emitted from granite being the most popular scare tactic is one. The other reason i choose Quartz over granite is the chemicals thrown on granites. Absolute black for example is a very popular stone in both monuments and counter tops but as picky as we the consumers are in the search for the flawless look of a pure black counter tops, Suppliers have to tweak the work of mother nature because she just isn't good enough for todays kitchens. So the block of black is quarried and sliced as usual, It is one of the most dense stones available so it dosent need resin. Now dont think "oh good i can throw a hot pan on my absolute black counter top because their is no resin" because where it lacks in resin it makes up in black dye. After the sawing process they soak the slabs in black dye then polish them. Absolute black comes from India so what regulations they have to what sort of dyes they can throw at it is beyond me. A colleague of mine was visiting a suppliers in India to purchase containers of absolute black. Absolute black can have natural gas spots in the stone resulting in a big wet looking circle on your slab. The solution one of these suppliers had to deal with this problem was to hide the spots by soaking the slabs in hydraulic oil and essentially making the whole slab one big oil stain then black dye.This was being done while he was visiting the facility and was normal to them. Im not done yet! I had a client a long time ago walking through our inventory who fell in love with a certain stone but the colors didn't match her decor. To my surprise she asked if i could stain it like they do wood to make it fit her decor i laughed and said no. Well turns out 10 years later i was wrong. If you owned a quarry and wanted to double your revenue on your particular stone with out banging on fabricators doors for sales how would you do It? Take that crazy question i was asked 10 years ago and make it possible, When i received a stone called feratto to produce a counter top the supplier gave me a can with it said you need this for the edges its to stain it to match the top. I just chuckled to my self and thought of that lady 10 years ago. The reason for this story is again no hot pots and more chemicals on your kitchen counter. I have attached two photos one with dye and one without, same quarry but sold as two different stones. By the way the remnant from that job was put outside and 6 months later the sun has burned it back to its original color. So after this long history lesson on granite (if your still reading) you know now i chose quartz for my kitchen. When it comes to quartz if you suffer from some form of mild O.C.D stay away from the dark solid uniform colors they show every little defect on the surface. You will need to clean your counters with a glass cleaner instead of just soapy water because it will look like a dirty film, its like owning a brand new black car its going to be hard to keep it looking clean. As for chipping its more durable than most granite and sinterd products like dekton and neolith the sharper the edge on any product the more prone it is to chip. I recommend a pencil edge, thats a radius of the size of a #2 pencil very easy to produce by hand or cnc so not expensive to produce. As for cracks the majority of cracked quartz counters comes from poor fabrication and install. All inside corners on a quartz must have a minimum radius of 1/2 if you ask to have square corners because it fits your "modern design" and you must have it then your voiding the warranty supplied my the quartz supplier and fabricator. That dosent mean it will crack i have done thousands of square corners and seen maybe half a dozen crack in my years but the client was always warned that it is a possibility. If you dont know what brand of quartz to go with and think they are all the same aside from price just hold a sample of Cambria next to a sample of Ceaserstone or Silestone and look at it on an angle to a light. A good example to compare is Cambria Whitehall next to Ceaserstone blizzard the two look exactly the same until you see the gloss on an angle Ceaserstone looks like a sandy finish where as Cambria has a mirror finish gloss. They both stand true to stain resistant but the glossy finish will repel stubborn grime more than the sandy finish and it will clean easier. Cambria is in my opinion not just the better quality but they lead the way in setting new designs that the others try to copy. That's my 2 cents!

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Reply to: Granite will last a long time just like quartz. They are both great products. One you have to seal the other you do not. One is man-made and the other is mined from the Earth. It really is a matter of preference. Do you prefer lots of natural movement, then go with granite. If you do not like the granite look or prefer a marble look, then quartz has some great options. I have seen a lot of kitchens done with a really nice high end granite on the island and then the perimeter of the kitchen done in quartz as to high-light the island. You do use different products to clean granite vs. quartz. Not a big deal but it is good to know. Windex or glass cleaner should be used on quartz. You cannot use Windex on granite, due to the ammonia in it. You cannot use granite cleaner or polisher on quartz as it will basically sit on the counter and need to be stripped off. You can always ask your dealer or fabricator how to properly care for your material and they should be able to assist you. You can also go to the different brand's website for more information on their products and what they recommend. For example, www.caesarstoneus.com, www.cambriausa.com, etc. Quartz generally has less problems than granite. There are a lot of fabricators that do not want to cut quartz because they do not have the proper tooling to fabricate the product correctly. You have to use diamond cutting tools to cut quartz and you have to operate a wet shop, not dry like some fabricators still use today. You can call the quartz brand to find a reputable fabricator in your area that is knowledgeable to cut their product and you can also go to Marble Institute of America's website and look up their MIA Accredited fabricators in your area. The accredited fabricators are held to a much higher standard of work as they have to go through almost a year long vetting process.

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Reply to: Quartz is growing in popularity! Quartz is man-made and the top tier quartz products are Caesarstone, Cambria and Silestone. Quartz countertops were first brought out by Caesarstone. These three companies have 93% quartz and 7% resin in their make-up. The resin is what binds the quartz together and help to keep the even color throughout the slabs. Their are many different quartz brands and most other brands have less quartz and more resin. You have to do your homework on the different brands out there just like you do with any appliance or TV set. Quartz alone is almost impervious to scratching and heat, but the resin, which is like a glue, is not. I have worked with quartz for over 8 years now and I can honestly say that I will be using quartz in my next home in both the bathrooms and kitchen. Quartz does not need to be sealed and is great for people with food allergies, such as milk or peanut, because of the ease with which you can clean up spills. You do need to be aware that you should use cutting boards or the quartz will dull your knife. I would never put a pan from the oven or stove directly onto a quartz countertop. Anything from the microwave will be fine. Quartz is hard to stain, red wine, lemon juice, even hair dye does not stain quartz. You have to have something highly acidic to stain the surface. Even nail polish is easily removed with a quick cleaning of nail polish remover followed by a wet paper towel. I would also recommend using a dish towel under a crock pot if you use one as the radiant heat might cause a chemical reaction. Again, this is only due to the resin. I have had someone tell me one that they had seen a slab of granite and a slab of quartz fall over on a dock at the same time and the granite broke into a million pieces and the quartz was hardly damaged. I hope this helps and I am sorry for the long post.

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Reply to: Awesome. I just went hunting for you. Have you seen the Zodiaq quartz Portoro? It is a, I'll call it a light black, with fine veining in white and I think it looks a lot like the more expensive soapstone. I know I am probably beating a dead horse, but it would look stunning now and be timeless look with your cabinetry. Just take a look at it and then if you still want the cream, go for it. It so reminds me of "cultured marble" products of many years ago, that I can't quite cope with the beige quartz. But your kitchen and your home and your money. Just trying to steer you toward some alternative options. :)

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Reply to: Hi akaur007, we went with the Statuary Classique. Here are some pictures.

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Reply to: I have honed ab. Yes,it scratches if I slide something gritty on it, like a box or ice chest, so I've learned not to. the color enhancer stuff really doesn't work I was told as the grain of the granite is too fine for absorption. same with sealers. I'm glad it's just my island and all of my other counters are sensible quartz. I've taught my husband to stay away from doing messy or violent things on the island.

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Reply to: This is Daltile One Quartz Broadway Black leathered, I believe

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Reply to: Examples

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Reply to: Well, a vendor came out (Daltile sent them per contractors request, I understand) and said that a sealer will solve the problem. The contractor doesn’t admit the stains are damage, says they are normal because we chose this countertop. We still think they should have either sealed when they installed or covered and protected the countertops during work. The vendor will use Aqua Mix Enrich N Seal - it will darken the countertops and supposedly hide the stains. He showed us a sample he made using the same countertop material- the water runs right off it. We will see on Friday how this turns out. We hope this will hide the damage and we will be able to cook normally in our kitchen!

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Reply to: This is a twofold problem. Non polished Quartz just behaves like that. It stains and blotches from Oils and dirt. Dealing with that is part of choosing non polished Quartz. So if you didn't want the extra maintenance, you chose the wrong material. But the GC should always immediately protect the counter after it is installed. That is on the GC of the job. He should have let the first staining issue be all yours to deal with. If he can't fix it, he buys you new. I suggest polished only.

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Reply to: Hi Olivia sorry for the delay. Here is what chantilly lace flat panel looks like against the silestone

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Reply to: Hi all, Here are preliminary pictures of my kitchen. I used Silestone Calacatta Gold on my island, perimeter countertops and backsplash with white shaker cabinets. Hope this is helpful to someone. :)

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Reply to: Here is Via lactea leather with subway for a visual. Its a durable stone too

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Reply to: Hey! Silestone's soapstone is a nice option. Imho it looks more natural in suede finish. Via Lactea leather finish is a granite with a similar feel if you wanted to use natural stone. I'm not the biggest fan of using a marble like tile for the splash with these counter materials.

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Reply to: 1 and 4 from the first,,,,and 2 from the new selection. love fireclay and love the tiles! my friend did the glass from fireclay and a natural soapstone these blue ones are also fireclay and have a black countertopother fireclay colors this is a quartzite called Negresco. resembles soapstone but is stronger. and if you get it honed, it's a lighter gray color

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Reply to: Not what you asked but look at brushed/leathered Via Lactea granite if you want soapstone look. Dd getting this installed next Friday in her remodel. Gorgeous.

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Reply to: I did honed Via Lactea in my new build and I absolutely love it. No fingerprints or smearing and very easy to clean. Check out Sherwin Williams Silver Satin.

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Reply to: Here are a couple of pics that I had on my phone. I am very happy with the charcoal silestone.

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Reply to: You will need the taller rear trim (13"?) instead of teh island trim. All quartz contains resins that will scorch if too close to a high flame. Yes, it's heat resistant. Heat resistant isn't heat proof and plastic burns.

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Reply to: Quiltgirl1, I am having the same struggle picking a countertop, and am also very interested in the Silestone Charcol Silestone. I live 2 hours from any showroom, so if you happen to see any in person, or if you do use it in your kitchen, I'd love to see a photo! It looks very black on my computer monitor, but I wonder if its more grey in real life. SInce I'm so torn between black and white, I might just go with a mid-grey colour. SIlestone Serene looks pretty: sort of a light grey with subtle white veining. perhaps the grey would match nicely With your marble counter?

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Reply to: I have two different (dark) granite counter tops in my kitchen. One is American Black and the other is Blue Ray. The American Black has a suede finish which I believe is the same as leathered. This counter top is fantastic. It does not show fingerprints or smudges, but it's easy to see food and spills. The other is polished and it's a pain in the rear. Fingerprints and smudges all over the place. I have to take a towel and rub it in order to get the smears from washing it down. My experience says it's not necessarily the lightness or darkness, but the finish of the countertop that makes a difference.

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Reply to: Ok so here are new photos with the countertops in. Still waiting for the plumber to hook up the sink and reinstall the dishwasher and for the contractors to finish installing the rangehood. I also have some painting to do (I have decided to remove the yellow in the kitchen area). So that really just leaves deciding on the backsplash.

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