I would also love anyone's advice on the viscount white granite for a bathroom countertop. We found a remnant piece at a nearby stoneyard for a good price, but I'm having trouble finding anyone who has used it and can comment on staining, for example. Does anyone have any experience using this granite? Our other option is Kashmir White. Thank you!

I originally wanted engineered stone (quartz) b/c I had heard how maintenance-intensive granite was...in particular, having to seal it several times a year. I did some research and discovered that in reality, most granite is NOT labor/maintenance-intensive, it's pretty easy. Granted I do have one of the so-called "bullet-proof" stones (Absolute Black Premium), but even for those that aren't, sealing is really only needed once or twice a year and is actually pretty easy. Regardless of what anyone tells you, nothing, including engineered stone, is "bullet-proof". I have some rainbow "stains" around my sink cutouts & faucet holes that are due, I think, to fabrication and nothing can be done about it...but nothing else has happened to it and it's never been sealed. Engineered stone has resin, so some thought about being careful with heat is in order (melting/scorching). I suspect it's not a huge risk, but it's possible. Granite might crack due to thermal shock if you put a hot pot on it...again, I don't know how big a risk is, but it is a risk. Both can be chipped. Both can be scratched if something harder than it is dragged across it (like a diamond ring!) Even engineered stone can stain...I've seen a post or two about that (it's been awhile, but I remember the shock!) I suggest that whatever you decide on, take home a sample of your slab (if granite) or a sample of your chosen engineered stone and test it. See the "Read Me" thread for some of the tests to perform. Scroll down to the "Miscellaneous Information" topic (it links to a "stone advice & checklist" thread). Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens!

I don't have it but at my local mall, just outside the Restoration Hardware, Granite Transformations has a kiosk. Based on what I've seen, it is nothing like a quartz countertop: those are solid. This is a v. thin covering which goes over your existing countertops. (Again, this is all based on the kiosk mock-ups where they have their product cut away so you can see the formica or tile countertop underneath.) Based on this, for me to ever consider it it would have to be waaaay more than 2/3 less than a quartz countertop. (as in, it would have to be much less expensive) But I've no idea its durability -- it could be great. But given how thin it is and based on what you wrote of its price, I'd rather get the real deal, a solid surface. It'll be interesting to hear what you think of your friend's countertop. Let us know!

Response from Granite Transformations: This will be a long post so I apologize in advance. I feel we must defend ourselves and let our side of the story be known. It is very unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation. Per the customers request, we went out to their home for a bid since they had seen our product on the internet. The customer, requested Nero Stella, Mel asked if he wanted to visit our showroom since they had never seen the product installed, he declined stating they had seen our sample pictures on our website. Mel took several 12x12 samples including the Nero Stella that they had picked from the internet. 1) The husband signed a binding contract to extend the island and picked the color all without the presence of his wife. 2) Soft corners were discussed with the customer and illustrated on their island how we make them at a 45 degree angle due to the concerns of his wife. It is physically impossible to round or curve a small corner with our product. 3) Contracts were signed with a commercial grade Price Pfister faucet included in the price of the install that had previously been discussed with the husband over the phone. 4) Our product was installed according to the contract and our installer asked both Mr. and Mrs. to do the final inspection of our install. 5) They both said it was good and thanked our installers. The completion form specifically states that "if you are completely satisfied" then please sign the form below. The customer signed the Completion and Payment form. 6) They did not make the final payment and our installers cleaned up and left their home. To our knowledge, and to our installers knowledge, he did not pay the final amount ONLY due to the confusion with plumbing. At no time during the installation process did he express any concerns or problems with the product to either the installer or management. 7) I called the customer Friday after the install to collect the final payment. She stated that the install was not complete because the plumbing had not been done. 8) I explained to her that plumbing was not part of the contract and was never mentioned. 9) To resolve this issue, I offered to send out our plumber because of the misunderstanding, but she said no that she would get a plumber to install the plumbing over the weekend. I offered a $100 discount to resolve this issue and set a meeting for Monday at 11:30pm. And she accepted my offer. 10) I met with the wife and she stated that she did not like our product and the soft corners and that laminate looked better than our granite. 11) To be honest, this did irritate me and I explained to her that our granite was far superior to the granite that she had installed on the rest of their kitchen. 12) She asked if the soft corners could be fixed and I said no that a whole new top would have to be made and that we had delivered exactly what the contract stated. 13) She told me that her husband and son said that we would install rounded corners which is not possible due to the thickness of our product. I never mentioned rounded corners. 14) I asked her for final payment and she said no. I said that was fine and gathered my things and started leaving the house. I explained to her that we had procedures that we follow with certified mail and if we do not get paid, we turn it over to our lawyer. 15) By this time I was outside and she followed me and was screaming at me from her drive way that she would "blast me all over the internet" and I responded that we would get to respond also. 16) She was the one that was threating me. 17) He later offered to pay half of the final bill. I responded that the final install price was non-negotiable. 18) He then agreed to send in the final payment and "blast us all over the internet" which they have done. 19) He chose the product and color without her approval or presence. 20) I asked more than once for them to come and visit our showroom to view our products prior to install date which he declined to do so. The product was chosen by them from a picture of a sample on our website and they declined our offers to come in to our show room to see the product in person. They signed a completion form stating that they were completely satisfied and complimented the product to both our installers, to which they admit doing in their review. The only reason given to our installers as to why a final payment was not made was because of the confusion with the plumbing to which we promptly resolved. At no time during the installation were our installers made aware of any problems with the work performed or the product itself. She simply did not like the product once she saw it installed which is also the first time either of them had seen it in person, other than the 12x12 sample pieces that were shown to the husband during the bid process. This is the reason we asked them numerous times to come in to our showroom to view our product. Again, its unfortunate that it has come to this. We did everything we stated we would do in our contract. Granite Countertops are custom made and its not a simple task of "returning" them for a refund. We ask all of our customers to come in to our showroom to see our products installed to ensure that our product is to their liking. They never came in to our showroom to do so and his wife was not present during the bid/contract signing process. The issue is not that it was a shoddy installation or a shoddy product. It was a great installation and a great product that Mr. and Mrs. admitted to agreeing to our installers in their review and signed a form stating everything was done to their satisfaction. The husband decided on the product and color on his own and the wife did not like the color or product itself after it was installed, which again, was the first time she had ever seen it. We take our reputation very seriously and feel we have been unjustly "blasted" by this customer. We have an A+ rating with the BBB and we try our best to satisfy our customers. Again, this is a very unfortunate situation but we feel the need to defend our reputation, both business and personal, from these unjust reviews. Thank you