I have white quartz counters and white marble tile BS. My caulk is white, and I have no staining or discoloring so far (after about 5 months). Could you recaulk?

I think that's it. The caulk should be white when the countertop and backsplash are white. I think the dark line where the two slabs meet is showing through.

I suspect the fabricator is inexperienced with white counters and it used to working with darker granite where the line between slabs would not be an issue.

My worry is that I'm reading that silicone is very difficult to remove and once you've used it, you're pretty much stuck with recaulking with silicone.

Does anyone know about removing silicone? Also, how can I tell it's silicone and not something else? I can call the fabricator, but it's difficult to find someone who speaks English.

It may not make sense explaining this in print but here goes. Silicone, to me, is really rubbery. If you peeled a chunk out of its location and laid it down and tried to bend it or fold it, it's really inclined to spring back to its original shape. Latex caulk, on the other hand, has a more velvety feel and will tend to stay in the shape you put it in without springing back to its original shape. Think about silicone mats and silicone baking pans. They have that springy quality. Silicone caulk is the same and latex is not. Silicone can be VERY difficult to get out. There's just no peeling it away. I have always ended up cutting it out. We have used it in our master bath shower and application tidiness is critical because if you get it somewhere you don't want it you're going to play hell getting rid of it. Maybe someone here has some good tips on removal that I have never thought of but cutting it out is the only thing I have ever done.

Ne

I googled and found this. It pertains to use in a shower, like mine, but the principal will be the same. Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: This Old House

Two different granite fabricators I talked to said that they use 100% silicone (no latex) at the edge of the backsplash. One also mentioned that "some people put grout where tile meets granite, but you need to use silicone because grout will break up." This actually happened quite soon to the grout between the solid surface vanity and tile wall in my bathroom.

I am certainly not an expert, but based on what these two people said, I would think that silicone was the correct thing to use, but maybe they didn't use the best quality. One of my fabricators told me that silicone with latex will get mold/mildew (as I have around my tub), but 100% silicone will not. So that would agree with the info you found online.

I think you should be able to go back to the fabricator and complain. I wish I had known all this sooner - I'd have gone back to the guy who did my bathroom, who obviously hadn't a clue.

I think my mom has the same problem.. .my parents had their entire kitchen re- done several years ago. Quartz countertops & Backsplash,(whte), but the seem where the 2 meet seem darker. Cant get it cleaner looking no matter what you try. Bleach,white vinegar,etc. So, my mom thought maybe we(I) , lol. could try fixing it.. that's why I'm on this thread, getting a lot of great info. Any more ideas would be so helpful. Thank you.