It is correct that the industry uses weight and not volume as that is, as Grant stated, what most people are interested in. Sorry if restating the correct factual information seems to be "parroting" but this is what professionals in the industry do......re-state the correct factual information because the facts don't change.

If you ask me the question what is the composition of Santamargherita Quartz slabs by weight and by volume then I would tell you that again there is a range but if we are talking a slabs that is 93/7% Quartz/resin by weight, this same slab will be 85/15% Quartz/resin by volume.

Again, depending on the end look of the product if a smaller aggregate is used there is more surface area to cover between the particles so this causes the resin content to be slightly higher.

Here is a link that might be of interest.

https://www.breton.it/en/engineered-stone/bretonstone-slabs

Joseph,

As I did earlier, in this forum, I extend an open invitation to Italy to visit the factory so you can better understand the manufacturing side.

I would hope this forum is a positive experience for customers and a reliable source of correct information.

John Brodrick

usa@santamargherita.net

"However, Joe, in follow-up, to call out the company rep as a "parrot" was indeed unnecessary as well."

Please reread the thread. I did not call anyone a bird of any kind. I used the phrase "parroting" in the sense that someone would repeat a company/industry narrative without thinking or understanding, the way a parrot does.

"Joseph,

As I did earlier, in this forum, I extend an open invitation to Italy to visit the factory so you can better understand the manufacturing side.

I would hope this forum is a positive experience for customers and a reliable source of correct information."

John:

Thanks, I hope I can make it someday; I love Italy. I'll do my best to help you make this forum a positive experience and a reliable source of information.

"He also seems to be a little nefarious stemming from his "Hot for Teacher" essay that landed him in hot water a few years back. I'll just leave it at that. He knows all about it."

Allen Thomas:

There is nothing "nefarious" about standing up for the 1st Amendment rights of college students, no matter their age. Instead of embarrassing me as you'd hoped, you've mentioned the single most important thing I've ever done in my life and for which I'm the most proud.

Thanks.

One of the things that I hate most (and have often stated about this website) is when posters chime in just to call names. Anyone who has been on the site as long as I have, knows that Joseph has been here for years, and people have often begged him, by name, to respond to their counter/sink/stone situations. By name. In the topic line of the post. That is because he appears to them (and me) to be helpful. Does he have a personality? Of course.

There are people in other forums who I find extremely rude and abrasive, but I know others don't agree with that assessment, so I keep my opinions to myself, and I certainly don't come out and call them names! It's the same if you're at a party and there's someone there who rubs you the wrong way. It is impolite to go break into a conversation and call someone a name! I would just disregard/ignore that person. To openly label someone rude names is impolite.

Posters, and responders, are free to disregard any advice they don't like, or that appears to them to be rude. We don't all need to call out others by name and say rude things.

Edited to add: One more thing. He's been posting on this particular thread since 2014. Doesn't mean he posts on every thread.

Thanks.

Joseph, I didn't know about your 1st. Amendment work. I am impressed. I appreciate knowing more facets of valued posters here. Of course I don't appreciate the way some misanthrope thought he would "out" your good deeds, I am happy to know. The 1st. Amendment needs all the defenders it can get these days.

PS I have ***never*** seen Joseph be rude.

All you have to do is read this very thread....and others where people have specifically told him to stop. Read this thread - he has disputed on 3 or 4 occasions what the SM has said about his products. He told someone SM quartz is made with marble and will etch. When corrected he never acknowledges. Providing and spreading incorrect information is not helpful. I see a difference between someone who thinks they are knowlegable, and someone who is. Joe has proven him to be the latter on multiple threads.

In addition, the man is proud of what he calls first amendment rights? Google it.

"Google it." Yes, please do.

The court ruled against him...."There is no First Amendment right for students to write of their physical feelings for their college instructors, a federal judge ruled"

Purchased 5 slabs from opus stone in miami. Love the feel of this product but I cannot recommend it. Three months after our kitchen renovation, my only regret is that I picked this brand of quartz. We are extremely careful people but already have multiple chips at the edging. Basically anything that touches it, pot handle, dish, it is super delicate and chips. I don’t even want to let my teenager wash dishes because it’s that delicate. Unfortunate, but I wish I had bought Cesearstone instead, which is made in the US and has a lifetime guarantee. John, is there a repair kit for scratches/chips?

Hi Mary,

sorry you are having these issues. I have occasional complaints/ warranty claims but never this type. Can you send me some pics and I’ll see what I can do to help?

usa@santamargherita.net

FYI Caesarstone is made in Israel.

marydcf:

Your ideas are misplaced. No matter what the manufacturers say, engineered stone is basically all the same stuff. It all chips the same.

I'm willing to bet you've picked an edge profile based on looks, not function. Fortunately edges can be rounded on site which reduces chipping chances substantially. Your designer will forgive you.

I’m currently considering Vega from Opustone in Pompano. Now concerned after reading that recent review!

Hi Candy,

please email me at usa@santamargherita.net

Just found Della Terra quartz Montreal at AZT. Can anyone tell me who manufactures this quartz? I can’t find it anywhere on the internet.

@dmdrake It is manufactured by Santamargherita and I would advise that you choose another brand. It's low quality. It hazes and scratches rediculously easily and there is way to prove it's the product instead of misuse. I just had my third attempt at getting an undamaged island installed yesterday and it's hazed. The fabricator was very concientious. There were what appeared to be fingerprint smudges that logically would wipe right off. The material appears to literally dull from being wiped with with a soft cloth. The dulled areas increase everytime anyone wipes the area. Even with just water. AZ tiles response? You must have done something. I don't even have a faucet installed yet. I very much wish we had chosen at the very least a different brand/manufacturer if not a different material. The color variation (shade/veining density) between dye lots is also substantial. You'll likely get better consistency from another brand. Regardless of what you go with insist on seeing the slab to make sure it's similar in appearance to the product you've seen. They will try to tell you it's unnecessary because quartz s man-made. Insist anyway. I hope my past almost three months of this disappointing mess can save someone else some headache and heartache. We are going to try to resurface the top out of pocket to see if we can salvage this hellish remodel. I will never purchase Della Terra again.

Hello dmdrake. Sorry for the misinformation posted by above user but Santamargherita does not manufacture Montréal.

feel free to visit our website and cross reference the SM Quartz names with Della Terra to see which ones are manufactured by Santamargherita since AZ Tile does not change the names.

Hi I am hoping someone knows what’s happening to my countertops. I purchased them in 2017 Della Terra quartz New Carrara 059 from AZ tile. I thought it was made in Italy, but recently learned they took it of the market because this one was made in China. When it was first installed, one slab had foggy areas and left marks from items left on the counter. Az tile sent someone out but it didn’t really improve anything. Later on I noticed small like ( scribbles ) on the edges, not matching the pattern. Now in area’s where you stand and lean into the counter the marks are growing in size and are dark. See pictures.

That looks like contamination to me.

Hopefully it's just stuff rubbing off of clothes onto the edges or maybe belt buckles rubbing on the edges and it's all on the surface and can be cleaned easily. Try a magic eraser and see if that removes it. Good luck.

I think it's your belt buckle or hardware rubbing onto the quartz. Remember that quartz is harder than most metals which means that when quartz comes into contact with a metal, the metal leaves a mark. If you use a mild abrasive, I would bet this would come off. I use BarKeepers Friend powder and it comes off but you can use Comet or something else too. I wouldn't go nuts with the abrasive cleaner as it may affect the sheen of the wide open areas.

Maybe except if you see the 2nd and 3 rd pictures it started out kind of like that but less. I didn’t see them except with my reading glasses on. It’s on all the countertops, except now it’s really bad. I usually wear my shirts out or a apron when baking. These countertops have always been not great, especially the large peninsula which came with streaks and was always foggy. Az tile did send someone out to fix it, but has never been right including the color which was supposed to be white. Next time I am only doing real stone, I have never had problems with stone.

I would tend to agree with Marble Head and Adrienne. Since it is appearing in work areas most liikely culprit would be something you are wearing. Belt buckle would

make sense: As stated above, metal will leave a mark on quartz. this is why we always recommend using cutting boards.….it will dull your knives. Quartz vs metal - the metal loses and the mark you see is the metal left behind. A pencil eraser will remove the metal marks.

Thank you everyone, I did test it with the button on my jeans. Yes definitely left a mark, strange I did not realize that could happen.

Hi everyone, we are considering thr Calacatta Maywood quartz by Della Terra from Arizona Tile in California.I was unable to find out anythinv about this particular variant online - would like to learn where it is made (and by whom) and how it holds up? we are thinking about it for islands and perimeters in our kitchen and hoping it lives up to all the positive things one hears about quartz in general (hopefully the few experiences noted here are isolated incidents!) how is this brand vs cambria / silestone / caesarstone?

we are a heavy cooking household and many of the dishes involve the use of turmeric too so will this quartz stain ?

also worried about chipping / scratching and general durability after the comments here. pls help 🙏

@HU-622895996 could you elaborate pls which quartz name you've been dealing with ?

I do know that mustard stains but so far coffee etc is fine. For myself I would only go with real stone from now on.

Real stone is fine, just make sure you personally test it for silicone and adhesive bleed beforehand. No need to test solid surface or engineered stone, because it's never happened with them.

Hi Joseph - what is silicone / adhesive bleed and how do you test it?

@blackdog found out that turmeric does indeed stain the maywood quartz. and it really shows!

i wonder if theres some polish / sealing that could be done to avoid this?

also, from the scratched counter sides photos you posted - i wonder if the affected sides of the counter were not properly polished? and were you able to remove the scratches (how?) ?

i tried scratch tests on my sample and the scratches dont show / buff away easily on the top surface. however the sides of the little square where the stone was chopped and was exposed / unpolished, there even the slightest pressure with a butter knife scratched it badly. I’d imagine the cut sides of the stone are indeed facing one in the real thing to too except I’d think that it’s polished by the fabricator extra well there because that area comes into most contact with the user. Thoughts?

ab2021:

Here you go.

You would test by having the fabricator mock up an edge with the adhesive he's proposing using; same with a sink flange detail.

Thank you for this info!

I was trying to look up details on the Della Terra Calacatta Maywood Quartz. It seems that this one is made in Malaysia (though with the same "safety" certifications as the other variants in their quartz line produced in Italy and the Czech Republic) . The AZT quartz sales representative seemed extremely cagey about which factory/company in Malaysia they are sourcing from - I'm not sure why. Should I be worried?

Hi Ab2021. feel free to email me at usa@santamargherita.net and I will be happy to help answer your questions and also put you in touch with the Quartz manager at AZ Tile corp who can answer your questions about Della Terra.

@ Santamargherita - thanks for your reply. happy to email you but to save time could you clarify who is the rep at AZ Tile you're connecting with? Just to make sure it's not the same person who Ive already spoken to.

I am a fabricator ... and a bit late to the discussion. "Granite may be out of fashion..." this is an unfortunate misread of the actual situation as I do primarily residential with a significant fraction that are high end, The perception that granite is "out of fashion" comes from the relentless marketing campaign by the engineered stone manufacturers. The majority of the jobs I do are granite with quartz used in the builder spec homes and as vanities. Regarding the weight/volume discussion one must consider that if the material is roughly 70/30 inclusion/resin by volume then the SURFACE is similarly 70/30. Finally, I have been in the industry long enough to recognize expertise and Joe is an expert who can be outspoken but I've yet to find him wrong on a technical issue.

Hi ab2021. Dean Jessup is the head Quartz person at AZ Tile.

Please email me for further discussion. I have been trying to get off this post due to the continued misinformation posted and i'm not one for online battles.

For example the above 70/30 weight volume assumption is completely incorrect and misinformation. I am a manufacturer using Breton equipment and first off, I know that our materials, as do most Breton stone, range from 93-89% Quartz 7-11% resin respectively for two reasons. First, because I know the formulation and second, because our material must pass EU Standard EN 13501-1 and if it had a higher resin content (30%) it would not.

I do agree with oldryder that Quartz manufacturers have done a great job not only in marketing but also product development. Granite is still widely used, however, the look people want and that designers are specifying is white with vein. Marble look is in. Thats what people want and thats what's "in fashion."

Santa:

It is you that is spreading "misinformation". Your 93-89% quartz and 7-11% resin statement is by weight, not by volume. And of course weight is meaningless, volume is not. Maybe weight matters to the EU, but it doesn't matter to me. This is the oldest engineered stone marketing spin.

@Granite City Services - could you recommend which granite types amongst the lighter colors (grey / white / cream) are good from a porosity/etching/hardness/staining perspective? I've read that even within the granite stone category there can be significant differences in these parameters. What have you noted as being a great recurring pick after all your installs? Thanks!

@Santamargherita USA yes this is the AZT rep I was in touch with. they were unwilling to share details about where this particular Quartz is made, but upon insisting I was able to glean it's made in Malaysia. I'm not sure how the European certifications standards that are mentioned on the AZT Della Terra page (Green Guard gold, ISI, NSF) and the content composition requirements you've mentioned under EU Standard EN 13501-1 are met if the quartz is being produced in Asia? It's strange that the manufacturing locations are not clearly noted on the AZT product pages.

I would advise you avoid doing business with AZ tile and Dean Jessup specifically. We had a horrible experience with them. Don't expect them to act with integrity or stand behind their product. We used a fabricator that was a personal referral from him. When we had discoloration and fingerprints that wouldn't come off of our Della Terra quartz he informed me I must have "scarred" it by cleaning with a paper towel. ( I called him within an hour of the fabricator leaving). We paid beyond stone to buff it with a cleaner at their recommendation. It mostly resolved the issue although as a result of the buffing the gloss and sheen no longer match our perimeter counters. Best we can figure out the fabricator applied turtle wax or something similar to disguise striations around the sink cutout. Which is why fingerprints couldn't be cleaned off. We still have some smudges. Bottom line rather than try to help us resolve the issue he was hostile and accusatory. He said the fabricator (a friend of his apparently) said it was fine so we must have done something. Do business with them at your own risk.

@HU-622895996 thanks for your feedback. I got the same feeling when I spoke to Mr Jessup. He didn't really seem to care about the nature of the query, neither how his lack of interest in providing basic information comes across. I don't understand why they are unwilling to part with sourcing info if they are really sourcing a quality product. When I spoke to AZT a while ago about their 15-year warranty on the Quartz that's boldly advertised on their website, I was basically finding it hard to gather ANY scenario in which they would actually help fixing the product should issues occur. Despite saying everything to the contrary, Mr Jessup ended with saying they stand by their products and have been in business for 20 years - not sure what that's worth given everything.

Joseph you are the exact reason i have been trying to get off this thread. My focus is providing customers with answers to their questions as it relates to their needs while maintaining my professionalism. Do you really think an end user consumer cares about volume vs weight? I will let the customers respond. Again, i extend the invitation to the factory…

ab2021 if you don’t like the look of granite, which most are busy looking, look at quartzite. It’s beautiful but it is expensive. That’s what I am going with next.

@Santamargherita USA please don't leave the thread. It is helpful and good for your brand to respond to customers here. I wish more brands did the same.

However, I do think you should respond to the criticism about the 89-93% quartz---if that's by weight and not volume, then I think it's reasonable to ask you why you think it's important and a good/fair sales policy to note that statistic, as opposed to what people would generally expect (% by volume).

It is only fair that customers know what they are getting for their hard-earned money. Consumers expect an tranparent supply chain. If someone asks a reasonable question, be quick to provide an honest answer or admit that you do not know. It builds trust.

ab2021: suggestions for your color range include Galaxy White or Mayfair White.