Pippin:

People fall in love with marble and then want to change her. This doesn't work with the bad boy you met at the bar and is rarely works with stone. When fabricators point out marble's etching and scratching problems, her fans turn a blind eye. When we come up with solutions for her problems, like etch prevention through products like Clearstone, they accuse us of making her look like "plastic". It is maddening.

"This doesn't work with the bad boy you met at the bar": yup, a truth I know so well....

hahahhahaa :)

Search for a thread from Romy. She used it in her mudroom as a test to see if she would like it in her kitchen. She ended up NOT having the treatment in her kitchen.

Has anybody who answered here actually seen a sample?

Seen it. Hated it. Plastic looking. Expensive. You could buy all new counters for what it costs.

I was all set to do Clearstone on my Imperial Danby Marble after seeing a 12" x 12" sample (my marble). Luckily, I decided to do the small marble countertop in my laundry room before proceeding with the kitchen countertops. It changed the color of my marble - a grayish cast. You can definitely tell there is a coating. Not really plastic, but not marble. The marble is also no longer cold to touch, which wouldn't have bothered me. I decided not to do it. I didn't like how it looked on my specific marble. There is a guy on GW (Duffydawg) that had Clearstone put on his marble countertops but he posts very infrequently.

If you've found someone that applies it, do they have a whole kitchen you can go look at? I was going to do it based on the small sample but seeing an actual countertop changed my mind.

Sophie thanks for the feedback - did you see it on a slab/kitchen or sample? I don't like it on polished marble but on honed carrara marble it is hard to tell it is actually on there and definitely does not look plastic…. I am currently in Australia (where it has been used for 15 years) and have seen 2 samples of 2 different marbles and the honed carrara looked the best out of the 2 samples - I really don't think that even a stone 'purist' could tell

Romy718 I was hoping you might reply! I actually read about your experience before posting this and have noted your main feedback that very white marble can have a grey tinge with the clearstone - perhaps that's why the carrara looks more real because it already has that grey background on a lot of slabs (I am now seriously considering carrara with the clearstone)… I too love the vermont Danby and wonder what the clearstone would look like on a slab that already had a lot of gray in it with also a lot of movement…. Romy can you tell me what your experience has been with the danby marble you have in your kitchen since you posted about your clearstone experience? Have you had much etching? What did you seal it with? Do you have a link for your kitchen reveal? Thanks again for responding!

@romy718 "I'll be posting my reveal (seriously) within the next week."

Can't wait!

---

I keep thinking the same thing about my kitchen, but something always come up:

- the 4feet of snow we got (shoveling off the solar panels, etc)

- trying to adopt a dog

- ugh: accounting season = no sleep

- get ready for pi day: 3/14/15 (I'm a total geek) - gotta make a few pies :)

etc.

Amanda

Thanks again Romy…I actually posted that question re the link you attached and your feedback has been extremely helpful!!

I can now see why you were not happy with the clearstone and Ogee edge! Very defined difference… we are going to go with a straight edge despite the very traditional kitchen we are having installed so maybe that will also help re the clearstone…. I think you are also correct about the veining - I did notice that too in the first sample I saw (It had more distinct veining vs the 2nd sample which is carrara - I have the carrara sample now which I look at every day (!) until I travel back to Boston that is) The senior designer at Poliform (if you don't know Poliform it is a very high end modern italian kitchen brand) thought that the clearstone would look better on a marble which had less distinct veining and suggested carrara to me - it was a coincidence that the sample I took away from the clearstone office in Melbourne happened to be carrara)

I am very swayed at this point to go with a carrara or a Danby with less veining and the clearstone…I love marble but have twin 4 yr olds so it will be a challenge to go with a marble countertop that is only sealed (if I did it would be Vermont Danby and I would be using the comet method if necessary to remove major etching)

Romy have you used your kitchen yet and if so have you experienced any etching yet?

I've been using my kitchen for about 9 months. With the help of my counter mats, if I have any significant etching, I'm not aware of it. I have a few little ones but I have to search for them. I intended to embrace the etching but my kitchen & marble sat unused for about 6 months. By the time I started using it, I'd discovered the mats.

It sounds like the Carrera & Clearstone will be the right decision for you. If it wasn't for the color change & the loss of the sugary crystals that Danby has, I most likely would have done the Clearstone.

Well Romy718 the clearstone is off the menu after I got a quote for $80-$100 per sq ft…. back to the drawing board!

Wow - I was quoted $45 -$50. I did ask how much it would cost to remove it (always thinking ahead) & it cost about the same for removal.

$45 - $50 is do-able but up around the $100 mark (New England area) on top of the cost of the marble and fabricator for a not perfect product is crazy - hope the clearstone people read this! It should be a standard price throughout the country

Pippin: Let's be clear here. It's the marble that's not the "perfect product." Solid surface is $60.00 a foot installed, looks just like marble, and you'll never etch it.

Joseph do you work at Clearstone? The rep in the new england area quoted me $80 - $100 per sq ft …wish he quoted me less but that's what he quoted me when I enquired full stop - that's not something I made up… I should correct myself when I say it's not a 'perfect' product - I meant that it doesn't prevent scratching/gouging/marks i.e. it's not perfect in that it protects from all the 'issues' marble has and from some reviews I have read about the product it actually shows more scratching than marble without clearstone (another reason I referenced it for not being a perfect product) It also concerns me that they do not have standardized pricing across the country - big variance between $50/$60 sq ft and $100 sq ft

If the new england rep can chime in re pricing even better!!!

I do not work at Clearstone and have no business association with them.

I may have gotten a better price because the guy lives right in my town (no travel) & also works for the company my KD purchases tile from. It is a ridiculous price.

I just re-confirmed with the new england rep

I just looked up my written proposal. It was from Sept, 2013 - $52 sq ft. His regular price was $65 & gave me a 20% discount. Is he the only rep in your area? SRosen is in New Jersey, I believe. He may know someone in your area.

I think Joseph was suggesting that a solid surface counter top would be $60 sq ft installed not that you should be able to get clear stone applied for that price....

My point was that you could have a marble look alike that never etches installed for the price of a single Clearstone application.

People seem to be under the false impression that a "perfect" countertop exists. Heat resistant, scratch resistant, stain resistant, soft to the touch, can set hot pots on it, can cut on it, is a "natural" surface, and is $1.98------doesn't exist. Every countertop has some drawbacks to it. Every. Single. One.

It's like some guys idea of the perfect woman as a supermodel.....but then try to have a conversation with a box of rocks and the rocks are more interesting. Or, a smart rocket scientist.....who won't starve herself and walk the runways. Or the All American girl next door who has the bedroom skills of an 60 year old Nevada cathouse madam.

Pick your poison. And live with the reality of your choice. Just remember, you can grow to love reliable and utilitarian a lot easier than you can a demanding diva.

I remember an old post in which someone suggested testing a countertop by hitting it with a hammer.

LOL 'Just remember, you can grow to love reliable and utilitarian a lot easier than you can a demanding diva.' !!!

Thanks Joseph I understand now - sorry I misunderstood… I completely agree which is why clearstone is off the table for us….I know nothing is perfect - I was pointing out that for the cost I don't want to end up with a product that scratches more or at a minimum shows scratches more

With very low expectations I am going to take one last look at some granite slabs (though I have no expectations of finding anything since I am not a fan of the 'speckling'), see if there are any quartzites I like (real quartzites I mean - not the super whites etc) and then make a decision before I kill any more brain cells….we will probably make a decision between the caesarstone calacatta nuvo or LG's minuet - (I agree Sophie that you still need to take care of these) with 4 yr old twins eating/drawing etc at the island I think I will be a much more relaxed mommy!