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jplochman

Neolith Countertop - Yes or No?

9 years ago

I would love to hear feedback from anyone that has installed Neolith countertops and whether it was worth the investment, the cost seems comparable with high end CeaserStone choices. It seems like a great option but want to validate with someone that has actually installed Neolith and used it. Would also love to hear from anyone that has used the "Polished" version of Neolith slabs and whether that held up well and if there were any issues/annoyances with that version.

Comments (448)

  • 4 years ago

    I’ve heard porcelain is the thinnest and easiest to crack.

    The repairs was free. If you look up close you can still see it and it doesn’t look good but it’s tiny so I’m going to just move on from it.

  • 4 years ago

    New pics

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    Yikes, I'll have to assume that given the passage of time you've already moved on, claraz8. I'm so sorry I didn't see your message and respond right away! In case it's still useful, after about a year with the counters in daily use, we do have a couple of small chips along the edge where DH has whacked it hard with a heavy pot. I'm not sure that any surface would have stood up to that (DH can be a bit of a challenge), and I haven't been bothered enough to see if they can be repaired. Other than that, they've been great--no scratches and completely easy to clean--coffee, red wine rings from bottles, rust from cast iron (we're not entirely fastidious), etc. has all come off with 409 or a bit of BKF. The fabricator was Marmo e Granito, and I liked them. They were great about setting up appointments to see Neolith kitchens they'd done and were happy to spend time with me in the yard moving the templates around the slabs to get things as I wanted them. The mitered edges flow well too. Again, sorry for the impossibly late response. What did you decide on?
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  • 4 years ago

    I have used 1/4” thick slab porcelain on bathroom walls and it is beautiful. Was able to install with a very good tile guy instead of the huge expense of a true stone fabricator but has to be a very good tile guy.

  • 4 years ago

    I have used Neolith and also Epic and have regretted everyday that I used this in my projects. In my kitchen I used Epic Calcutta Statuarrio and have had 3 chips on the mitered edge so far. If the edge that chips is broken up and can not be used all they can do is fill it with the white product. We had one that was white and gray area that chipped so it looks bad. They need to come up with a thicker product or some other way to do edges. I previously had granite and never worried about any of these problems. Also my Epic has had a coffee stain and they say its not stainable. These are the worst products to use in any kitchen installation. Stay away from these products. Waste of money. Stick with real stone!!!

  • 4 years ago

    Interesting. So many unhappy customers on houzz with the porcelain or sintered stone product. yet it is available increasingly in stone yards. I looked on the options on houzz for the counter filters and was surprised that there isn't one for porcelain counters yet they have been available for sometime now.

  • 4 years ago

    My Neolith countrrytop crack grew from 11 inches to 16 inches now. eventually it'll crack thru the entire slab like our neighbor's countertop did. The edge around the sink is now dirty and nothing will clean that brown dirt line right at the edge.

    Absolutely regret getting Neolith. Should have stayed with good old granite and save a bundle of money and headache.

  • 4 years ago

    My Neolith kitchen countertop crack grew from 11 inches to 16 inches now, and will continue to grow until it cracks through the entire slab like my neighbor's Neolith countertop did. The edge around the sink is dirty and nothing would clean that dirty brown line right at the edge.

    Absolutely regret getting Neolith. Should have stayed with good old granite to save tons of money and headache.

  • 4 years ago

    This thread is pretty much confirming for me to not buy porcelain counters. I'm glad you love your counters, but you chipped it with a glass bottle on accident? You mean you smashed a wine bottle on the corner and it chipped? I've never had or heard of problems like this with granite or quartzite.

  • 4 years ago

    It was actually a bottle of soy sauce 😂

  • 4 years ago

    Estamos muy decepcionados con la marca Neolith y advertiríamos a cualquiera que estuviera considerando comprar sus encimeras de cocina. La empresa que diseñó nuestra cocina nos presentó a Neolith y nos aseguró que sus productos eran “tan resistentes como las marcas conocidas”. Sin embargo, después de menos de tres años lo que hemos encontrado es que nuestra encimera Neolith se mancha fácilmente (¿porosidad excesiva?) a pesar de limpiarla con frecuencia y a fondo. Sin embargo, nuestra mayor sorpresa llegó cuando una botella de vino resbaló y cayó sobre el mostrador, de no más de 15 cms. de altura, provocando una grieta en forma de araña. No estábamos preocupados porque sabíamos que Neolith ofrecía una garantía de 10 años en sus productos. Cuál fuen nuestra sorpresa cuando hablamos con ellos y nos informaron que la garantía no cubría grietas!!. Es decir, un fabricante de encimeras tan resistentes como la competencia no tiene garantía contra grietas, no garantiza la durabilidad de su producto. Desde luego cabe preguntar de qué sirve tener una garantía ... Sin embargo, lo peor estaba por venir: cuando finalmente le dijimos a Neolith que se olvidara de la garantía, que solo queríamos arreglar la encimera y estábamos dispuestos a pagar por ella, nos dijeron que NO tenían forma de repararlo. Lo que oyes: no ofrecían ninguna solución para su reparación. En cambio, dijeron que podían ponernos en contacto con un "tipo", completamente ajeno a la empresa, que estaba teniendo éxito en la reparación de este tipo de grietas. ¡Alucinante! En resumen, hemos tenido una experiencia extremadamente decepcionante y desagradable con una empresa que no brinda el soporte adecuado para un producto que, en lo que a nosotros respecta, no cumple con los estándares del mercado. Sustituiremos la encimera, siniestro total, con una marca conocida que realmente respalda sus productos. ¡No te dejes engañar por Neolith!

  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    "We are very disappointed in the Neolith brand and would warn anyone considering purchasing their kitchen countertops. The company that designed our kitchen introduced us to Neolith and assured us that their products were "as tough as the well-known brands." However, after less than three years what we have found is that our Neolith countertop stains easily (excessive porosity?) Despite frequent and thorough cleaning. However, our biggest surprise came when a bottle of wine slipped and fell on the counter, no more than 15 cm. high, causing a spider-shaped crack. We weren't concerned because we knew that Neolith offered a 10-year warranty on their products. What was our surprise when we spoke with them and they informed us that the warranty did not cover cracks !! In other words, a manufacturer of countertops as resistant as the competition does not have a guarantee against cracks, they do not guarantee the durability of their product. Of course, what is the use of having a warranty ... However, the worst was yet to come: when we finally told Neolith to forget about the warranty, that we only wanted to fix the countertop and were willing to pay for it, we They said they had NO way to repair it. What you hear: They did not offer any solution for its repair. Instead, they said they could put us in touch with a "guy", completely outside the company, who was succeeding in repairing these types of cracks. Amazing! In short, we have had an extremely disappointing and unpleasant experience with a company that does not provide adequate support for a product that, as far as we are concerned, does not meet market standards. We will replace the total sinister countertop with a well-known brand that really stands behind their products. Don't be fooled by Neolith!"

  • 3 years ago

    Never waste your time, energy, or money on this product. We installed it in our home a few years ago and the wasted so many slabs as they kept breaking despite following their recommended handling and installation procedures. We go no support from the manufacturer or the distributor. Now, a few years later the product is popping of the floors and walls and cracking.

  • 3 years ago

    I was wondering if anyone has looked into the possibility of putting a marble veneer on top of the neolith? We've had ours for two years and there are some minor chips but I've really grown to dislike the neolith. We have marble in the pantry and I love it even after it stained.

  • 3 years ago

    I hear a lot of concerns about Neolith here, does anyone knows how’s it compared to Dekton? I was told to stay away from Porcelain. Is the Neolith 100% porcelain? I know Dekton is not but has some porcelain in its mixture. I am kind of lost with deletion of countertop in my newly remodeled kitchen. Would love to see some pictures. Is it possible to do metered edges with Neolith? Or it’s only the thickness of material. Thank you all!

  • 3 years ago

    Yes to the edges. We have them all around. My pictures are on the top of this thread

  • 3 years ago

    I would NEVER use Neolith for a kitchen counter again. Look for other options in the kitchen. It was an expensive option and not worth the money. We chose them since they were promoted as being much easier to care for than marble, however, both their videos and sales teams are misleading. Watching their videos You would think this stone is extremely scratch-resistant and indestructible. The salesperson was very persuasive running a knife over the countertop and generating sparks to show how strong material it is. However, they did not show how easily the polished finish scratches. We take care of our kitchen, but we had scratches on our countertop within days of installation and after a few years of day-to-day use (not hard use), it looks just terrible, we use placemats everywhere but you just cannot prevent scratches with everyday use. We contacted their customer service department within months of installation and they basically told us to treat it the same way you would a "Glass" surface, don't drag anything across it, ie don't rest your plates on it, don't drag a knife over ti, don't put a pot on it. REMEMBER this is a kitchen countertop, it is fine as long as you don't use it as a kitchen. They offered us a polishing kit, but we have not been able to find anyone who is actually willing to polish the stone.

    I just recently saw this misleading video on youtube that Neolith posted that makes it look like you can use the stone as a cutting board. This is just misleading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71jl1_R6i5M&list=UUwj_jQ4Xb5Ol_FkmZdKUNmA

  • 3 years ago

    Same concept as porcelain. The matte finish is virtually scratch proof but polished will scratch easily. Looked at Neolith once but when I realized the polish surface is basically glass, passed. They should not offer a polished version if that is how they create it.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    The polished surface does seem to be very problematic for use in countertops. The honed surface would appear to be a better fit. But even then, I have the same reservations everybody else in this thread has. The material is great for some things, but falls flat for others. It just appears to be too easy to accidentally chip or crack it.

    We ended up installing stainless steel countertops. The æsthetics work great in our kitchen. It gives a modern and slightly industrial counterpoint to the rest of the wooden cabinetry. Love the looks and its super easy to maintain. It does scratch like crazy though; but that's part of the look. Swirl marks, scuffs and other blemishes just show that this is a working kitchen.

    Incidentally, unlike with Neolith, it is super easy to refinish our stainless steel. I could do that in a few hours with a Brillo pad. But I never really felt the need.

    We used Dekton (very similar to Neolith) as our backsplash. And that's actually a really good application. As much as I discourage people from using Neolith for countertops, I would recommend looking into it as a material for a backsplash. Very clean seamless look. Maintenance free.

  • 3 years ago

    We used Neolith for both backsplash and countertop. Hate the countertop, but it makes a great backsplash.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    We installed Neolith on backsplash and kitchen counters recently and while we love the way it looks....the counters are now chipped. This is not a high use house it' s a second home but either way, this should not be happening. We probably have about 6-7 very obvious chips around sink and on counter edge and it bothers me everything I look at it. I am very disappointed. Trying to get in touch with installer to repair but - it's there.Like
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  • 3 years ago

    What are you all doing on your counters!? We have had the polished Neolith for a little over a year and no issues. Our 5yo eats, does crafts, paints, homework, you name it. I do always use a cutting board, but we don’t have the scratches and cracks everyone is complaining about. It’s sooo much easier to clean than granite and I don’t have to worry about stains (see above regarding abuse it takes from 5yo).

  • 3 years ago

    We installed neolith counters in our kitchen and the edges are chipping. We have no children in the home and the chipping occurs with the slightest tap. We are currently working with the distributor who is refusing to replace them and offering to only fix one chip. If you can avoid neolith do so. It definitely does not live up to the hype.

  • 3 years ago

    After all the replies I have decided not to go with Neolith in the kitchen and bathrooms. Back to the agonising drawing board

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    i am a homeowner / developer that has installed 7 or 8 neolith slabs over the past 10 years. we have had mostly good results with the look and quality (both indoor and outdoor) until recently. one of the 4 slabs at our current house has chipped in multiple locations including a large gouge 2” wide. it is a large (and very expensive) 10’ slab for the kitchen island.

    both my contractor and stone supplier agree that this slab has a quality problem that should be covered under neolith’s warrenty however i have spent the last 6 months trying to convince anyone from TheSize to address it. at first they denied responsibility and directed me back to the supplier and installer. once they realized i used the top preferred installer in the LA area they grudgingly agreed to look at it...that was over 2 months ago and still they have done nothing.

    after years of praising this company, my opinion has entirely flipped. there are so many high quality options in the current market, i recommend selecting a company that stands behind the quality of their products.


  • 2 years ago

    Thanks for sharing. Was actually almost reconsidering using Neolith right throughout but am going to steer clear.

  • 2 years ago

    Installed Neolith in kitchen and 3 bathrooms 7 yrs ago. Kitchen counter cracked 10 inches immediately after installation from heat when Neolith is supposed to be heat proof.. The manufacturer ignored us and blamed installer. Now the crack grew to 16 inches long.


    Over the years the countertop chipped and had brown stain along the kitchen sink edge that nothing would clean off, not even bleach.


    I absolutely regret getting Neolith which was so much more expensive than marble. I will stay with good old granite if we ever renovate again.

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    I use Neolith in almost every single project I work on. I absolutely love their product, their customer service - all of it. I'm shocked to see these reviews. I have the Calacatta Luxe (polished) in my own kitchen, it's been 2 years, zero issues. I cook every single day, drink wine, drink fresh lemon water, I have clay pots on my island centerpiece that get moved regularly - 2 teen boys.....I've banged my dishes into it loading the dishwasher. I've never had an unhappy client either - so ??? I think it's very important to have an installer who knows the material, templates using plywood and uses the recommended blade for cutting. My fabricator always orders a new blade for every Neolith project - he never reuses a blade. I've owned 12 homes, so I've had every type of stone from quartzite, granite, marble, quartz and Neolith is my favorite for what it's worth. I've chipped quartzite and granite many times with dishes accidentally, there is no such thing as a chip proof countertop - it's physics, so I treat my Neolith the same way I would treat marble, carefully. ....Oh, and I had an Instagram follower who had a bad experience with their fabricator and Neolith took care of all of it after I reached out ....zero hesitation and they were not even a client of mine.

  • 2 years ago

    I have Neolith Basalt installed in 2019 and Have not had any problems!

  • 2 years ago

    Me too. I have neolith on all my highly used kitchen counters with no issues at all

  • 2 years ago

    I’m in Chicago— does anyone have a recommendation for a Neolith fabricator?

  • 2 years ago

    Jenny, try asking for recommendations at the place you are buying from. That’s how I found the guy we used. He wasn’t the cheapest but I felt comfortable that he had good experience given they gave me his name and he had done other work with that company. Good luck!

  • 2 years ago

    Here's an update to my post from 4 months ago regarding defective neolith slabs.....

    An employee from Neolith finally responded (after 6 months of silence), and sent someone to inspect the defective slab.

    The good news....They immediately agreed to replace the slabs under warranty. It seems they quickly realized that these slabs were not performing to standards.

    The bad news.... I have to pay for demo of the defective slab as well as installation of the replacement slab - even though these slabs were installed properly.

    The even worse news..... It has been 3 months since they agreed to provide the replacement slabs and they have ghosted us again. No one at neolith will respond or provide final authorization to the supplier to allow my installer to pick up the replacement slabs.

    This company's incompetence (or worse) is INFURIATING.

  • 2 years ago

    Really sorry to hear all of that. When we were choosing stone two places from the many we visited steered us away from Neolith/porcelain (both carried the range), at one place another customer buying natural stone had a neighbour who had installed porcelain with similar issues that you have had. Infuriating is an understatement for a project that should be nothing but exciting and rewarding.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I have neolith walls and floors in a new bathroom and they cracked on all but 1 slab before we even moved into the house. Nothing was dropped on the floors, they just cracked. Neolith will not repair, installer is blaming the product, no one wants to take responsibility. We are out $60k plus whatever we replace it with. Never again. #NEOLITHSUCKS

  • PRO
    2 years ago

    K.H.:


    Properly fabricated and installed Corian walls and floors haven't failed in over 50 years. Unlike Neolith, it's repairable if it does crack. All the looks, sanitation, and performance with none of the downsides.

  • last year

    Would neolith be ok for kitchen backsplash ? Scary comments here. Was just about to place the order.

  • last year

    Here’s a quick update to our situation. A senior executive from Neolith got involved, reviewed the details and agreed to supply replacement slabs under Warrenty. When our installer tried to pick up the slabs the distributor said he knew nothing about the arrangement and refused to release the slabs - despite the fact that we had authorization from Neolith in writing. That was over 6 months ago and the Neolith executive has since ghosted us. He won’t respond to calls. Emails etc. This company is the absolute worst.

  • PRO
    last year

    Rick, I still use Neolith regularly for clients and have yet to have a problem. Going on 8 years. My personal home has counters and backsplash and I love it. The polished finish will get micro scratches - so the "scratch free" claim is false. My favorite finish is Ultra Soft.


    The key is to have proper fabrication and installation as well as a good relationship with your contractor and/or fabricator. There are a TON of crappy fabricators out there, and crappy fabricators will ruin any product, not just Neolith. If they don't have experience cutting porcelain - I wouldn't use them, in the same way I wouldn't have a knee replacement with a surgeon who's only done 5 surgeries.

  • last year

    We are very disappointed in the Neolith brand and would warn anyone considering buying their kitchen countertops. The company that designed our kitchen introduced us to Neolith and assured us that their products were “as strong as the name brands”. However, after less than three years what we have found is that our Neolith countertop stains easily (excessive porosity?) despite frequent and thorough cleaning. However, our biggest surprise came when a bottle of wine slipped and fell on the counter, no more than 15 cm. high, causing a spider-shaped crack. We weren't worried because we knew that Neolith offered a 10-year warranty on their products. What were our surprise when we spoke with them and they informed us that the guarantee did not cover cracks! In other words, a manufacturer of countertops as resistant as the competition does not guarantee against cracks, it does not guarantee the durability of its product. Of course, what's the use of having a guarantee... However, the worst was yet to come: when we finally told Neolith to forget about the guarantee, that we only wanted to fix the countertop and were willing to pay for it, we They said they had NO way to fix it. What you hear: they did not offer any solution for its repair. Instead, they said they could put us in touch with a "guy", completely outside the company, who was having success repairing these types of cracks. Amazing! In summary, we have had an extremely disappointing and unpleasant experience with a company that does not provide adequate support for a product that, as far as we are concerned, does not meet market standards. We will replace the countertop, total loss, with a well known brand that truly stands behind their products. Don't be fooled by Neolith!

  • PRO
    last year

    " Instead, they said they could put us in touch with a "guy", completely outside the company, who was having success repairing these types of cracks."


    Put me in touch with him please. The stuff is unrepairable. Inconspicuously at least.

  • PRO
    last year

    Perfect 🥰

  • last year

    We loved the looks of our Neolith countertops and were also told it was virtually indstructible and shown demos of a sledgehammer hitting it with no damage. NOT TRUE. A bottle of olive oil fell onto our countertop from the cabinet above - my husband caught it and lowed it down but it fell out of his hands onto the counter and caused a chip and 18 inch fractures. They won't cover it under their warranty and say it can not be repaired but must be replaced. Very disappointing. There are also lots of other little scratches and nicks but they are not a big deal. We had marble before which was a drag because of the etching. At least we have been able to spill whatever on them without damage. But don't you dare have a normal kitchen incident like dropping kitchen supplies from the cabinet!






  • PRO
    last year

    R F:


    What is the substrate under your Neolith please and how was it bonded?

  • last year

    Is ceaserstone safe to use for countertop empire white? So if something drops on it, it won’t chip?

    I’m looking at neolith for backsplash behind hoodfan , this area should be safe right? I love the neolith designs but scared to use it for countertop. I hope ceaserstone is better for sturdiness. ?

  • last year

    We have Dekton as a backsplash, which is very similar to Neolith. And we absolutely love it. No seams. Just one solid big slab. Looks so neat and clean. Perfect match for the overall design of our kitchen.


    For the counters, we decided on stainless steel instead. Works very well for us, but of course has random scratches all over it. They are easy to buff out, but we never bother as they would come back shortly. So, you have to be OK with that look. But if you are, it's a very functional and pretty material. It of course doesn't suffer any immediate catastrophic damage when exposed to heat, unlike some other synthetic materials. But you should still avoid resting hot pots on it, as it can delaminate from the wood that it is glued to. Not catastrophic, and it can be fixed should that ever happen. But better still use common sense.

  • last year

    I have a really good friend that paid a ton of money for Neolith an in less than one year. She’s got three big chips. It chips with the slightest touch and it’s very disappointing. I would definitely think twice before getting that product

  • PRO
    last year

    100% yes

  • last year

    Yep. Unfortunately true. Following our latest large chip , neolith sent a rep to evaluate the slab. The rep agreed that it should be replaced under warranty, but we still cannot get the company to approve a replacement slab. We even have an email from the Neolith regional Director approving the slab replacement but no suppliers will honor it. It is unbelievable. Neolith is an absolute train wreck.

  • last year

    When it comes to addressing quality issues, Neolith falls short. One of the main concerns is their apparent absence of a dedicated technical team in the US to handle such matters. Besides, they have a clueless and uneducated quality department in Spain where the HQ and factory are located, leaving customers feeling frustrated and let down.

  • 5 months ago

    I purchased Neolith Nieve Silk finish countertops for an large island and for sink area countertops as part of a remodel that was completed in 2023. Neolith came highly recommended by our kitchen designer and they have been nothing but problems. There are only two adults in my home, and in less than a year of installation we had 3 chips due to simple "dings" of a plate while washing dishes, or lifting a plate up from a lower drawer and accidentally coming in contact with the edge of the island countertop. DO NOT BUY THIS STUFF unless you want to pussyfoot around every action you take in your kitchen. And if you must buy them, definitely do not have just any old fabricator install these. Even using the Neolith specifications, we were informed that the edges are often rounded even more than the Neolith specs in order to help prevent chipping. This was revealed to us by a Neolith expert chip repair professional. We then had all of our edges "softened" to help prevent further chipping. This material is beautiful, but totally not functional in a working kitchen. DO NOT BUY unless you don't use your countertops :)