I'm so sorry for the delay! I will tell you we have had the countertops for about 9 months now and I have been able to clean up red wine spots, stubborn stains like coffee, turmeric spice, and black permanent marker (smudged from a ziploc bag, not purposeful) without issue. At this point, nothing that I've 'stained' my countertop with has left a permanent mark. If there is a stubborn stain I put Softscrub with bleach on it and am able buff it out with a paper towel or sponge.

Our kitchen is highly utilized, with no holds barred as far as cooking/food related messes go and my husband and I also use the island as a desk/workspace and I wouldn't change a thing. Once again, if you want your countertop to appear super shiny and without streaks or fingerprints, etc, you may want to go with a different finish. I can't speak to the daily use of polished quartz, as I've not had experience with it. Personally, the overall look and softness that the honed finish provides is exactly what we wanted for our remodel and we wouldn't do anything different.

Thank you Lauren and Jeff. I too just finished reading many negative reviews of the honed quartz. I was getting ready to email my fabricator to see about switching to polished. I had already purchased Pental Honed countertops and Silestone Suede for the island. I have two kids (8 and 6yrs old) and I am in the kitchen a lot. I figured that I already clean my countertops daily so whether it is crumbs and smudges on polished or suede finish that I am cleaning...what is the difference?

However which cleaning products do you use? I was experimenting on my samples with diluted dish soap/water in a spray bottle. This seemed to work great. My kids loved the experiment. What is the exact "Soft Scrub" item you use and mentioned above?

Thanks for a positive review....it has calmed my nerves a bit.

Please don’tbuse Beach on quartz countertops - it permanently etches them. Only one manufacturer suggests using a product with bleach in it, and no one understands why. All other manufacturers warn against it.

We just put in Pental Misterio honed quartz and love it. We had a huge Thanksgiving dinner and did tons of entertaining over the weekend so it had plenty of spills and lots of use. I also did a sample of many staining materials on a sample before we bought it and nothing stained. It does show fingerprints in the areas where light shines on it from a window but the whole surface is easily cleaned. So far I use sudsy dish soap or my new favorite "Bar Keepers Friend" to keep it looking good. It probably will take a little more maintenance than a shiny surface but we so love the look, feel and texture of the surface that it will be worth it.

I'm so glad I found this thread. We're looking at replacing our counters with honed quartz. I prefer the softer look and feel. I don't understand why it takes more maintenance than a polished surface. To me, it would seem that streaks etc would show up more on polished and kind of be "absorbed" by a honed surface. But obviously I'm wrong. :) We have two elementary-aged kids and use our kitchen peninsula for homework and projects. Between the family and our white Lab, I spend enough time cleaning and don't want to get a high-maintenance counter! However, I clean our counters daily now, so if that's the issue, I can definitely do it. Thanks for any insight.

I have honed quartzite (not quartz) in a medium/light color. They clean up really easily and I don't notice smudges or fingerprints. I wonder is some of this is because I don't have much sideways or raking light in my kitchen? Most of the lighting is overhead and thru one window. This winter when the sun is low in the sky will be a good test to see if smudges start magically appearing.

I am considering purchasing a honed Teltos quartz countertop in a white color. Does anyone have experience with how this product does with stains?

I am facing a similar decision and am torn. I prefer the look of honed, but am debating what's the best option for a home with two young children.

We are also hoping for honed quartz (with silent tears saying goodbye to dreamy quartzite!). Hoping to hear from other happy owners of the honed variety? We would be going for a very light color (solid color, possibly with some extra bits, but not marbled or otherwise copying nature), Looking at Pental mostly.

@HU-513491657, have you made your choice? @Sondra Blake @Lauren and Jeff Weisler, photo by chance?

Can anyone with the lighter honed quartz (ex, Frosty Carrina, Misty Carrera) share photos... I’ve always liked the honed look but got nervous about lots of streaking as I have lots of natural light & additional recessed lights in current kitchen. In my first home we remodeled with soapstone and LOVED the natural honed look but it was dark, black/grayish.
Thank you

Sondra Blake- I am looking at Pental Misterio honed for my kitchen renovation. Are you still happy with its durability??? Any chance of sharing pictures?

I'm also considering honed quartz, but am afraid of the upkeep and possible stains. Any updates from previous posts?

Hi everyone. Been trying to get these photos up for a while. Please see above for some photos in different lighting and at different angles. We are still 100% pleased with our choice to go with the honed finish. Any stains we have had or messes we've made have all come out. Can't recommend it enough.. it's a really nice, soft look, in comparison to a shiny finish. Hopefully these pics upload properly :)

Thank you for posting these pictures. Your backsplash is beautiful!

Mkfranklin..you are welcome, and thank you!

I'm in the same boat as you, and greatly appreciate this review. Your countertops are beautiful. You have a lot of natural light so especially the last photo looks almost polished! I have the same story in my new kitchen - lots of windows but not necessarily direct light. I'm most worried about fingerprints - do they clear up easily? When you wipe countertops does it leave a streak? Many thanks!

I would not recommend honed it always looks smudged and have tried over 20 cleaning products, I cook all the time and am beyond a neat cook and I wish I had gotten polished like my sister as she dies not have same problem and couldn’t believe how mine look compared to hers

We renovated our kitchen a few month ago and used homes frosty carina quartz. We love it. I think the lighter color shows less fingers prints etc... very happy with it.

it is so strange how different people feel about the countertops finishes. i'm using Vicostone carrara, and we have a young, busy family and we like to cook. with a lot of natural light, some direct light, i'm nervous about the slightly more work of honed and despite loving it, am defaulting to polished.

betsyrhowe understandable that you are leaning towards polished. Depending on the way the light hits you may see fingerprints/streaks, even after cleaning. Unfortunately, it is a highly personal decision so all I can do is share our experience. For my husband and I, having a more organic looking finish that isn't polished/shiny really fits the look we were going for. I guess my thought process is as long as my countertops are clean, I'm not going to lose sleep over fingerprints/streaks. Good luck making a decision!

I faced and lamented over a similar choice of honed vs polished. In the end, I talked to fabricator and decided on the polished. Three key factors tipped the scale toward polished over honed.

#1 The kitchen design called for an integrated sink made out of the same material as the counter. Since the sink gets a lot more action than the counters, I wanted something incredibly durable.

#2 I have two young children who are lovely little wildebeests and love to touch EVERYTHING, all the time.

#3 I selected wood cabinets so decided that the slightly shinier finish would still be a nice contrast vs shine on shine. Even though my default is to smoother, more organic textures.

Cleaning is a breeze and found the softer scrub Bar Keeper's Friend to work wonders on tougher stains.

Very helpful. Your kitchen sounds beautiful! Post a pic if you get a chance. :)

We just installed Compac's honed unique calacatta. It does require more maintenance than the real polished marble we have in our masterbath in terms of streaks and fingerprints but we are two adults - no children. With the white, it's just something you have to resolve yourself to in terms of cleaning. We use Mrs. Myers cleaner with a PH neutral level of 7. If it streaks, use water to clean. It's a lovely finish, but will require some attention. Since I wipe down counters regardless I'm not sure it results in more maintenance on a daily basis.

I was cleaning with Bona hardwood floor refresher and set in on my honed quartz countertop. The bona refresher left a mark on the counter. How can I clean it off?

Shiny spit

Try a little acetone on a rag. Don't let it dwell please.

Hi Joseph. Compac, the brand quartz we installed, specifically says to AVOID acetone. To those reading this post, use acetone only after you contact your specific quartz mfg.

I’ve had terrible luck with my honed quartz. It’s so cloudy and grimy looking. It looks like dirt was permanently etched into the finish. It’s not even white In places. I don’t even know what to do anymore. The manufacturer isn’t being helpful with my concerns. It’s been like this from day one. I know it’s not supposed to be like this....what can I do? It’s such an eyesore. Even leaving a rubber/silicone backed potholder sit on the counter leaves a weird cloudy etch. My silicone baby bottle drying mat left imprints that won’t wash off with “dish soap and water”

Hi Jen. I've not experienced any type of 'etching.' What type of product are you using to clean the surface? We typically just use the 'method' brand of surface cleaner regularly and haven't had any issues

Not a professional by any means, but, just a reminder that the quality/grade/etc of each manufacturer's product may vary.. All I can do is share my personal experience. We went with caeserstone brand and we are really pleased with our choice. The polished/shiny finish just wasn't our vibe and after living with honed quartz and cooking nearly every night and making a mess with red wine, turmeric, permanent marker, etc, there hasn't been a day since the install that we regret our choice.

Jen:

I'd try some Quartz Toner by Tenax. Apparently you've got nothing to lose.

Lauren/Jeff/Joseph,

We have CALACATTA VICENZA MATTE purchased through MSI. I’m terrified to try anything on it! We just use diluted dish soap and water as we were instructed to. I use Ms. Meyers dish soap if that makes any difference, but I wouldn’t think so. I don’t know if you looked close up at my photos, but aside from the cloudiness and whatnot, you can see areas where the counter is discolored and looks stained or dirty. And it’s not everywhere (that i can tell).....but certain areas seem to be heavy of it. Which is odd. Makes me think something got in it just in those spots. Possibly from the factory or the installers? I don’t even have anyone to blame at this point. Frustrating.

Jen: What part of "nothing to lose" do you not understand?

Jen MSI is a Chinese product. enough said.

Any thoughts on Silestone Charcoal Soapstone? I heard it gets ”cloudy”. Some people complain it’s too blue instead of charcoal but I’m not bothered by that. It’s the cloudy/staining concerns I’m wondering about.

I'm interested in knowing more too.

The Chinese make some fine engineered stone.

Joseph Corlett, not sure what your point is with your comment. We have honed caeserstone quartz and we are happy with it and have been for years. You comment on this thread often and if you‘re a ’pro’ maybe instead of leaving vague comments like you’ve left previously you could provide more detailed information in an effort to help guide people to make an educated decision. ‘The Chinese make some fine engineered stone’ means nothing to most of us.

Joseph’s remark was a reference to CarolBorg’s comment that MSI is a Chinese product, therefore no good ( in her opinion).

Laurie - what type of Caesarstone countertop do you have? We'd like to try honed but I'm having a terrible time finding one I like.

So I do a lot of design work and have looked at a lot of different options when using quartz. Caesarstone is rated number 1 and Cambria is rated number 3. I personally love Honed London Grey. I used it in my own personal pool house kitchen and absolutely love the look of it. It mimics the look of marble with slight gray undertone. I have had guests mistake it for marble it’s that beautiful.One thing to watch for is when they install it make sure they DON’T get glue on the top of the countertop. When you clean it use soap and water with a microfiber cloth and then dry with another microfiber cloth. However, I am currently working on a project and we were looking at using Neolith. This product is absolutely stunning. However, you are very limited to how the corners are cut and also this affects the type of sink you use as well. When using Neolith corners need to be more squared. If you don’t mind using stainless sinks which could be under mounted then Neolith would work. Since we need white cast iron sinks we will be using Caesarstone Honed London Grey.

Any comments on the “brushed” finish on LG Viatera Minuet? I’m concerned the brushed texture may take away from the matte finish I’m looking for.

laurieparis:

From where did you get these ratings please? As far as quality, customer support, and product innovation, Cambria takes a back seat to no one on the planet.

Square inside corners, such as those at sinks, on any sintered or engineered stone top are prohibited by manufacturers regardless of manufacturer.

Properly undermounted sinks are hung from straps attached to cabinet sides, no matter the top or sink material. (Sink Strap, Regent Stone Products, Hercules Universal Sink Harness, BB Industries) For heavy cast iron, I'd highly recommend a Pete's Sink Mount Kit. Sintered and engineered stone manufacturers void their warranties whenever mechanical fasteners are drilled into their tops directly. Properly mounted, there is no reason any sink can't be used with sintered tops.

Joseph Corlett, good information. I have a granite undermount sink, still in a box, and at this time am deciding what kind of countertops to install. Though my preference is quartz, any reason to exclude concrete counters? That would be the closest choice for where I live (80 miles away). Otherwise, any other material and installers are 240 miles away. Appreciate any advice!

Mr. Corlett,

Maybe I should have used you on this project. It seems like you have a lot of time on your hands. 🤔 Most GC‘s are way too busy to comment on pages like these.

Wow, I don’t enjoy reading uncalled for comments. Joe is an absolute fountain of knowledge!

How much extra is honed? I know it is generally more and depends on fabricator, but what has your experience been? $10 sf more? More or less?

Hi Lauren,
We just had a honed quartz countertop installed in our bathroom. I didn’t think it needed to be sealed, but doing some reading on how to clean it, some say honed quartz needs resealing every 3 months😳is this correct.

Put some Tenax Quartz Toner on it please.