Your thoughts, Experiences in choosing Quartz counters, here are mine.
Love stone homes
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Love stone homes
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Experience with Dark, Solid engineered quartz? X-post in baths
Comments (9)I have Caesarstone Pebble, which is medium gray, it's been in about 4 months now, no scratches. The concept of a darker color being more scratch-prone sounds like nonsense to me; engineered quartz is 93% quartz, with color and resin added. I don't see where the color could possibly affect the integral hardness of the quartz. Let me guess--the sales person sells something else that he net him/her a bigger commission, right?...See MoreSome thoughts about picking a fabricator (stone or quartz)
Comments (6)"what do you mean by "horizontal lines" on the edges and sink cutouts? I can't visualize this in my head." A CNC (computer numerical control:) is a computer controlled router that can cut, shape, and polish the edges of stone. A typical tool set has 4 grits in metal bond shaping tools(100, 200, 400, 800) and three of four more that are resin bond polishing tools. (1000, 1500, 2000, 3000) The tooling, which are the parts which actually work the stone, are cylinders with various grits of diamond in a metal or resin matrix. To finish a sawn edge it is 1st shaped with a series of course tools made in the shape of the desired edge. As the tools pass along the edge the diamond grit leaves scratches in the stone. Subsequent tools of finer grit do not remove these scratches because there is no cross action. The edge ends up polished but the scratches from the coarse tools, which appear as horizontal lines, are still there. This effect can be minimized with proper set up and brand new tools do a better job than worn ones. A very high end shop will use the CNC to shape the edge but will finish off the edge by hand. A set of CNC tools is several thousand dollars so many shops use them well past the point where they are doing a good job. 10 years ago a CNC edge polish full of lines was considered poor quality. The advent of the big factory shops has lowered the bar for whats acceptable. In todays market most shops simply polish everything on the CNC and call it "good enough." Polishing to a finish on the CNC saves the fab shop several hours of hand labor on a typical kitchen. Most of the general public doesn't know the difference and, admittedly, it is often hard to see the lines given the lighting and viewing angle in most kitchens particularly on lighter colors. Unfortunately those lines can also be glaringly obvious in the right conditions or of the tooling was well worn. A tip off to a shop that finishes everything on the CNC is one that provides a variety of edge options for no upcharge. If the CNC is doing all the polishing there is little difference in the manufacturing time for a edge like an Ogee compared to a simple flat or 3/8" top radius....See MoreAny experience with Silestone Iconic White? Which quartz is right?
Comments (12)I used Silestone Iconic White countertops over the walnut base cabinets in my kitchen. It is the purest white you will find and looks fabulous with my upper high gloss white cabinets - even though the countertop is actually brighter than the upper cabinets. Definitely a great choice if you want an “Instagram Worthy” looking kitchen! The reflective nature of my high gloss white uppers minimizes the difference in the whites. There are some flecks here and there though in my Iconic White countertop - looks like a few ground black pepper flakes embedded in the slab used to fabricate my countertops. With the purest white even the best seam lines are also extremely noticeable. Fortunately my fabricator minimized the seams to just two small ones at the sink, but I can still see them from across the room. The installer didn’t caulk as well as I would have liked, so maybe with some extra effort on my part I can get the seams less noticeable. There was some chipping along the seams as well, which doesn’t help. I placed several White Zeus Extreme sample chips on top of my new Iconic White countertop and couldn’t tell a difference in the shade - the White Zeus Extreme was still whiter than my upper cabinets - so it would also have been a good color choice. I have read a great number of horror stories about Silestone, esp. White/lighter colors, staining and chipping even with the utmost of care, unfortunately only after making a $7k purchase for my kitchen remodel. While those stories may be extreme cases and not representative of the majority of purchases, those stories have me quite afraid to use my newly renovated kitchen. I will only use plain water and a soft microfiber cloth to clean - nothing else - and will not set anything down on my countertops that isn’t on a soft cloth or towel - and pray for the best. Fortunately I have a workstation sink to help minimize use of my countertop. Although I absolutely love the look, I won’t be purchasing Silestone again though - it’s just not the right choice for my comfort level and lifestyle....See MoreDoes anyone have experience with Enigma quartz countertops?
Comments (195)The Engima Valley counter is absolutely beautiful, but I would NEVER install it again. I've only had it installed for a month and I already have two big chips in the island. I keep my house immaculate, including wiping down the counters every time I cook to ensure it isn't damaged by red sauce or acidity from lemons. I already have light stains forming on the island. I have marble in my bathrooms that's holding up better than the Enigma quartz. I reached out to Enigma for help filling in the chips. They redirected my email to the store I purchased the stone from who then redirected me to my fabricator for help filling them in. Really disappointed all around, especially since it was $5700 for one slab and fabrication/install....See MoreLove stone homes
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
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