Really we need pictures and are you planning new cabinets or what. IMO quartz is the last choice I would make for counters a nice real stone polished is IMO a lot better choice

Thank you Patricia. I will send photos of my existing kitchen BUT I am still trying to figure out color etc. Also I don't know what IMO quartz is.... Why is it the last choice and then a polished IMO is better what's the difference?

IMO...In My Opinion.

What Patricia is saying...in her opinion, (and mine), real stone is a better choice than crushed quartz particles held together with plastic resin. That’s what quartz is. It’s not real stone. It pretends to be what it’s not, and looks fake.

Btw, Patricia often leaves out punctuation in her posts, but her advice is usually spot on.

OK... So if you like what the pattern looks like what's the difference. I am mostly looking for a no maintance product that will hold up that I like the pattern. From there I'm trying to pick the cabinet colors, which I know I want dark not white and the tiles. I don't like a real busy look my kitchen is large and I get tired of busy patterns which is what alot of the materal stone looks like. It's beautiful but too much for me in my kitchen.

Also...you say you want dark cabinets...do you mean a wood stain, or dark paint?

Here are birch cabinets with a medium stain.

I don’t care for busy patterns in my kitchen, either. We paired a hard variety of soapstone (Belvedere) with the stained birch cabs, and chose a celadon green subway backsplash for some color. The soapstone is a breeze to clean, is impervious to everything...doesn’t etch or stain...never needs to be sealed, and does not react negatively to heat. It has a matte finish, and is never cold to touch.

Thanks so much Darbuka. I do like the color of the first one you pointed out looks to be birch with medium stain. It's a little hard to see since the photo is in the middle. I do like oak and would rather have dark stain. Once painted you can't go back.

But I haven't heard what's the problem with the MSI Calacatta Valentin. I like the patterning. But when the person above spoke it was like it's an inferior product... That concerns me.

Both pics are of the same kitchen (mine). The stain looks a bit lighter in natural daylight, like in the second pic. They are birch, in a medium stain...I think it was called, Autumn.

As for the difference between Silestone and MCI, my understanding is that all the major companies use the same Breton technology. The only difference between them, is the patterns offered, and pricing. Cambria has the most pattern offerings, is the only American company, and tends to be the priciest.

There is a really great thread with about 150 post specifically on Calcutta Valentin on Houzz. If you search it you will find it. Not sure how to share the link, but lots of great photos and info on Valentin and backsplashes used. Good Luck!

I like the Valentin. The veining is nice -much better than many of the quartz products. The backgound is off white so you need to have a piece with you when selecting backsplash. You'll need to decide if it looks okay with cream floor tile. Are you trying to restain your current cabinets or replace them.

I am refinishing my cabinets with a dark brown. I have very light floors and the kitchen is very open and bright and I am tired of "white" . I'm a bit afraid about the back splash which I'm going to use tile. I have to live with this for a long time....

We just designed our new kitchen and construction starts on 4/26/21. We went with natural, matte finish birch cabinets, black hardware and Valentin quartz countertops. The base color of the quartz is not bright white but has more depth (like subtle variegated cream and very pale grey) with a mix of dark grey and amber veining. It provides a much warmer look than bright white. We have a 10’ x 5’ island and I can’t wait to see the expanse of that beautiful quartz!

I am having the Calcutta Valentin quartz countertop installed on matte, natural birch cabinets with black beefy square cabinet pulls. We will be installing a backsplash of Bedrosians Cloe green long subway tile (2.5” x 8”), stacked vertically. Our style is modern/rustic/organic. One of the attached pictures is of the Valentin slab with two tile samples I was considering. I went with the dark green tile, which is the Bedrosians Cloe green tile. The second photo is the Bedrosians Cloe tile installed with white countertop and wood cabinets. The tile is a deep emerald variegated tile. It’s just beautiful in person.

Wow beautiful.

@mbmorgan40 I showed some photos in the other Valentin thread that I had started but I used the Cloe tile in Green for part of my backsplash with the Valentin and its amazing. You'll love it!

@Megan Thanks for letting me know. I can’t wait! Would love to see it!

@mbmorgan40 i used it in a small portion of my backsplash under my cabinets - I have on counter cabinets there for my small appliances. My other backsplash is just more Valentin. And then I used the cloe green again for my wet bar but I used a different quartz in that area.

@Megan oh WOW! That is beautiful! I live your choices! The gold is gorgeous! We are also using gold faucets! Looks great with the Valentin and green Cloe tile. Also love the Valentin backsplash mixed with the green cabinet. It really isn’t. A bright white background on the Valentin but, personally, I prefer this color for depth, texture and character. My main floor and kitchen renovation is scheduled to begin mid May, finishing in late July. I’ll post picks when it’s all done. So appreciate the photos! Will definitely show my husband - I’m sure he’ll love it too!

@mbmorgan40 I can't wait to see yours when it's done!

@HU-877200728 Re Patricia Colwell Consulting comment, for what it's worth...we always had granite counters in our kitchens and never worried about a thing - including heat and staining. After not finding a natural stone with the look we wanted for our new kitchen, we installed light colored quartz countertops about 6 mos. ago and, while I love the look, I am always (always!) worried about staining and placing anything hot on them....

Case in point - Thanksgiving morning, I rested a pink sticky note on counter next to sink, it got wet and next thing I knew I'm frantically trying to remove a bright pink square stain from my white counters! No luck w soap and water or with diluted bleach (which you should not use on quartz but I was desperate) Thankfully, after searching internet, rubbing alcohol took it right out so I was saved, but boy did it make me nervous.

Obviously many people use quartz and it may be the right decision for you (I'm not sure I'd change even with its limitations) but I thought quartz was a lot more durable when we made our decision so I wanted to share my experience to help you with your research :)

Best of luck!

Has anyone done Calacatta Valentin with Greek Villa cabinets?

I have used calacatta Valentin in my kitchen and bathroom counters., I have cherry cabinets in bathroom.

I have used Marvel pro crema porcelain tiles by architectural surfaces as floors and walls in bathroom . They go very well with Calacatta Valentin.,

I have cherry cabinets in kitchen as well as bathroom so calacatta Valentin goes very well with it.

Varsha Mital, I would love to see a picture of your kitchen. I love Valentin quartz— it looks beautiful. But, I saw it at the MSI showroom today with cherry cabinet door next to it, I thought it is too dark for cherry. Thanks.

Has any one used Chloe white tile with Valentin? If so, can you post pics? Thank you

This is the green Chloe tile, Valentin countertops, and natural matte finish birch cabinets. Enjoy!

Thank you, so pretty. I’m looking for pics of Chloe white tile.

We just installed Valentin in our kitchen with rubbed black cabinets and nickel hardware. Love it!

Megan - are your bathroom sinks white or biscuit or ???

@mbmorgan40 off-topic, but while waiting for my kitchen cabinets and Valentin countertop install date (July 18th!), I’ve been searching for the right stools for my island - and I LOVE yours! Can I ask where you bought them? Details please! 🙂

These:

Hey thanks! I was obsessive and exhaustive in my search as well. We have so much physical contact with kitchen barstools so they need to be attractive, durable and comfortable. Finding just the right stools in a reasonable price point can be a tall order! I found these at Restoration Hardware and have been very pleased. However, they were on closeout so I’m not sure if they still have them in stock. 🤞🏻

The Valentin countertop is AWESOME! I hope you love it! Good luck in your reno! Hang in there - you’re in the homestretch now!

@mbmorgan40 thank you so much! I’m on the hunt…I’ll update when more progress is made! 🙂

Can anyone give a price per square foot for the Valentine countertop? I’m just wondering if it’s in my budget before I get official quotes. 😵‍💫 thank
You!

@Megan would you mind sharing the paint color used in the bathroom. It looks great. I am not regretting my choice! LOL

@Cristina Murray We used Sherwin Williams Greek Villa