Devastated- new countertop tear out
Had new quartzite installed 2 weeks ago. called manhattan quartzite from brazil. purchased from reputable fabricator- have bern doing business with them for 10 years. tested begore hand- glass glass, lemon, vinegar etc.
when installed, there were large wet looking disvolorations down both sides of island and along back on countertop. I asked the installer why they looked like that and he didnt seem concerned. He siad it was water absorbrion from the fabricarion cutting and it should evaporare in a few hours. well well, it never did.
i had them come back 3 days later. they tried a heater and ledt poiltice on it for 7 days. came back tried srting it again and nothing wokrs. Still looks the same. they said thet have never experimced this before and have nonisea what it is. they said thet will replace the stone wirh the same one or I may choose something else. I loved the blue grey color of this quartzite, but fear using the same material again. is there any quartzite that performs well wirh absorption/ etching/ staining staining?
i am even considering a marble called Namibian sky, as I have it as a buffet table top for the past 6 years. Its gorgeous , no issues, but its on a piece of furniture, not a kitchen cointertop. it has similar coloring of blue/ grey.
any suggestion of a wairtzite or marble that is good in a kirchen? i do not like quartz; i just feel it looks flat . thanks
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chestnut3
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Comments (20)Lol. This post is from 2006 and I'm still getting notifications of replies to it. We replaced our counter tops with the inexpensive Formica at Lowe's about 5 years ago now. We had a water leak at the kitchen sink which caused some damage that we wanted to fix so while we were ripping things out we decided to replace the counter tops. We did end up having to build a new face for the base of the counters as the thin paneling stuff was not the best, so my cupboards on the bottom are stronger than ever. My husbad also had to cut the piece off the back of the countertops to make them fit as mine weren't as deep as the ones from the store but with a little trim along the back of the counter and nobody knows. I love my kitchen even to this day. The money was well worth it! If I remember correctly they cost about $150? In Sept we will have lived here for 12 years!!...See MoreMoving granite counter tops
Comments (14)wow- I so get this one! This is happening so much down here. I am in south florida, and this seems to be a kind of weird thing thats going on right now- its like real estate agents (or owners) are thinking 'this kitchen is a wreck", (oh- those pink and black formica cabinets that were huge down here in the 50's and the laminated white ones with the wooden strip on the bottom? Not exactly Eames.) So they think, lets plop on a granite counter top to fix this, up the price and sell it all as new! More than a little nuts- right? For goodness sakes- give an allowance for the kitchen to be redone (even gutted) and leave it to the buyer to chose if it fits their energy to redo. !*sigh*! Just as an example- my ex had a condo right on the beach that was amazing until you walked into the kitchen. (Shiny marble floors, floor to ceiling windows, a view of the ocean from the living room and a view from the dining room of cruise ships coming and going- total Hollywood glam.) Then- the Kitchen. The cabinets were plastic- really, truly- hard shiny molded plastic! and- ta da! the countertops were a silky gorgeous polished marble. Nuts! Anyway- I have done this ( moved both marble and granite slabs.) The trick is to find someone who knows how to crate it before its moved at all. Even if its not going anywhere but to the back yard, (or the living room) crating it stabilizes the stone. I have two large pieces that I have moved twice now- one of each. It's expensive, but a good moving company should be able to give you quotes to do it. If you love the stone please dont just rip it out and dump it, it drives me crazy (personal opinion) to think that granite has become a design element that can just be replaced if it doesnt fit a new "look", like on the show "flipping out". If you find that it's prohibitive in terms of cost to do this, then do at least put it on Craigs list. You will be surprised at the number of people who will respond to take it out for you. At the beginning of negotiations, adjust your offer accordingly. The problem is that most of the desirable areas down here are older and the kitchens arent antique-y looking, just really horribly dated. Just because folks spent money on kitchen counter tops doesnt make the kitchen updated. I so get that! Good luck to you on your house search... :D...See MoreAny decent CounterTop microwaves in 2016?
Comments (10)I also heard that one of the Korean companies was making microwaves. Sharp and Panasonic for sure. All microwaves degrade from the jump. The magnetron (is that what it's called? Too early for me..) degrades with use. Search the forum, and you'll get good explanations from Kas about this. Investing a ton of money in a microwave, therefore, doesn't make a lot of sense. OTOH, that part will last a heck of a lot longer than a few years, if you get a kitchen grade microwave (as opposed to a desktop cutsiepoo unit for which I have no data at all). The thing that makes so many microwaves "disposable" is wear and tear. If you have family members who SLAM the door, PUNCH the buttons, etc., and constantly fiddle with it, starting and stopping and opening and closing, and just using it a lot for one mug of hot water, the box is going to wear out long before the magnetron. If you're nice to it, and use it a couple of times per day rather than all day long, it could last 20 years or more. One of the things you can get with a more expensive unit, along with looks and snooty badge, is potentially a sturdier housing. It is also potentially possible to have a built-in unit repaired (I can't imagine it being worthwhile to repair a freestanding unit). There are people who do microwave repairs and they do make replacement magnetrons. The only situation where that seems like a possible good idea, however, is when you have the beautiful built-in that matches your beautiful kitchen which still looks like new. Re convection: The initial convection microwaves didn't work well as ovens, and also didn't meet the expectations of the buyers. That was before convection ovens themselves were well understood in the US. In the time I've been researching appliances and hanging out here (coming up on ten years), the general tone from users of them has gone from not worth the money to acceptable second oven. Again, I don't know if that's a change in quality or in user expectations. Convection ovens cook with circulated hot air. They do a good job roasting. Great for "cooking" or "baking" a casserole. Even baking a loaf of bread. For small things, like cookies, a lot depends on the pan, the cookie and whether or not it really wanted bottom heat. For most, it'll do an acceptable job. Some outliers really do better with a proper baking mode. Egg rising things like angel cakes and soufflés really don't like being blown about. If you can arrange the angle of the pan to the blower just right, it's possible, but still iffy. The heated air can also bounce off the surfaces in unexpected ways leading to uneven cooking/browning, contravening the evenness that you otherwise get from the movement of the air. It's likely that there are still poor ones out there, especially at the lower end. There must also be good ones. Just familiarize yourself with the features and abilities of the unit, and use that to sift through the consumer reviews to know whether it was the oven or the user, and make your judgment from there....See Moregtdj519
last yeargtdj519
last yearIt really is horrible. the pic doesnt do the colors of the stone justice. it reads darker in the pics, but it is really a pale blue/ grey color with white and ivory swirling. its just stunning. the fabricator has no idea what it is or caused it. they are stumped. im sick over it. but, inam grateful they are doing the right thing and making it right by replacing it. im just clueless what to replace it with. i have to start all over again. the cabinets have alreadt been refinished ( chantilly lace), so a warm colored stone will just not work well. i need ( and prefer) a cool colored stone. as i said, i own a marble called Namibian Sky on a piece of furnitre which is similar to this manhattan quartzite in colors, that I absolutey love, but it is marble. im not sure if it is okay in a kitchen. here is a pic of it. i just cant believe this. my husband thinks we should try the manhattan quartzite again, but im very apprehensive and nervous to do so. im leaning towards soemthing else, but i just dont know what
chispa
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cpartist
last yearlast modified: last yearI have had Fascination quartzite for 4 years with absolutely no issues at all. No chips, discoloring, scratches, etc. :) I'm not sure one can get it anymore and it might be too warm for you. There is a blue quartzite that the name escapes me right now that is similar with lots of beautiful patterning.
There are quite a few quartzites that hold up beautifully. Marbles can stain more easily that quartzites.
cpartist
last yearcwcf185
last yearI put Nuvolato Blue quartzite on my island and have been very happy with it. It has blues with some gray, with it leaning more one way or the other, depending on lighting. Similarly, lighting in this photo makes it appear darker than it really is. Hopefully that gives you another option to consider.
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rebunky
last yearWhat a bummer! I am so sorry, but that is great they will replace it for you.
This is one I saw at my local stone yard that might look nice. It has the grey-blue and some white, with a hint of the caramel swirls that would tie in your floor color. They called it Quartzite Cielo.
Here is a mock up for you.
Cpartist, you know I am in love your Fusion quartzite countertops!
This slab below has been calling my name. It would be for my master bath vanity. They call it Fusion Light. 😍
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