IMO if you have read all the issues and still want the product how can we help. You could not give mt quartz counters ever Why would you go from real stone to fake plastic why not just do a nice black granite polished never needs anything else and works for the backsplash too.

Hi Bruce…I am in the same dilemma as you and completely understand being drawn to the black tempal. In my case, I want 2 cm counters, which is one reason I prefer quartz as it is difficult to find geranite, etc in 2 cm. I also really like the texture of the black tempal..and also will likely go ahead with it. according to their website you can use softscrub gel with clorox and also windex per their sales person, which you have likely also seen. I did see where one of the folks that first posted about the concerns with fingerprints, etc, later said they are quite happy with it and finding it to be much less maintainence than origianlly expected. I was also considering for the backsplash. curious..what type of cabinets are you planning? and have you looked at rugged concrete by Casesarstone? at least online it seems to have the same appeal, but I have not yet seen in person. there is no other quartz that indicates you can use anything other than mild soap and water that I have seen..so to me, seems like that is a positive for black tempal. it’s an agonizing desicion..right? and an expensive one!!

@Stacie Holden-Rivers I looked at the slab for black tempal and due to lighting really couldnt see the true color. would you say the island in your pic is close to the true color? in that it provides a more charcoal color rather than deep black? thanks

@susanrhill34 Absolutely more charcoal than black.

Here are multiple photos very representative of what it looks like.

@Stacie Holden-Riversthanks very much!! very helpful!

Hi Bruce, Stacie and Susan, I may be coming late to this discussion, but thought I’d add my comments in case you haven’t decided yet. i installed Empira Black and not the Black Tempal you’re onsidering, but there’s a good chance that black CS countertops act the same. My choice was a costly huge mistake. From day one, the black countertop showed every fingerorint, smudge, water mark, wipe marks and more…. and cleaning with warm soapy water, as recommended on the CS website did not remove the marks. i tried another cleaner that was recommended by our CD sales rep, and even with a lot of elbow grease, the marks did not come off. CS even sent out a stone technician to try to clean my countertop, without success. Yet CS maintains its position that the product is not defective and is unwilling to provide any form of compensation….it is hiding behing its warranty rather than standing behind its product. So, assuming you haven’t made the choice yet, my suggestion woukd be to look at other quartz products by other manufacturers.

Thanks @Ann Kippen, I really appreciate your candid feedback. We've decided to pivot with our design and are now looking at white-based products. Received a lot of advice and guidance including some from our contractor whom we know and trust. We love the look of the black tempal, but not enough to deal with potential issues. Afterall, this is going in a kitchen.

you’re welcome @Bruce McGaughey, and good decision! i ended up replacing mine with a Silestone product (also quartz) having sworn off CS, and it is working out great.

You’re right that having such an issue in a high-traffic kitchen area is best to be avoided, so why CS thinks it is acceptable to hide behind its warranty and state that there is no material defect is beyond me,,,,,let alone contine with its false and misleading statements on its website. Good luck!

@Bruce Mac Hi Bruce..wondering if you are sticking with Caesarstone with a white based quartz or turning to another company. I keep going back and forth with the concerns over the black tempal. They do seem to have more unique products, even in white or light gray colors.

@Ann Kippen thanks for sharing your experience. I have talked with a few pros and seems to be the concensus that dark quartz in general has issues. one fabricator told me that when he does have a few complaints, seem to be CS products. It’s clearly a expensive mistake, so appreciate your input. Any chance you can share pix of the issues you have had? Just trying to decide what my tolerance level is for fingerprints:) thanks so much!

have you looked at Silestone Eternal Charcoal?

this is the suede finish

I did my kitchen in the Eternal Serena.

have had it for 4 years w/no issues.

as far as quartz goes, it doesn't have any additional problems. comes w/their Nboost for stain resistance. I like mine

Negresco or Duetto quartzite is similar

Honed Silver Gray granite? lots of variations to this stone. very pretty

Quartz, Pental honed Serano

honed or leathered Black Forest Granite

even polished it's really pretty. for the perimeter you could do a solid white quartz. I'd like this w/a white oak island

quartzite? white macaubas?

Porcelain slabs have come a long way. the cost for one of these was about 2200.

Hi @susanrhill34, here are a couple of photos. The first one, where the counter is still wet, was taken after we tried to clean/remove fingerprints and smudges with a cleanser that our CS sales rep recommended, and we used a lot of elbow grease in cleaning..…you can still see the fingerprints there on the wet countertop. (Towards bottom right, easier to see if enlarge or zoom in on photo). The second photo shows the wipe marks and smudges that remained on a different part of the counter after I wiped it down with warm soapy water and it dried. It was a very costly mistake to choose the Black empira that I did, and I ended up replacing it (at additional cost to me of course) with a competitor product as I just couldn’t live with all the marks that couldn’t be removed. And I am not overly fussy or a clean freak.…just someone who expects a counter to look clean after cleaning it. No problems with my replacement Silestone countertop.

Yet CS is hding behind its warranty and saying there was no material defect in the countertop. But clearly there was in my opinion, as it could not be cleaned (even with considerable effort) by me or a stone technician and certainly did not perform like any countertop I had had before, nor had my decorator or contractor ever seen anything like it.Given my experience, my decorator and contractor are very reluctant to recommend any CS products to their future clients. if I were you, I’d trust your contractor and his comments, and definitely look at something else.

@Ann Kippen that's really too bad. Sorry you had to go through that. Thank you for speaking up and saving us the heartache.

@susanrhill34 We're currently looking at Cambria Smithfield as it matches our cabinets the best and is not creamy. Silestone is our 2nd choice at the moment. Awaiting a revised bid after a cabinet design change. White cabinets, white counters, stone grey island (has some blue) and stainless appliances.

@Bruce Mac big shift from the black tempal:) sounds like it will be beautiful!

@Ann Kippen ditto what Bruce said! definitely appreciate you posting the pix. So unfortunate there are these type of issues with the quartz. I am also rethinking the black tempal after reading too many issues with it and also with Casearstone in other colors. what a shame..they have stunning slabs that look like no other vendor. Glad to hear you are no longer having issues with the new quartz. what did you end up replacing it with?

Hi @susanrhill34 and @Bruce Mac, i also pivoted and ended up replacing with Silestone Ethereal Noctis. It looks amazing with my white cabinets, grey and white tile backsplash and dark grey/almost black Blanco sink. Silestone is also a quartz, but the countertop is performing as it should.

And of course I’m happy to share my comments on CS so that you and others don’t have to deal with these problems and run into a brick wall dealing with CS. As you say it is an expensive mistake to be avoided.

Good luck and enjoy what you choose and your new kitchens!

@Ann Kippen Hi Ann! your kitchen sounds beautiful! I had actually ordered the same blanco sink, but ended up changing it out. I have seen some say a film can delvelop from hard water, etc..but if you search on Houzz I had seen someone post how to remove..or maybe on the Blanco site. If you are interested and can’t find it, pls let me know and I will locate it for you. I actually prefer the look of the Blanco sink, so I am sure it is beautiful! I ended up ordered a Kohler sink in ice grey to better go with the Black Tempal, which of course is not on my ”change” list ugh. would love to see pix of your finished kitchen! I am also planning a gray and white backsplash..and will have a mix of white oak and painted (proably warm gray) cabinets. I am still struggling over the cabinet color now with the need to find a new quartz! congrats on getting everything together…I know what a process that is!

@susanrhill34 @susanrhill34

Project continues to grow. Now we're looking to do the bar area off the great room. Cabinets will be a stone grey, which present a little bit of blue in certain light. Wife is reconsidering Black Tempal for the tops and backsplash for this. I'm not convinced Tempal is black enough. We rarely use the bar area as a "bar", most of that type of entertaining takes place in the kitchen, so I'm not super concerned with water spots or glass sweat ring marks although their is a sink, but again it's rarely used with exception of the occasional dog bowl refill. We want to avoid a white-based top due to decor, flooring and finishings. Looking at Silestone Eternal Charcoal in Suede finish too. Anything else I should be looking for? Looks like the Tenax quartz conditioner helps darken the Tempal, that's an option to get it a little darker. Any thoughts?

This doesn't look too shabby. Ignore the desk background and the fact the cabinet paint sample is so hammered. Right side of the Black Tempal is treated with Tenax conditioner, the left is not. This will work, right? Thinking we'll do the small ~72in countertop as well as the 18in high backsplash with this.

Have you considered soapstone? I prefer natural stone, and soapstone is maintenance free, heat tolerant, silky to the touch, and beautiful. Mine was less expensive than quartz.

@Bruce Mac your black tempal looks good..appears that the tenax deepened the color, but to me brings out the lighter tones in the quartz a bit more. still struggling at this end over the quartz, but moving towards a warm gray concrete look to avoid some of the issues, but not all, since will be honed. we have marble now and expect that quartz will far out perform marble in any case!

Good luck with your revised project Bruce.

just as an fyi, here’s another photo that my decorator took of my black CS countertop where you can clearly see the non-removeable smudge marks and fingerprints. Hopefully Black Tempal would be better, but if it were me…..

Thankfully my project is complete!

@Ann Kippen Woah! that's heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing. Once again, I think we need to continue looking.

@chinacatpeekin I assumed soapstone was out of our budget. Maybe I'm mistaken. I like the subtle veining and the smooth to the touch finish, but always thought it was considerably more than quartz. I guess the hunt continues. Luckily, everything else is dialed in and we're just looking for the bar area now. Fortunately we don't need much.

FWIW when I was renovating my kitchen in 2021, my close friends were renovating theirs, and we used the same contractor and countertop fabricator. My soapstone countertops were significantly less per square foot than their Caesarstone ( and my marble was less, as well). Also, there are dark honed granites that give a similar look; jet mist is one I considered. I love my soapstone! Explore your natural stone options, if that is something you might like.

@chinacatpeekin curious how the soapstone has held up. My understanding is it does scratches easily and needs to be oiled regualarly. how have you found the maintenance?

I’ve chosen not to oil or wax it and love the natural finish. I just wipe it with water and a tiny bit of Dawn dish detergent. That’s it for upkeep! I have no scratches - at least none that I notice- and a few tiny minor chips at the countertop edge that are a not really noticeable either. I absolutely love the look and feel of my soapstone.