"Most are above dishwasher and she said I must be knocking the edges when I load/unload."

I can guarantee that is the cause. Your fabricator is correct. I see this regularly.

It might be Chinese quartz, which uses a different process than the major companies. There's a reason Chinese quartz is cheaper than the name brands, which all use the Breton manufacturing process. Something as simple as a mug hitting it could chip Chinese quartz.

I've seen no scientific evidence whatsoever that Chinese engineered stone is more prone to chipping than others.

And I can guarantee that I do not knock th edges. Before loading I open the dishwasher fully and I’m putting the dishes in far below the countertop. I do t make contact at all

mary:

So it's just pure coincidence that you and many of my customers have an inordinate amount of chipping at dishwashers?

Edges don't spontaneously chip. Regardless, a tap by a dish shouldn't chip a quartz countertop. The only thing I worry about is cast iron cookware in my sink.

A tap by a dish certainly will chip a stone or estone countertop, depending on the edge profile.

Don't listen to the sales people in the stores. They regularly tell people stuff that isn't true. Quartz stains and chips, there are tons of stories on this forum and others with people complaining.

Listen to Joe above, he is in the business.

TJ is correct, I have Caeserstone quartz in my bathroom - unsure of spelling. I had chips originally within two weeks and I can assure you this bathroom is rarely used. I worry because it is not used at all with my son in college and I'll be well past the warranty period. The installer said it was so hard you'd have to take a hammer to it to damage it prior to me purchasing it. Afterwards he asked if my son hit it with the hair dryer. Really, a hairdryer.

Even if you bumped your counter top with a dish - so what. I have the old Corian in my kitchen no chips and I've had it 15 years. I've gotten so comfortable with it, I given it no special care and it has held up to dishes, pots and pans etc. two teenagers and their friends, even my work guys set their tools on it - no problems. I will not be replacing my kitchen counter tops anytime soon.

Quartz is great for show, possibly a powder room. I would personally pass. I put granite in my master bath and have had no problems.

The sales people want the sale and will tell you anything.

Yes, I realize that. But I researched before I bought (apparently not enough) and understood quartz to be a durable product.

As I said before, I’m an empty nester who has been very careful with these countertops and am stunned that this would have happened after a few months.

Hi Mary,

Mine is the same way. Chipped above dishwasher and around the sink on the side where I put dishes to drain. It's just that the edge is not rounded. I thought I was careful too, but it doesn't take much of a knock to make a chip. I'm not having issues in any other areas.

I just put two quartz countertops in my master bathroom but made sure to get a well-rounded edge. It's still the best material in my opinion. Just wish they would give better advice on edging.

No kidding, my fabricator came out and rounded the edge in my boys bathroom. He was all upset and said I chose the wrong edge, taking no responsibility to educate me on the chipping potential prior to install. I am not a fan of quartz and will NEVER have it in my home in the future.

I am both relieved and sad to read these comments. I had MSI quartz countertops installed in October. Within 3 weeks, there was a nick next to the faucet... and a week ago, I found another nick on the other side of the sink. We have no children in the house, and I am very careful in general, but particularly with my lovely remodeled kitchen. The countertop fabricator, who has not been able to find the time to come and look for 6 months now :( tells me that "I must be banging the sink with something hard." (if you are in the Cleveland area, DO NOT use Marble and Granite Concepts.) There are also tiny little "bubbles" near one of the nicks, and I worry that they too will become nicks. I can't believe that even if a plate or cup knocks against the sink area, it would chip so easily. If that is the case, why use quartz for countertops? The rest of the kitchen, by the way, is holding up very well. I am now trying to find an independent person to come and fix the nicks, or perhaps I will try to do it myself. What have others done?

I don't know the brand of Quartz I have. I got it because I thought it was basically indestructible. HA! I have a straight edge and have a good sized chip by the sink. I also dropped a bowl and it chipped right off and nothing happened to the bowl. I wish our installer had suggested a different edge. So disappointed. Question? Has anyone thought of putting an edge (stainless or rubber? )on theirs to protect it?

By the way, I called the installer. To change my edge of my counters, they want $1600 to remove them to take back to their workshop and won't stand behind them if they crack in the process! I've already spent enough on my kitchen.

rozilopez:

Depending on your edge profile and your layout, your tops may not have to be removed to have the edges re-profiled. I would put a 3/8" round over edge on all your tops and sink on site for probably less than a thousand dollars. If I only removed the sink chip and re-profiled and polished the edge, it'd be $500.00 or so.

Thank you for responding! Can you explain to me what re-profiling the edge means? This chip is on the inside of the sink, so how would that work? Also, I'm in CA...where are you?

Re-profiling means making your edge more rounded mechanically, eliminating your chip and making new ones less likely.

In northern CA call Jim Heaphy, in southern call Cameron DiMille or Ted McFadden. I’m in Florida.

Hi,

do you have a recommendation for someone in the Chicago area?

Thank you,

Mary

Mary:

Give Mario at Lemoncello Stone Restoration a call, please. He was my Stoneguard trainer.

Thanks very much, Joseph~ I’m still trying to get installer to correct, but if all efforts fail, I’ll contact Mario.

We are getting Silestone quartz and have 2 rambunctious boys. I had no idea that quartz could chip up so much until I came across this article. What profile would you guys recommend out of the ones below? Has to be one of the 2cm ones I believe as we are having ikea kitchen cabinets and we cant have it overhung like that or the drawers wont open. TIA!

Sheena - an edge that's sharp is more likely to chip than one that's rounded. So out of the choices above, the bevel and ogee edges wouldn't be great choices. The convex edge looks like a full bullnose edge to me (maybe not quite as rounded as a bullnose the more I look at it) and I think of all the choices it looks the least likely to chip.

Yes I thought that looked to be the best one too. The weird thing is that they didnt have a sample there of the convex edge but had a sample in a different material and it didnt look like the picture above at all. It had sharp corners on the top and bottom and a rounded side. I guess I'll just have to confirm if its actually like the picture above or not. If not maybe the double radius?

That sample looked like "crescent".

4cm edges are designed to have a build up under them . They are not designed to lap over the cabinet faceframe to impinge the drawers or doors. Alot of ranges will not adjust down for a flush installation with a 3 cm thick top.. They barely adjust for 3 cm thick tops, unless theres is some consideration made to elevate the base cabinet prior to installation. As far as the edge profile, any edge with a rounded top corner will help, but rest assured, a chip can come out of the bottom corner also.

2cm can be installed per manufacturer's instructions with or without an edge build up, 2cm or larger, and without underlayment. The edges may overlap a cabinet front if the front is designed in such a way as to not have the top overhang interfere with drawers/doors.

Appliances have to be coordinated with a cabinet/top installation to avoid clearance issues. A 3cm top with 34 1/2" cabinets sitting at the finished floor height will have no appliance problems.

Totally agree Joseph, each application needs to be looked at.. Its all in the details.. Framed, vs frameless will make a difference, and I agree if the cabinets are sitting at finished floor elevation there wont be a problem. The problem enters when the cabinets are not installed at finished floor height, because possibly the flooring hasnt yet been determined, or an additional floor has been added on a remodel. I think you would have a problem with 2cm on 34 1/2 inch cabinets and a slide in or flush sitting range. Again, its all in the details..

I didnt even think of our slide in range and how that affects everything. And our cabinets are 34 1/2. The cabinets will be going in at finished flooring elevation and the cabinets are frameless. So would we be better going with the 4 cm then? Any advice is appreciated!

Theres a few options.. 1) elevate the bases 3/4 prior to installation and install a slightly taller toe kick cover or trim. 2) elevate the countertops and install a trim (undesirable with frameless cabinets.) 3) use 4 cm tops with a build up..

I think 3 is probably our best option since ikea only carries one width of toe kick and I dont love the idea of #2. What would you build it up with? Plywood?

Sheena:

Install 3cm on your 34 1/2" cabinets mounted at finished floor height and you'll have no appliance problems.

The countertops were going with only have the 2cm and 4cm options in this pic. We live in a fairly small town with one small city near by so are limited in our options unfortunately.

Buildup can be solid plywood, or 1x4 s front and back of the cabinets..

Underlayment should always be cabinet grade plywood. Strips on the cabinet perimeter are better than solid underlayment. This is the most dimensionally stable method considering the dissimilar materials. No 1x4s, please.

Thanks for all of your help Joseph and Rollie.

So were doing the 4cm now. My husband and I like the double radius a lot more than the full bullnose. Will that be round enough to prevent chipping? Or should we go with bullnose even tho we dont like the looks of it as much? What would you do?

It will be fine. You’re over-thinking this.

I’ve had my quartz countertops - eased edge - for 3.5 years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve banged heavy SS pans on the edge without a single chip ( I don’t know how the durability of eased edge compares to double radius) Get what you want to look at everyday. I’d rather have a kithen full of something I love with a coupe of nicks and chips than something I don’t like because it’s more durable.

Thanks for the thoughts! Our 2 sons both have autism and break everything so that's why I'm worried about durability lol. I'm very OCD so even tho I might like eased edges the most I know it would bug me a lot to have chips in it everywhere. I think the double radius will stand up well tho (fingers crossed) and we still like the look of it.

I have had the double radius for two years and no chips! Active kids and a husband that tends to break a lot of things! go for the look you want!

That is awesome to hear! Definitely makes me feel confident in our decision.

Joe, do you have any recommendations for fabricator in the D.C. area? TIA.

Has anyone seen this used to build up a quartz countertop? It says it's made to build up a 11/16" laminate. Would it work for the 4cm instead of plywood? Or could we use this to build up the 2cm instead? That would allow to get a more expensive quartz that we like more instead of spending more money on the thicker edge lol. Let me know your thoughts.

https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/70274628/?query=70274628

Need info and advice please! I recently had a kitchen renovation and purchased MSI Quartz Carrera Caldia, which I love, however, there are 3 places on my island (two at the sink and one on the outside edge) that appear to me to be some sort of nick perhaps a cutting issue. They attempted to repair them, but they look the same, if not worse, still noticeable and now the surface where they attempt to smooth the roughness is now dulled. Any futhur sanding/smoothing would affect the edge. What is this? Is this due to cutting, a manufacturer defect in the stone, etc??? I requested my countertop be replaced by my contractor, but he says the stone company said it is not defective. Any info would be much appreciated! Many thanks

I wish I had read this thread sooner! I already have a small nick next to sink in my two month old new kitchen. We have MSI Calcatta Quartz countertops. I, also was told that the Quartz was near indestructable and I thought I had read enough online stating the same. @Joseph Corlett, LLC- any reccomendations for someone that could fix this in NJ?

I can't give you a rec but I would warn it will continue to happen again. I was all heavy pans in the laundry room.

To follow up with my post on March 2018... I never did hear back from the fabricator I used (grrr) and found someone from another company who moonlights and he came by one evening and fixed the problem. He said that it was a fabrication issue-- the areas where I had gotten nicks were cut just a bit thinner. He filled the nicks and sanded everything and it looks perfect and I have not had another nick since. Needless to say, I will use HIS company the next time I need countertops!

"@Joseph Corlett, LLC- any reccomendations for someone that could fix this in NJ?"

Stu Rosen at Stoneshine is the best in the business.

Used a quartz company here in Calgary and within 6 months we had our first chip. We took a plate out of a drawer and nicked the edge of the counter and the counter chipped. The plate was stronger and had no damage! There are a few other very small nicks around the eased edges and sink too. Was wondering if our quartz is defective as its supposed to be so strong. When we contacted the company they did not warranty for chips however did come over to fixed the larger ones at our request but cost us.