i went to see them and didn't like them at all - but i can't comment on how they wear and tear b/c i passed on them. i also like the matte but not the texture - i want my countertops to smoother and cooler to the touch.

the guy at the stone place though said they are getting fairly popular and thinks within the next two years the marble looking one will sell out all the time.

If you can, go see Neolith in person. I'm going to guess you're in SF based on your user name :-) If there's not an easy place to find it in SF, EcoHome in Berkeley carries it. I really liked how it looked and felt, and the advantages are numerous. There's one gray color (I can't remember which now) that really struck me. We are going with honed CS Pebble, as we prefer the matte look to the polished ourselves. Anyway, b/c honed CS seems to have lots of concern on the web, I called CS and went to several stores that carried CS to ask about honed just to make sure all the answers were the same. I was a bit nervous about going with the honed can you tell?? :-) In doing so, that's how I came to see the Neolith product. If we hadn't already made our choice (and I didn't want to deal with changing our decision), I would have strongly considered going with Neolith.

Thanks malabacat for the response. We have a lot in common...I love the CS Pebble but don't like the polished look. But in thinking of doing the honed which is my favorite I got scared by the concerns about it. I'm very careful with things but my husband is not and I'd hate to have to kill him if he did something to the honed CS. I have gone to Fox Marble in SF to see the Neolith...love everything about it except for the color choices in gray...CS pebble to me is the perfect gray...not too light but not dark either. I guess I was hoping that Neolith had a color similar to CS pebble but I didn't see one. And for all the excitement over Neolith by designers etc I can't seem to find any reviews from people that have installed it in their kitchens. What did you find out about the honed CS Pebble...is it super fragile like marble? Or still more durable than that but less than polished pebble?

According to the person I spoke to at CS and every countertop store I went to, the only concern with the honed finish is it requires more cleaning than the polished finish. It shows fingerprints a lot and the polished finish doesn't. Also oils don't wipe right up either. As such it requires more cleaning than a quick wipe to get your countertop clean. Since people buy CS bc it's so easy to clean, the extra cleaning annoyed customers. Other than the cleaning issue there is no other difference. I was able to get a large sample 12"x12"of both polished and honed CS pebble from one of the stores to test (I also got other colors to try just to compare too-raven, concrete and frosty carrina) and found that nothing caused any problem with any sample except cutting directly on it. Definitely not a good idea for CS or probably any countertop. Even pushing a wine bottle repeatedly over a sample had no effect. I'd read on GW of people testing slabs of various materials this way and since we drink a lot of wine, wondered if the honed finish would be affected compared to the polished and thankfully no!

And yes the honed sample I had took more cleaning. A simple wipe with a sponge was not enough to get rid of the fingerprints or oils on the honed finish from my experience. But they easily went away when I sprayed the sample with Mrs. Meyers and wiped with a sponge which is my normal way I clean my counters anyway. So for me the honed finish will not be an issue.

Thanks malabacat for all the great info on the honed pebble! This decision is just about giving me an ulcer. And I'm running out of time before my contractor needs a decision. We live in a condo that only has windows at one end so the kitchen doesn't get a lot of natural light which is why the pebble is such the perfect color and really my preference. The Neolith grays all seem dark and the one light one while matte, is really flat looking to me. Honed pebble is quiet but has just a little movement which I like. I'm fine with having to do more of a cleaning vs just wiping down. And I planned on getting a couple marble cutting boards and having my husband use while in the kitchen. It's like having a small child. :) But I'm glad to hear that staining hasn't been a problem on your samples. I was afraid of staining from red wine which we consume frequently and olive oil which we use just about daily.

Thanks malabacat for all the great info on the honed pebble! This decision is just about giving me an ulcer. And I'm running out of time before my contractor needs a decision. We live in a condo that only has windows at one end so the kitchen doesn't get a lot of natural light which is why the pebble is such the perfect color and really my preference. The Neolith grays all seem dark and the one light one while matte, is really flat looking to me. Honed pebble is quiet but has just a little movement which I like. I'm fine with having to do more of a cleaning vs just wiping down. And I planned on getting a couple marble cutting boards and having my husband use while in the kitchen. It's like having a small child. :) But I'm glad to hear that staining hasn't been a problem on your samples. I was afraid of staining from red wine which we consume frequently and olive oil which we use just about daily.

Neolith has a color called Beton, which seems like a great color alternative to CS Pebble

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thanks Caayu. I did go and see the Beton slab and loved the primary base color of it but didn't like that it's very blotchy to mimic concrete. Some places looked like stains you just couldn't clean off and that's not a look I was ok with. Oh well...I guess I'll be making a last minute decision when my contractor forces me to. I'm sure I'll like which ever I go with but this has been by far the most agonizing decision of the remodel by far. :)

I'm a little late to this thread, but we recently had installed the "Cement" color neolth countertop. We wanted a bullet-proof light gray counter with a bit of uniqueness. I was so happy to find this product, but nervous since it was hard to find references.

Of course it is a matter of personal preference, but we really love the material. It does have a matte finish and a leathery feel (maybe similar to honed). We did not bevel the edges, so it is just (edit 12mm) 12cm on edge, which gives it a unique look. It contrasts to our shiny smooth kitchen island which is a (edit 3cm) 2.5cm wicked white quartzite (we like the contrast).

I am so pleased with the look and performance. I like being able to put the scalding pans right from the stovetop to the counter. In a pinch I cut vegetables directly on the counter, but don't want to damage my knives so I don't do it often. We don't worry about oil or lemons or anything staining it. It cleans up very easy. We will see how it stands the test of time (2 months now), but so far it was the right choice for us.

This post was edited by pbas40 on Mon, Oct 13, 14 at 13:19

pbas40:

Are you sure you didn't mean 10mm instead of 12cm? I've heard of stone in 2cm and 3cm, but not 2.5cm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Neolith thickness

trebruchet,

i meant 12mm, not 12cm. (or 10mm) for the neloith, and you are right the quartz stone is 3cm.

neolith has 12mm, but I'm not sure if they have it in all the offerings.

the link is a pic of the whole kitchen (which isn't quite finished yet since we are waiting on shevling in the far corner)

It is hard to tell 10m from 12mm in the pic, but i think the extra 2mm makes a big difference in person

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen w/ 12mm neolith

This post was edited by pbas40 on Wed, Oct 8, 14 at 12:12

Trebruchet,
One more tidbit...
The link below is directly to Neolith's parent site... the link you gave is to a distributor, so they may not have all the updated info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Neolith company website

Hi all, I know this post is kind of old, I am sure there is a lot of new materials now, but I went through them all and can’t seam to find what I like. I am looking at Dekton. Could someone who has neolith post some pictures. And I will create a new post to ask for comparison if it’s possible.