I had Silestone Mont Blanc for about 4 years. I never babied it at all, and the only thing that ever stained it was yellow curry. And I eventually got that stain out, though I can't remember what finally worked.

On the other had, I did eventually get about 13 chips in the surface and one big "thermal crack." They filled the chips, and even the guy who did the repair said he thought the quality of my piece was unacceptable. We were in the midst of moving though, so we didn't pursue it...

Sorry Jani, not meaning to hijack your thread, as I don't have the color that you're after. I hope you don't mind my asking a question.....

bayareafancy: I'd be curious to know more about this "thermal crack". We have Silestone, or something like it, in our RV. A few months ago I noticed a big crack in it. Just wondering if this is a "thermal crack", and if you were able to get that repaired along with the chips in yours?

Thanks,
Boxie

My thermal crack resulted after I put one of those pizza stones--with it's special pizza stone serving trivet--on the counter. The stone was elevated in its server, but it still radiated enough heat to crack the stone at a weak corner point. If I remember correctly, the crack was about 6 inches long. The counter actually separated about 1/16" while it was hot (what a horrifying sight to see on your new counters!), but by morning, the crack closed itself, and just a gray crack line remained. When they filled all the pits/craters in the counter, they also tried to put something (epoxy maybe) on the crack just to ensure that it wouldn't reopen. Silestone doesn't warranty "thermal cracks" and I never complained about it, since it was my fault. Or the pizza stone company's fault. I foolishly believed the photo on the box where the pizza is served on the stone, via the metal trivet thingy. Live and learn!

Hope that helps!

francy

bayareafrancy, this may be a silly question, but had the pizza stone server been in the oven, too? I'm getting my Silestone counters installed tomorrow and want to avoid any problems.

To the OP, we received a sample of Okite Bianco Assoluto, a very plain white engineered stone without chunks or dots or anything. We put veg. oil, mustard, ketchup, turmeric paste, and lemon juice on it and left it all night. Everything wiped off with a damp sponge.

Hi there. I installed Caesarstone Blizzard in my 8 year old DD's bathroom 1 year ago and it has proven to be indestructible. Toothpaste, paint, markers, etc. have easily cleaned up without staining issues. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

mrpandy: the trivet thingy was not in the oven. But just make sure you never, ever put anything super hot on the sllestone. An average pot or pan should be fine. But a pizza stone (at least in my house) comes out of a very very very hot oven. Even though the server thingy elevated it, the stone still gave off enough heat. Basically, if you feel the counter getting very hot under your hand (like where you pull your hand back and say yowza), the pan was too hot to put on it.

I really enjoyed the overall ease of my silestone, except for my supposedly defective pits/chips. I almost used it again in my current kitchen.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Cstag1: Good to hear about your DD's Blizzard bathroom vanity top. I'm getting quotes now.

Anyone else have Ceasarstone Blizzard? Would love to hear your comments.

Thanks.

Janil,

If you go with the Caesarstone Blizzard, make sure that you get a certified fabricator. Caesarstone will guarantee their product as long as it is installed by a certified company following their procedures, that should give you a peace of mind in case something like a stain comes up.

Thanks, vic.s. I will definately confirm that I get a certified fabricator.

Are you familiar with Blizzard?

I would say too familiar. We are currently working on a project where most of the material used is Blizzard. As far as staining it holds up really well, haven't had major issues. Inspect your slabs thoroughly, if you're picky ;-)
Sometimes they have contaminants, they are basically small debris that are visible, they are NOT any health related, please let's not start a scare :-) If you see any, ask your fabricator if they can work around it, leave it on the sink cutout, cooktop cutout, etc.

TIP: Look on the side of the slab, if the sticker is Yellow it is a better quality slab. If the sticker is Green, be careful and inspect the slab more thoroughly.

Vic

Wow, thanks, Vic, for the excellent tips!! I would never have known this.

1. Can I ask for a slab with a Yellow sticker then?

2. I forgot to ask them about thickness of counter.
What is the standard? I want a Ogee finish on it also.

Look forward to your reply. Thanks so much.

Jani

My suggestion, don't ask for a slab with the yellow sticker, you will be able to observe it, you can always ask them to replace the slab if you are not satisfied. The sticker is part of the QA (Quality Assurance) from CS, from what I understand.

If you live on the west coast most probably the standard will be 2 CM (about 3/4"), if you live almost everywhere else the 3 CM (about 1 1/4") is very popular. See what fits your needs and go for it. The Ogee is very beautiful, if you get a good fabricator and decide for the 3/4" laminate, the seams can be made very inconspicuous, NOT invisible, if they work it properly.

Vic

Vic:

I really appreciate all your great info!
Excuse my ignorance....is a 3/4" ogee the most simple one? If so, that is the one I want.

Actually, this is for my Bathroom 6 foot x 22", double bowl, and a 49"x22", single bowl, in other bathroom. I should not have any seams with this size vanity....is that correct?

I have received 3 quotes from 3 different certified fabricators in my area. Both are basically the same price for the 6 ft vanity....!$1900, but vary in price with the 2nd smaller vanity top....being $1100-1350 from first 2 fabricators.

The 3rd fabricator gave me a price of $1680 for 1st vanity, $551.00 for 2nd vanity with a $250.00 upcharge (what is that?), which makes it less expensive than the first two.

The first 2 said it didn't matter if I was buying a slab or not, cost-wise, but the 3rd said they could give me a break because of my buying a slab. Is this true? They all charge $75.00 - $79.00 for mounting the sinks which I am suppying, but do not do plumbing except for the 1st one, which is a Bath shop that uses a fabricator. Gees. This is confusing.

Should I ask them for references?

I'm leaning towards the 3rd fabricator as they are more reasonable than the others.

Sorry for being so long on this, but I want to make the right decision on this one.

Thanks, again, Vic.

Jani

Jani,

The most simple edge would be just a regular flat polish or a full bullnose, I know most shops have them as standards. The Ogee is most of the time, let's call it 'a step above' also meaning a step above in cost, but if you like it it will be worth it. The 3/4" ogee will cost less than a 1 1/2" laminated ogee.

You will NOT need a seam on either countertop.

It is great that you are comparing prices, I would like to not get into that, I know prices can vary tremendously from one shop to the other. Make sure you get everything in writting and go with a company that you feel confident. Most fabricators don't get involved with other trades (ie. Plumbing, electricity, etc.), mostly because of liability issues.

References? If it was up to me, it has to be a must. If you're in a rush, it would be much advisable to at least check a couple of references. What area are you at? Maybe we can refer, someone in your area.

Vic

Vic:

Again thanks for the info on the Ogee. The 3/4" is the one I would like. The ogee edge is very striking IMO.

I understand your not wanting to comment on pricing. The quotes I have received have given me a good idea for my area, which is in Central Illinois.

Where are you located?

Thank you. Jani

We're located all the way on the west coast, Southern California, but I'm glad you are making decisions based on your research of prices, details, materials, etc. There is no better customer than and educated customer.

Vic:

Decided to go with the most reptuable fabricator in our city, who had previously given me a high quote. I took the lower quote I got from another fab., and took it into the reputable fab today, and they not only matched the other's quote, but were able to give me a lower price!! Of course, it helped to talk to the Son's owner. LOL!! So, I am very happy!! They also don't deal with upcharges like the other fab. such as charging extra for mounting each sink and charging extra for various edges such as ogees. They were telling me they do alot of big jobs (especially churches)in surrounding states and just finished a huge job for a church in Atlanta.

BTW, the first fab. did not have references to give, although I know they do do a lot of business from contractors in the area.

Thanks for your advice. It was very helpful!!

Jani