How do you get rid of these "shadow" looking marks? Think mine was caused by cleaning agent with bleach.

They are dull looking/lighter under the surface!

I damaged it with oven cleaner. The faded marks disappeared after I sprayed with stainless appliance cleaner, which is greasy. It has totally disappeared over time. I am sure oil/grease would help.

Help! I cleaned my daughter's gray quartz bathroom counter tops with Scrubbing Bubbles, put the can down on the counter for 15 seconds, and now there is a white ring. It looks like a water mark but gets darker when wet. Who puts this stuff in a bathroom if it is that delicate? I can't be the first person who's done this so maybe there is an easy fix? Does anyone know what that is?

Have you tried baking soda?

i just did a quick search and it recommended baking soda. You might be able to google some other helpful hints as well.

I am surprised that scrubbing bubbles would do that! We are just in the process of choosing surfaces for a bathroom. Just yesterday I had a sample of Caesarstone Dreamy Marfil. I put Listerine and dark hair colour (since I colour my own hair) on it and left it for quite a while. Neither had any affect. I wonder if a sealant was put on your daughter's quartz and the Scrubbing Bubbles went thru that?

I have seen marks from time to time on my ceasarstone counters (kitchen and bathrooms), but nothing that didn't come off with SoftScrub.

Thanks, everyone. I've seen soft scrub recommended so I think I'll try that.

I have just done comprehensive stain tests on my Caesarstone samples. Short answer - bleach. Household chlorine bleach. If the stain is stubborn, like sharpie, soak a cotton round in bleach and leave until faded.

I used foods and colourings, hairdye (both types), sharpie, tea coffee, everything I could find, and left it overnight.

Bleach.

Actually, letting bleach sit can harm the surface. Only use Soft Scrub Gel with Bleach to remove a stain, then rinse thoroughly.

I know, but how often are you going to do it on the one spot? My counters have stuff like that happen to them about once every ten years, so for the sake of not having a sharpie mark and spending $$$$$$ on replacement, it's a viable thing.

It's not on there long enough to do lasting harm in my opinion. And only in my opinion. And I'm sure all the manufacturers of expensive cleaning products are drawing in their collective breath very sharply indeed! Soft scrub 'with bleach'? And I'm sure they don't recommend wiping down with a weak acid after to return the ph balance to your counter.

I would only resort to bleach for a stubborn stain that your cleaner cannot remove... Most of the items I used washed straight off with a damp rag, including coffee and food colouring... turmeric and hot sauce faded within thirty seconds of dropping bleach on the surface. I wiped off, rinsed, and sprayed some diluted vinegar, (to return the ph), and rinsed again. The sharpie was more stubborn, but all the colours except green faded within 15 minutes. The green took half an hour with a makeup round soaked in bleach. Same routine of rinsing down with water a couple of times, and then weak vinegar to return the ph.

I'm sure bleach would degrade the surface over time, but we are not talking a weekly soaking! Just a spot stain.

Someone with a pure white counter could follow your advice, leave a cotton ball soaked in bleach on a stain, come back in half an hour, and find that the bleach permanently yellowed the resin in their $6000 counter. That's why I only give the advice that the manufacturers post in their use and care info which is readily available on their websites. Cambria won't even let you treat a stain with Soft Scrub--you have to call them if you get a stain.

In the four years I've had my quartz, which is a light greige, I've gotten exactly zero stains.

HONED CAESARSTONE IS A MESS! We installed a honed Caesarstone countertop in our kitchen about 9 yrs ago. I don't see the color on their website anymore but it mimics Jerusalem limestone. I have been very disappointed with the product and even more disappointed with the lack of support and customer service at Caesarstone. I have hard water stains, ring marks and a dull, patchy look everywhere -- actually worse where I don't have things sitting (i.e. fruit bowl, toaster, coffee maker). I am rather OCD and don't let my family put glasses, bowls or anything down that is damp. I wipe up coffee, wine and other spills immediately and yet there are marks all over the counter. Caesarstone wouldn't speak to me or email me back with any advice unless I give them all of the details of my purchase. Since it was 9 yrs ago, I don't have all of the details anymore. I am not trying to sue them or pursue a warranty claim, just trying to clean my Caesarstone so it doesn't look so awful. I have tried Soft Scrub with bleach, Soft Scrub gel and Countertop Magic. None of these have worked. Does anyone have any other suggestions besides these products? For anyone who has had cracks, what have they done? I am doing major renovations on other parts of my house and don't really want or have the funds to redo my kitchen at the moment. I'd like have a fix such as polishing my counter and sealing (even though you're not supposed to have to do this, would this help?) and maybe for the cracks putting in some sort of epoxy filler. Any ideas, thoughts or recommendations would be welcome. Thanks! (P.S. I am not using Caesarstone for counters in my current renovation project because of my product and support issues and have recommended many friends not to buy).

ALL honed stone holds on to stains and oils. It's why they required that the waiver be signed way back when.

Google and purchase a big bucket of professional poultice and hope for the best.

I never signed a waiver although I do understand the risk with honed vs usual glossy surface. That being said there are other people on this forum that write they have honed too and yet don't have the problems I do. My interior designer says she has never seen Caesarstone look so bad even honed. Further, I take issue with the company's unwillingness to communicate with me about their product. With so many other good choices available, I won't buy from them again.

Thanks for the idea on poultice. Is that for the crack?

I'm chiming in here as it is the only forum I could find to warn people who are considering Caesarstone. The thing we were not told firmly enough is

YOU MUST NOT PUT HOT POTS ON IT.

We have done this mistakenly a few times and it resulted in a discolouring. Ours is medium grey and where the hot pots went there is a slight but definite lighter ring. It doesn't jump out at you, but it is there. And as far as I can tell it cannot be reversed. It may not be as serious an issue with lighter colours.

I guess there's a subconscious feeling that since it is stone, it can take extreme heat, like a stone trivet or piece of marble tile (which we now keep available at all times to put hot pots on). But this is not the case.

I wish we had been warned more firmly about this. It was a stupid mistake - I know the Caesarstone literature "recommends" against it but really, it should be a loud, bold warning.

I have granite in my kitchen and I would never put a hot pot directly off the stove onto it. Just the temperature change alone can cause a crack. So to me, the same thing would apply to quartz.

"Thanks for the idea on poultice. Is that for the crack?"

By "crack" I assume you mean the joint where pieces are seamed together?

I've remade estone seams with excellent results, but that had nothing to do with a poultice. A poultice is spread all over the countertop and left to set. When it's removed, it should have sucked the stains from the top. It may take several applications.

Our contractor talked us into using Caesarstone, White, on all of our countertops and floor. This is THE worst product I have ever seen. The floor is gray. They said add bleach to the water, needs mopped once a week. Try twice a day. This is designed for looks only and NOT for anyone who actually uses their kitchen. So my point is D0-NOT- BUY- THIS- PRODUCT.

@terri,

what is the problem with your Caesarstone?

I'm reviving this thread to share my experience with Caesarstone (Pure White):
1) It DOES etch (similar to marble) from acidic foods and does so quickly. One night while cooking, a bowl that contained lemon juice managed to etch several round circles into the stone to the right of our stove. The bowl was only on the counter while cooking and eating, and the entire kitchen was cleaned afterwards, but it was too late. Since we had only recently finished our renovation and it was a small slab, Caesarstone replaced it under warranty and this section of the countertop was replaced.
2) Last night I was trying to get a small stain out of something else in the kitchen. I used a tiny amount of bleach in a ramekin; then immediately poured it out in the sink and rinsed the ramekin. I then used some oxyclean mixed with water in the same ramekin. When cleaning the kitchen later I found several round bleach marks from the ramekin - I believe due to the number of marks that it was from the oxyclean as the ramekin wasn't moved at all when I was using the bleach. These marks are on the main (huge) slab in our kitchen that includes a waterfall edge, so fixing this would require tearing everything out.

I would never recommend this product to anyone. I wish we had just gone with marble because at least I would have known what I was getting into with maintenance and could have the marble rehoned if needed. The Caesarstone website basically suggests this stuff is indestructible and that the only things you need to worry about are substances like paint thinners. This is NOT the case. This material is the furthest thing from "indestructible" and I can't figure out why they aren't more honest about what to expect and watch out for on the website. I'm fine taking care of things but in both cases the effects were so dramatic and unexpected for what amounts to normal activity in a kitchen.

^^^I had to share my update on the Caesarstone "bleaching" experience I had above.

After getting several round bleach marks on my countertops (presumably from residue on a bowl that had a small amount of bleach in it and had been thoroughly rinsed inside and out before being placed on the counter), my husband came home from a business trip and wasn't too pleased with the bleached countertop. (To the point where he wanted to replace the countertop). However, he got out the magic eraser and decided to try gently using that before going with more extreme options. I never thought this would work because the counter didn't appear to be stained but rather bleached - however it DID work. The only thing that we could figure is that the "bleaching" only affected the very top layers of resin on the counter and that these had either always been a tad darker or had perhaps darkened over time. Just a tip to try if you run into this issue.

Just had the dark concrete colored Caesar stone installed in my kitchen and noticed here and there are tiny white pits. Most are very tiny and you really have to have bright light and look closely but I can feel the indentation. Is this normal? They are too small to take a picture of.

Pitting isn't a common complaint, but someone once posted that their Samsung quartz pitted. The manufacturer told him his lot had been incorrectly cured, 7 days instead of 14, and they replaced the countertop.

I agree with mayflowers. That sounds like manufacturer error. Rare, but it happens. I'd call their warranty people immediately.

Showed the contractor but they are barely visible and he said use it for awhile and they can send someone out to polish it later. I have found that he is of no great help in a lot of things. Just didn't realize how thin the quartz and resin layers are! Many thanks to both of you and I will call Caesar Stone to see what they say.

Try cleaning with acetone

Sounds harsh,...scared to put anything on it.

I had Cesar Stone put in our bathroom, bright white, looked beautiful. For maybe six months. I didn’t realize our tapwater had any sediment in it at all until I got these counters because any drops or any water whatsoever left on them leaves a thin film of yellowish brown. Over the last few months it’s become very difficult to get out. Ridiculous. It’s a bathroom for godssake. I wouldn’t buy it again.

Corian laughs at hard water.

These types of stains are not stains but physical damage to the surface gloss usually. Though could be a stain as well. If it looks like the photo it is physical damage.

We would highly recommend you ONLY USE the correct pH Neutral cleaners such as these. They work and will NOT DAMAGE your stone countertops.

Sophie Wheeler or other Pro

Does it work to "stain" your whole countertop to get a darker concrete. Lookig to get the 4004 "raw concrete honed" for a media

Like oil it or something?

Leigh Harrison why would you wish to stain the whole benchtop?

Even if you could and it is not possible unless you painted the surface, again why would you wish to??

Our Caesarstone countertops were installed in 2006 and replaced under warranty about 4 years later because a 9" crack formed in a corner. It's happened again in the same place and I'm trying to get Caesarstone to acknowledge this. Also, our countertops are white with gray (don't recall the name) and have turned darker, no longer white, and around the faucet where it gets wet, it's very discolored. I've tried everything I've seen mentioned here with no improvement. Anyone else have this issue?

kristenlindelow:

Your faucet is probably leaking, hence the staining.

Were I the Caesarstone warranty agent, I would have checked your cabinets for flatness. I'm betting cabinet installation error is torquing the top in the corner, causing the repeated failure. Estone releases internal stress that can cause cracking, but twice is the same spot is unlikely.

kristenlindelow photo always helps to see what is going on. There is an issue with the installation if it has cracked in the same place. Again a photo

Thank you

I have the charcoal grey Caesarstone counters one my kitchen . It’s like having a chalk board .. everything shows - every glass ring (even water) fingerprint..everything and it is difficult to remove . Would never Purchase them again.

I had the same problem with a beautiful black counter. I kept wiping it over with stainless cleaner and it made it beautiful but it did show everything. I now have black granite and it is much better.

I think we all would agree, Ceasarstone is not a great product 3 months after it’s installed. Its prone to all kinds of marking, staining and discoloration. Ceasarstone will not provide a warranty claim unless their is a crack from an improper installation. They will not work with anyone with regards to a warranty claim regarding discoloration, spots or any visual imperfection. The product will never stop those things. The best that can be done is cover the countertop if you want to use it, then uncover it when you are done since it looks great. That’s the best that can be done.

I agree with all of the above comments. I would never purchase Ceasarstone again & now we dont
have the budget to replace it since it is not cheap.

Hi, I am having the same problem with Arctic White Caesarstone, had it installed July last year and from the get go has stained, very unhappy with the product as I thought it would be non porous and not have to scrub it as soon as has a tea cup stain on it. Have Ceasarstone coming out next week, interesting to see all the above comments! Should have looked on here prior to purchasing. Would you recommend any other non staining benchtop, Brisbane, Australia

I think we’ve had our new benches for about 2 weeks. I’m so disappointed. We don’t drink wine, coffee, or tea. I have tried cleaning these marks off and they don’t budge. One of them is literally from a single potato peeling..

Oh god … where was this thread when I was researching Caesarstone? I’m a few days into my beautiful kitchen with Fresh Concrete bench top and already have stains 😭😢🥺… How can this product be so expensive and SO poorly made?

This is what happens when the CEO allows the design and marketing departments to overrule the techinical department.

We just had our countertops installed YESTERDAY and there are what look like grease stains. We had chosen the Oxidian color that looks almost oxidized. I’m really disappointed - it’s really noticeable.

Have just come across all these comments. Wish I’d done so before choosing to purchase Caesar Stone for use in our kitchen! Your marks look very much like the horrendously noticeable long streaks I have on my worktops. What caused yours? And did ever manage to remedy, I wonder? I was led to believe by the supplier that Caesar Stone was infinitely less prone to marking/staining than other types of product. It’s been anything but! Water marks, ring marks, oil, acid from tomatoes and the like have all left it looking very unsightly. This latest marking is the worst and I really don’t know what’s caused it, although I’d hazard a guess its perhaps been produced by my wiping worktop down with a damp cloth that had previously been used with a trace of well diluted Fairy Liquid? But then why only in one long streak when I’d actually wiped down the entire surface? Sorry, unable to attach clear photo as lighting’s producing glare. Anyway, suffice to say that I’d never again consider using Caesar Stone.

Try some Tenax Quartz Toner please.

Thanks for your reply/suggestion.