We just moved in to a new, custom-built home and have Silestone Calacatta Gold in our kitchebn, and there are black scuff marks in a number of places that I cannot get out. We have been walking on eggshells around our countertops in the kitchen, being very careful not to slide anything. I've noticed that if a sauce pan rubs the edge of the sink it will leave a mark. My suspicion is that the black scuff marks are from metal or from buttons on a shirt, etc. We are a bit shocked given what we were told when picking this product. Magic Eraser didn't work. Alcohol didn't work. Windex didn't work. Norwex microfiber and polish cloths didn't work. We're extremely concerned now about long-term wear and disappointed that we have to live in our kitchen with such caution.

Metal marks are always going to happen. They are easily removed. This has been discussed ad nauseum in this forum.

MSI quartz is made in China, Tailand, India and it is the biggest scam ever. It is NOT durable whatsoever and it stains and scratches very easily just by placing cup of water or tea on the countertop. If you don't put trivet under a cup of tea - you will have a mark on your island. We had white MSI quartz made in China installed and the next day we had stains from water everywhere. We found scratches done by contractor by the sink and on the island. One week of very light use - we found at least 30 lighter stains all over the kitchen countertops and the island just by splashing WATER doing dishes. I read so many bad reviews on MSI, Cambria and Silestone and even Caesarstone quartz AFTER we installed them that we decided to have them removed and replaced them with light granite.

The top of the line Cambria and Silestone quartz have the same problems - people invested thousands of $$$ and they have stains, scratches and even chips too. There is not such thing on the market called MAINTENANCE FREE, STAIN FREE and SCRATCH FREE QUARTZ.. It is all marketing but reality is a different story. Save yourself many headaches and do NOT buy quartz. Get granite instead. Our new light granite looks beautiful and most importantly it is going to last more than 20 years like the old one we had before. Quartz is for display only NOT for daily use. . Granite you can seal once every 5 years with a solution that you wipe on, let it dry and you are done. With quartz you can NOT repair any scratches, stains, chips - it is a permanent damage. Every HONEST contractor and even quartz distributor will tell you that you can't repair quartz. You will have to live with the permanent stains, scratches and chips until you replace it with more durable and usable material like GRANITE. I hope this info helps...These photos show 3 days of use of MSI quartz countertops and island. Do NOT buy MSI quartz! Cambria and Silestone got very bad reviews too!

Go dig some stone slurry out of your fabricator's pit. That'll do it.

I have water dripped all over my friggin' counters, ALL the time. Absolutely NO marks of ANY kind. Have your water checked, people!!! If you have hard water, yep, that means you will have a mineral residue. This will occur on ANY shiny hard surface, granite, quartz, marble. ALL of'em. GET A WATER FILTER. Problem fixed.

Ya, I wished I would have known. HGTV programs tout quartz as being nearly indestructible. But i have scratches and chips all over. Plus the quartz is a dark color and the scratches and chips show white underneath. So i am not happy. MSI quartz is not good stuff. Perhaps there is a higher end quartz that IS what we hear, practically indestructible. But the average middle class working home owner may not want to pay an arm and a leg for that. Idk I guess I'll try to hide the white with a brown marker or something. I should have just gotten good ole laminate like my husband suggested.

PJ L:

Try some Tenax Quartz Toner please.

Thank you for recommending the product. :-)

The main thing I tell people about quartz is that it depends on where you get it from. Some have more resin than others which will make it easier to scratch or stain. I've also never heard of not sealing quartz. While sealer won't protect you from scratches, it will help with staining.

TECHNISTONE NOBLE ARETI BIANCO is the BEST QUARTZ ON THE MARKET!

We ordered the TECHNISTONE NOBLE ARETI BIANCO quartz in JUNE 2020 from Stone Park quartz distributor in Westville, NJ.

The Technistone is imported from the Czech Republic to USA. The owner Nick is a great guy and very knowledgeable. He recommended the Czech Technistone Noble Areti Bianco (white with tiny little gray veins) to us. I did an enormous research on the best kitchen quartz countertops and Technistone is used in high end homes in Europe, Dubai, Canada and Australia. We had our quartz for 6 month and the countertops look like brand new. Zero scratch, zero chips. We love our new countertops and so do all our friends who regret buying Cambria and Silverstone quartz. Their countertops have scratches and even some chips after one year of use... Our Czech Technistone quartz looks like BRAND NEW in 6 month. We use trivets and iron trivets under all pots and cups. I wipe it with light damp soft microfiber with one drop of Dawn dish detergent and then I clean it again with clean damp cloth without any detergents. then I use dry cotton cloth. They look fantastic. TECHNISTONE QUARTZ IS THE BEST QUARTZ ON THE MARKET. Here are the photos of our countertops. We highly recommend the Technistone quartz!

We are very happy with our choice and you will be too! :-)

"Some have more resin than others which will make it easier to scratch or stain."

Having more resin would make engineered stone less likely to stain, but more likely to scratch. Having less resin would make engineered stone more likely to stain and less likely to scratch. It can't be both. I doubt there is enough difference in the resin/quartz ratio between brands to make any substantial difference in scratching and staining.

HU-893704538 " I've also never heard of not sealing quartz"

Quartz absolutely does NOT need to be sealed. I have never heard of anyone sealing their quartz counters. You can, if you want, but it is NOT needed.

https://graniteselection.com/blog/do-quartz-countertops-need-to-be-sealed/

https://www.granitegold.com/does-quartz-need-to-be-sealed/

https://www.rockwithus.ca/blog/should-you-seal-quartz-countertops/

I just installed quartz countertops last week and already have a few scratches from pans and foil. When the installer came by to pick up his check this morning, I showed him the marks. He pulled out a container of A-MAZ Water Stain Remover and, after a minute with a soft rag, had removed every mark. (It turns out that what looked like scratches were actually marks from the metal.)

I had never heard of this product and don't know if it will work on other marks, but thought I'd suggest it just in case.

Geez....with all these complaints about scratches and stains and such....I think I would just rather have laminate or (the horror!) tile. I'd rather clean a bit of grout (which doesn't get that dirty that quickly) than worry about scratches and marks and stains immediately after install.

I think it's wise. Like I said, Quartz is touted as indestructible, but my experience with it is the opposite. A couple of my knicks in my counter came from a small glass spice bottle falling the 2 feet or so out of my upper cabinet and landing on the counter. The bottle didn't break, but it landed on the edge of the metal cap and that chipped the counter. Now you see white on that chip. Can't believe that would cause that much damage. If I had to do over, I'd go back to laminate. THAT is the countertop that is nearly indestructible. Plus a fraction of the cost.

Magic marker and super glue please.

After my mistake by listening to my contractor and bought the Quartz counter top which I explained earlier I decided to build a bar somewhere in my house and for countertop I decided to examine all quartz a available And I found ALL of them are scratched or stain by a small rubbing with an object like your nail, key, etc. this won’t happen with other material.

i finally found something close to quartz called Nonoplastic which is not quartz and was very strong and real scratch resistant in my test. I called the same contractor who when saw the material said it is difficult to fabricate took some excuses and Denied the job.

I also later figured out how manufacturers and retailers commission contractors to sell their junk. The guy acted as he is our friend, yet he took us the the store to buy the junk, scan ever I saw in my life.

test your Quartz before you buy. Remove part of plastic and test the slab with an object. If you are still happy then buy it. These are stones whmuch should bear kitchen work, right; rubbing, cuting or chopping over a board, the friction between bottom of a dish or pot against them etc

".I think I would just rather have laminate"

"If I had to do over, I'd go back to laminate. THAT is the countertop that is nearly indestructible. Plus a fraction of the cost."

To be perfectly honestly, my old laminate counter was great. It was 22 or 23 years old when I replaced it with quartz. There were no stains - none. A few pin holes from a slip with an ice-pick, and some of the front strip was peeling off. The awful part was the 4" backsplash that was warped and pulling away from the wall, and the gross-looking grout around the backsplash and sink. That was simply age - and I was so tired of looking at it. I replaced it with quartz, and there is no comparison in looks, frankly. I love my countertops now, and while I probably do take more care with them than I did with my laminate, I have zero regrets.

That isn't to say that choosing laminate today is not perfectly fine. I don't know the actual difference in price, but I would imagine that for many, laminate is a much wiser choice, financially. I'm sure I could have put in a new laminate counter and been fine with it - I just wanted a different surface. Also, I wanted a specific undermount sink that would not have worked with laminate. And today, the laminate selections available are almost endless. Do your research, do any testing that should be done for any material you are considering, be very careful about your installer - have a long discussion about what might happen and what the resolutions would be, and you will wind up with a counter you love.

"ALL of them are scratched or stain by a small rubbing with an object like your nail, key, etc. this won’t happen with other material."

Well, no, that isn't true. I can take a pot and rub it against my quartz, and yes I may get a metal mark, but it is NOT a stain. It is easily removable.

Chessie

it seems you lI’ve in your imagination.

people complained about having scratches and stains happening with every little touch, not easily removed, many are permanent. people believe what they see, feel and examine not what they are told over and over.

it is true what has been repeated over and over finally will be acceptable just like ads, but not when people have it in their home and already examined it.

may i ask if you are a user or are you a product promotion specialis?

"may i ask if you are a user or are you a product promotion specialis?"

You may ask nearly anything here, but asking that is the logical fallacy or relevance, ad hominem circumstantial. You must address Chessie's arguments, not her circumstances.

Thank you Joseph for reminding Fallacies

she regardless of people giving examples by sharing their personal experiences keeps saying “they are easily removable“, what type of fallacy is this one? Basically she does not have an argument here, she just keep repeating as though repetition brings fact.

whoever Complained here is the victim of false advertisement, ...

ramin mirbostany

What odd commentary. I am a plain ol' homewowner. I recount my own experiences here, whether they are good OR bad. Perhaps you have a much different type of quartz - honestly I can ONLY speak for my own - which is LG Viatera.

Look - I just did this on my own counter. Kinda silly that you cannot try it yourself. I took an aluminum pot and rubbed the bottom of it on my white quartz, Yup - it left a big ol gray line. Then I sprayed 409 on a paper towel, and wiped in a circular motion, and the mark was completely gone. If the marks are of a harder metal, like stainless steel, then I use liquid BKF, and do the same thing. All gone. Not a trace left. No scratching, nothing.

If you just use water, or dish soap - that won't remove it. And frankly that is what I think most people that are having a problem, are doing. They are not using the right method. That is why I posted.

From my own research, those are metal marks. I don't consider them to be a stain because they are so easy to remove - in my book a stain is something that is difficult to remove or has penetrated the material. And on MY quartz counters, that is not the case.

I was the victim when I purchased cheap MSI quartz. The MSI was defected. See my attached photos. . Now I am the winner after installing the Technistone Noble Areti Bianco quartz. I like to help people to avoid the same mistake. This is what HOUZZ forum is all about. Helping each other and sharing experience especially when you OWN the product. I don't waste time on forums giving advise if I don't own it. You need to own it and experience it to give a true statement.
I documented the stains of the MSI first quartz delivered to our house 6 month ago. Within the first 7 days after purchasing the MSI cheap quartz we had permanent stains just from using water and rings from cups. NO PRODUCT will remove permanent stain on defected quartz. The owner agreed and replaced our defected countertops with Technistone. I hope my reviews will make smarter buying choice for al the victims out there who fell for the wrong advertising like we did. We learned a tough lesson and love to help others to make the right choice. :-)

OLD MSI COUNTERTOPS defected within 7 days.

6 month old TECHNISTONE ARETI BIANCO COUNTERTOPS - they look like brand new!

Best decision we have ever made regarding our new kitchen remodeling. :-)

landscaping2014, Sounds like you definitely had a defective product. I have no idea if that issue occurs with all of the MSI line - it is hard to believe that is the case as the company would have stopped selling it I would think. In any event, I am happy for you getting new counters - your kitchen looks lovely!

Thank you Chessie. We all make mistakes in life but thank God for the good company owner who acknowledged his mistake and replaced the countertops in 7 days. We had to wait 2 weeks for the new countertops to be fabricated. They did a superior job with fabrication and installation and the new Technistone countertops shine like brand new after 6 month of use. I will post another review after 12 month to let everyone know how the Technistone countertops are doing. My friends in the Czech Republic all own the same brand. They love it too and have no problems whatsoever with the countertops. I strongly believe that the European companies make better quality products that last a long time but we have some great products in USA too but quartz is not one of them..haha!

We are extremely happy with the outcome and everybody who visits us is thrilled with the new countertops. They all ask us when we got them from and what is the brand. We also take great care of our house! .Best of luck with all your house projects. Eva :-)

You know I am stubborn enough to report the defect here and follow up, why you think I have not tried all those cleaning material and methods you providing?

why you reduce people’s argument to an easily defeating “lack of knowledge“; strawman fallacy Huh

Now “MSI line - it is hard to believe that is the case as the company would have stopped selling it I would think.”

good technique, alway try to take positive outcome out of an negative view, gradually distort the fact, guide the comment/question in a way to sound softer, change meaning, damage control.

so in agreement with Landscaping 2014 I reported my experience and advised others to examine their quartz before purchase and ask for warranty so they won’t end up losing. Unfortunately i learned this lesson late and my contractor didn’t take responsibility and as I mentioned earlier even denied to install a different material for another job. He now disconnected with us. Well any dishonest person will damage his own reputation.

I am happy yours took the responsibility.

did you guys know there are a couple of class actions are advancing against quartz companies. One for quality reasons and the other for adverse affect on workers causing silicosis and lung cancer.

finally Go to Homedepot and you see they put Quartz Sample under the BEST material category. Yet take your key and gently rub it, you will see the damage, now take that 409 or what ever cleaning material recommended by Chessie and try to remove the damage. observe the result.

ask for sample from any store and test it yourself. DO NOT LISSON TO ADVERTISEMENTS

I have the same problem as well. I purchased the MSI quartz paying big dollar for that and was regret to choose this quartz. It requires high maintenance. Sometimes I wonder the company sold me a replica of MSI quartz. The quartz sometimes shows black like ashes in some spots, When I used my finger to rub on it and it disappeared, I just feel like being scammed.

ramin mirbostany - have some more coffee. Good grief.

I have no idea what line of quartz Home Depot sells, and quite frankly, would never have used them to purchase from or do an install. I have read too many stories about their work. I mean seriously - now you are talking about HD here? Oy vey.

"test it yourself". Ummm....let's see. I have probably stated those exact words at least TWENTY TIMES in this forum. I have never stated ANYTHING other than my own experiences.

Move on.

"she regardless of people giving examples by sharing their personal experiences keeps saying “they are easily removable“, what type of fallacy is this one? Basically she does not have an argument here, she just keep repeating as though repetition brings fact."

ramin:

Always read and comprehend the posts in the thread before you comment please. Had you done so here, you would have seen my 36th post down where I relatively easily removed an etch from an engineered stone countertop. That is not a fallacy; it is pictured proof.

"Helping each other and sharing experience especially when you OWN the product. I don't waste time on forums giving advise if I don't own it. You need to own it and experience it to give a true statement."

landscaping2014:

You too are engaging in the logical fallacy of relevance, ad hominem circumstantial. You must address the arguments, not the circumstances, of your interlocutor.

I do not presently own any engineered stone, however, I have been fabricating, installing, and repairing estone since the industry's inception. According to your "reasoning" my expertise is irrelevant; since I don't own any, my opinion doesn't count. Furthermore, the testimony of an estone owner is likely anecdotal in nature.

Chessie/Joseph

you guys are obviously defending your business and regardless of what people say just throwing words. I can not wake you up because you pretend you don’t understand. I gave Home Depot as an example and Chessie says something I don’t understand; well she might be a queen and never buy from Homedepot but here we are not talking about specialty high cost custom material, we are TALKING about QUARTZ and yes people buy from different stores including HomeDepot.

this is my last word to you guys as arguing with you is insulting my own intelligence. “ I gave heads up to consumers, you want to assure them the junk they buy worth it!!!,

now go figure

and Joseph, you act as you are the wise grandpa here. you fabricating stones and I teach logical fallacies at school, just recommend you to go deeper in fallacies if you wanna go around and use it in every argument you make.

"Wise grandpa." I've been called a lot of things, but that's a first. I'll take it with honor. Thanks.

Take it Joe, you earned it. :-)

But a queen, I am not. Far from it LOL.

I’ve had my quartz counter tops for 2 years and I love them. My grand kids have spelled “real grape juice” on them and it washed right off. My husband dropped a hot roasting pan on one of them, no chips, not even a burn mark. I even had a permanent marker soak through a wrapper and was able to use a little Dawn and remove it. When we are entertaining I stack my Fiesta Ware plates on it and have never seen any scratches. I have not a clue what you have on your counters but I cant believe it’s quartz.

We moved into a newly built home with white quartz countertops. Scratches everywhere and we are really careful. We are cooks and need to have something durable but quartz is definitely not it!

I have had ceasarstone quartz in the past and just purchased Hanstone for my new kitchen. The ceasartsone was awesome ( I wanted to use it for our new home be the slab was not big enough to accommodate large island). I got blueberry juice on the white ceasarstone and it would not come out - I called Ceasarstone and they recommended using soft scrub green - It worked!! They also recommended to use it every two months to remove the water staining and junk that accumulates on a non-porous surface - works great!

The original post is from 6 years ago. I sure wish everyone that comments with their experience with quartz countertops would say what brand they have installed. I'm sure not all quartz is equal!

Sorry CEM, but engineered stone, Breton or not, Chinese or not, is pretty much all 66% quartz and 33% resin. Sure, the manufacturers building a brand want you to believe otherwise, but just like Coke and Pepsi are bouth carmelized caffinated fizzy water, it's basically all the same stuff.

I have charcoal soap stone Silestone Quartz countertops installed about 2 years ago when I had my kitchen renovated and they look as good as the day of installation❣️ No stains, no scratches, no chips. I always use trivets for any hot items, but then on all the countertops I have had I always used trivets. I also have Quartz counters on all my bathroom vanities: no stains, no scratches, no chips.
I think your counter may have a defect.

I had matte white Cambria quartz countertops installed in my new kitchen about 6 months ago. its a constant stressor daily in my home. ”dont touch the counters.” i cant believe i live like this in a $50,000 kitchen. trivets and coasters everywhere. and somehow we still have marks. i am constantly cleaning it. right now i use a spray bottle with dawn dish soap and water, its not perfect but i guess maintains.

K B, that's very frustrating, especially since the quartz industry touts the product as being maintenance free. Try "Sprayway" cleaner. It's for windows, but I use it for everything, including honed marble. Has no bleach or ammonia and smells like vanilla. Clears away all grease.

• The original post is from 6 years ago. I sure wish everyone that comments with their experience with quartz countertops would say what brand they have installed. I'm sure not all quartz is equal!

My counters are LG Viatera quartz. I'm sure I could scratch them if I wanted to and tried hard enough...I think you could do that with any material. But I have no scratches and I do not baby my counters at ALL. Normal everyday use.

Unfortunately the complaints about certain types of quality of quartz are accurate. I have two homes one was purchased many years ago and the quartz is amazing , strong and does not scratch, indestructable. the other home just purchased in Provo UT and the countertops have been repaired already after 30 days. I am not even cooking yet. every little thing I do scratches them. I am walking on egg shells daily to protect them. I will replace with granite next year. These complaints are real as the day is long.

Sorry Diane, engineered stone is predominantly all the same stuff. There is no scientific basis to substantiate the theory that some brands scratch or chip more than others. Anecdotal evidence is worthless.

the countertops in our new house are dupposedly quartz but show every water ring, droplet etc. i virtually have to wipe them down and buff them manuslly and even then, they look just oksy. very disappointed with them.

Hi Diane

I agree with you a lot of evidences and personal experience along with pictures shared here shows that this product can be very misleading, and if one is not careful has to redo the job. Of course we are talking about people’s experience here not an scientific paper. My advice to whoever wants to do a countertop project is to examine the Quartz and make sure they won’t damage. Do it yourself, do not trust your middle man, fabricator or whoever is promoting the product. They ONLY look for your money. TEST it with your key, a countertop should not scratch. Quartz should resist scratches of normal use. If it scratches with your pen or key Do Not buy it. Do not let your installer or whoever take you to a shop and introduce you a line of product to choose from. Do Not trust anyone who tells you Do Not Believe what you see with your eyes.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Sorry Joseph, approximately 24 years ago the medical community rejected that murcury that was ussed to sterilize immunizations for children were causing autism and autism like symptoms. It wasn’t until many many children were affected and we were able to bring it to the congressionall commitee with a bunch of research and testimonials of families that they finaly saw the truth. This will be the same. As more and more people occupy this earth and start to furnish homes with this product , eventually someone will think research and testimonials are improtant and valid to put the money into a real research will they find the truth, As for myself and many other consumers, who have had these experiences we know .

Diane:

You are conflating correlation with causation. Yes, doctors noticed a correlation between smokers and patients with lung cancer, then did the research that scientifically proved that smoking causes cancer. We may have a preponderance of consumers with engineered stone scratches, but there needs to be a scientific study to determine whether or not there is a difference in the rates of scratching between brands. None has been done to my knowledge.

And no, mercury doesn't cause autism.

I think paper towels scratch quartz too. If you scrub with them. Should use a soft microfiber towels