Simply gorgeous, Pipdog!

Looks like Calacatta - Satin 12MM (approx. 1/2-inch thick). Looks like your fabricators know exactly what they're doing, which is saying a lot!

I adore your beautiful kitchen sink, too!

Nicely done, Pipdog! Send more pix as your kitchen progresses. Can't get enough!!!

Thanks, Sherri. Yes, this is Calacatta Satin 12MM. My fabricator did a fabulous job, except for a boo-boo in a bathroom he is addressing. I would recommend him for anyone in SoCal/LA metro area who needs an experienced Neolith fabricator.

The kitchen back splash we bought was the 6MM and it did shatter during fabrication and he had to buy another 12MM slab. My fabricator said he did not want to work with the 6MM stuff anymore. I also have the Basalt Black for our bar area and in a bedroom desk area, which hasn't been installed yet.

That's the Kraus sink -- I found out about it on this site. Love it, and so affordable compared to the Franke version we looked at which looks almost identical.

Beautiful! Is it possible to use Neolith on the shower floor, or do you break your neck, even with the rougher finish?

who is your fabricator in LA metro area?

Anaheim, CA fabricator Colisseum Marble did an impeccable job with Calacatta Silk 6MM as well as Satin 12MM, but they're expensive. They charged me $2650 to fabricate the back wall of my shower with a 60"x120" slab of 6MM, which I thought was outrageous. I paid $2125 to have them fabricate my 12MM vanity countertop with waterfall edge, connected to shower curb/step, but due to the complexity of the waterfall, I thought this price was reasonable. I also made them template TWICE to be certain of accuracy.

Colisseum Marble was kind to give me a remnant of Silk 6MM so my tile guy could cut a few pieces for the backs of my soap/shampoo niches. Colisseum was going to charge me several hundred dollars to cut the niche pieces, but my tile guy did it for free, and with no cracks or breakage!

World's best tile guy: PETER BOLDEA - (714) 381-0614. Peter is in Anaheim Hills, CA, but he works all over Southern CA. You're welcome to say that Sherri referred you.

nosoccermom:

I've seen photos of Neolith on a shower floor on this website: https://www.neolith.com

If you use Silk 6MM (approx. 1/4" thick), it's a smooth matte finish, so shouldn't be slippery.

New elongated, linear drains (photo) sit at one edge of your shower, so you don't need to sculpt toward center; you angle entire shower floor slightly toward drain, instead, so no pie-shaped cuts needed.

Pipdog, is that an undermount sink? I had read that it can be challenging to use those with neolith because the material is so thin. Did you have a problem with the installation? Maybe using the thicker neolith helped?

Yes, ours is an undermount sink. I don't think my fabricator had issues with the sink cutout that I'm aware of, but I'll ask him. I just saw another Neolith kitchen my fabricator did, and they also had an undermount prep sink and had no issues with install there that I'm aware of.

Hi Gina - Neolith recommends 12mm (1/2"-thick) slabs for countertops. 3mm and 6mm Neolith slabs are way too thin for countertops and not recommended.

We added a 1.5" drop on the front edge of countertop to give the appearance of a thicker slab, but you can see the 1/2" polished rim above the undermount sinks; that's the actual thickness of the slab.

We have undermount sinks in two separate bathrooms using 12mm Neolith slabs and they function beautifully. An experienced Neolith fabricator and installer is key.

Your installer did a great job matching, Sherri! And yes, only 12mm for counters/islands. FWIW, I wouldn't use the 6 mm at all, even for walls or a back splash. We bought some 6 mm slabs for walls and they shattered during fabrication. My fabricator said he would never buy the thin stuff again.

We used a 6mm (1/4"-thick) Neolith slab to clad back wall of shower. BONUS: 6mm slabs cost roughly half the price of 12mm slabs. Big cost savings.

12mm (1/2"-thick) slab would have been expensive and unnecessarily heavy for a vertical application.

12mm Neolith: Countertops

6mm Neolith: Vertical surfaces

Again, fabricators/installers experienced with Neolith make all the difference.

This sink was installed in the Neolith Tiny House display at KBIS this year. Now I realize it's only a display, but this is exactly the wrong way to attach any sink. You never, ever, use wood shims bridging the sink flange with polyester. I wouldn't have noticed if they hadn't failed to grind the mesh backing off the positive sink reveal. You can cheat a bit on your jobs, but your displays must be perfect.

Thanks, Joseph. You're right, the workmanship may not be good (gaps between slabs, no baseboards or other interior trim, etc.), but I love seeing new uses for Neolith. Here's a link to more photos:

http://neolithtinyhouse.com

Sherri:

KBIS is a kitchen and bath industry trade show. It was held in Orlando, Florida, this year. Coverings, another similar show, was held in April in Orlando. There has to be online pictures somewhere. I've got a few.

Thanks Pipdog & Sherri!

Sherri, did you end up using the Neolith Arctic White as your field tiles?

Hi Barb - No, we ended up using Arizona Tile's H-Line "Cotton Matte" 4"x16" tiles: https://www.arizonatile.com/en/products/porcelain-and-ceramic/h-line

H-Line was readily accessible and made economic sense. The "Cotton Matte" color isn't spot-on like the Neolith Arctic White would have been, but it's a close second.

Please let me know if you use Neolith Arctic White field tiles. I'd love to know how they work out, price, ease of install for tiler, etc. Those were all my concerns.

I'm happy with what we chose, but I do think Neolith Arctic White field tiles would have been truly amazing alongside Neolith Calacatta!! (Not to mention, an exact match, which is almost impossible to find!)

thanks for the fabricator info, @sherri! @pipdog, i am interested in finding out who your fabricator is also? i like the thinner edge you did rather than a large mitered edge and was hoping to do something similar in my kitchen. thanks in advace!

Hi Tami - Our fabricator is a Southern California company called Colisseum Marble in Orange County, close to Disneyland:

Address: 2180 E. Winston Road, Anaheim, CA 92806

Phone: (714) 817-0202

Ernest ("Ernesto") is the owner and Cristina is his assistant. Ernesto usually answers the phone himself after 4PM, when Cristina leaves the front office.

Colisseum Marble was first in the area to travel to Spain (with their Neolith supplier, Olin Stone) to learn how to fabricate Neolith, so they have more experience than anyone else in Southern California. Ernesto proudly claims he and his crew have made improvements to the fabrication and adhesive process recommended by Neolith.

Colisseum Marble is expensive, but you want someone who can give you the exact result you want from Neolith. They did a great job creating a waterfall edge on our vanity; it's our favorite feature in our master bath, and very difficult to do with Neolith!

thank you again, sherri, the work they did in your bathroom is absolutely stunning!

I took the above photo to help out. The countertop is my 5-year old polished Calacatta Oro Extra from AZ tile--I think this level of veining is now called Borghini at MSI and AZTile. It still looks nice because we dont use this part of the kitchen that much. The top sample is the matte Neolith Estatuario and the bottom sample is the polished Neolith Calacatta Oro. It looks amazing doesn't it? However as previously stated, the polished looks like it has a layer of glass over it when you are up close to it. Also nobody mentioned to me that the glass etches. if I were using this in the perimeter countertops and backsplash of the kitchen, I would also be concerned that the patterns do not vary. It's been my concern with other solid surface countertops. But based on the above comments I didn't realize you could get Reverse pattern (?). Ive never heard of this before but I've never had a solid-surface before.

My present kitchen island (pic below) is in same Calacatta and I'm not bothered by the stains, chip and etching. I am planning to get it honed and re-finished before we sell this house.

For my new home, I myself am in decision agony. I have on hold these real Calacatta Borghini slabs. (I didn't have a good lens on my camera phone when I took the pic and wasn't planning to post it-so the creamy white and yellow veining isn't showing up.) Needless to say, the price is outrageous. Also because they are extra long at 130". I am going to have a 126"x47" island with waterfall sides and was hoping not to have any seams on island. Induction cooktop centered in island. When I bought the Calacatta 5 years ago, I got it direct from AZTile and got a really good deal. I was ready for the increase in the price. What I wasn't ready for was how hard it is to find this veining and it is priced accordingly.

I spoke with fabricator and have an email in to Neolith. My main two concerns is that Neolith chips anyway. Also the corners of my cooktop are square and the fabricator I spoke with seemed hesitant about cutting the neolith square instead of with slightly beveled edges and insetting the cooktop so that it is on the same plane as the countertop. Fabricator said that Neolith doesn't recommend true square edges. So far all the Neolith pictures I've seen, the flat cooktop surfaces sit a little raised over the countertop. I have that now and I don't like it. I am planning to use the remnant from island for the Julien J7 undermount bar sink. It has true square edges and even though it is undermount, I think the fabricator should edge following the countours of the sink.

Another thing I noticed is that on the Neolith FAQ site says the color runs through the slab, underneath the top layers. The cross-section of my sample doesn't reflect this claim. I don't know if they were suggesting that it could be refinished.

If I were putting this in the bathroom, then I wouldn't hesitate. But if the Neolith is going to scratch and chip in the kitchen anyway, I'm wondering if I will be irritated that I didn't get the real deal? I do like patina. (I do volunteer tours at a local historic home that has the original Carrara in the kitchen and the house is almost 100 years old, yes the marble was refinished but you can still see some of the patina, and it is gorgeous and timeless.) So hard to decide!

if there is any demand of Calacatta Quartz Slabs & Countertops, make a inquiry and evaluate the sample from Leadstone.

mo1 calacatta white quartz slabs:

Gallery Photo:

m36 calacatta nueva quartz slabs:

Gallery Photo:

Get more https://www.leadstoneusa.com/calacatta-quartz-slabs.html

Hi Libaya - You're correct that Neolith veining is only on the surface and doesn't run through the entire slab. When you add a mitered front or side edge on your countertop, you'll see about 1//16" of a plain edge exposed. It's very tiny and doesn't disrupt the overall look, but be aware that this will occur.

Also, if your fabricator is at all hesitant to do the things you want him to do, don't use him. He's either right and it can't be cut the way you want, or he's unsure he can do it. In either case, he's not your guy.

Square sink cutouts are done on Neolith all the time, but my sinks all had slightly rounded corners.

"He's either right and it can't be cut the way you want, or he's unsure he can do it. In either case, he's not your guy."

I must respectfully disagree, as I am never afraid to tell a customer "No." As professionals, it is often our job to save customers from themselves. Yes, it's your home and you're paying the bill, but this job will always have my name on it. As long as that's the case, it will be done the way I say.

You get what, where, when, and why; I keep who and how. Always.

My wife came home from the doctor and exclaimed "I've either got to lose weight or find a new doctor!" lol. You want the doctor or contractor who'll tell you what you don't want to hear.

My clumsily-worded point to Libaya was to choose a fabricator who has so much experience working with Neolith, he has no doubt about what he can or can't do with the product.

Also, yes, reverse patterns are available in every Neolith style and finish, mainly for bookmatching purposes. I used a reverse pattern because I wanted the veining to run in the same direction as the slope in my ceiling (high on the left, low on the right).

So excited to see Neolith used in a traditional setting. Most applications you see are uber modern. Check out these photos of a traditional bathroom in Vancouver. I wish I'd had them as a resource when I was planning my bathroom:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/a-grand-ollady-main-bathroom-traditional-bathroom-vancouver-phvw-vp~92326613

Neolith Calacatta Polished

Neolirh Calacatta Polished 30 x 30 Tile

Neolith Estatuario Polished

Sherri, Thanks for posting your photos and comments. I am bout to have neolith installed and heard from my fabricator that there would need to be three seams so I was interested to hear that you did as well. Are the sems really hard to see> I will have 3 seams on a large L shaped counter but they will be able to use one slab without seams on the island. I was so unhappy top hear about the seams but what you said made me feel like it might be okay. Are you still happy with te counters?

Thanks, margomnyc

Neolith and other sintered seams can be inconspicuous. Not nearly invisible as some Corian and other solid surface seams are, but quite acceptable.

Thanks Joseph. Because the counter is L shaped and the Basalt Gray has movement/ grain, he wants the grain to go in the same direction which I can see is important-but that will mean an additional seam. Any other info or advice?

It will be difficult to have inconspicuous seams in a top with veining like that. Your fabricator needs to have Slabsmith, so you can see and approve the seams before the slabs are cut.

I am looking for advice and photos of those who used Neolith Calacutta Gold in Satin for the kitchen counters and what backsplash they paired with it (I do not want to use the Neolith as the backsplash like many others are doing). Thanks in advance!

Calacatta Gold Silk

Hi Jennifer - Here are two Neolith Calacatta countertops, each with a different backsplash.

First backsplash is Ann Sacks Calacatta Borghini 1.5"x3" mosaic tiles. Grout color: Oyster Gray. Trimmed with gloss white Sonoma Pure trim pieces. Because mosaic marble tiles have multiple shades of white, an exact match to Neolith countertop isn't necessary.

Second backsplash is Arizona Tile H-Line Matte Cotton 4"x16" subway tiles. Grout color: Bright White. https://www.arizonatile.com/en/products/porcelain-and-ceramic/h-line. The closest match to Neolith countertop I could find. Complimentary cabinet color is Dunn Edwards or Benjamin Moore "Northern Cliffs" 1536.

We also used Neolith Calacatta (below) in our master shower and paired it with Walker Zanger Foussana "Thala Grey" porcelain tile on shower bench (18"x36") and shower floor (2"x2"). "Thala Grey" is a grey/green color that matches Neolith Calacatta veining beautifully. Comes in lots of different sizes and shapes. http://www.walkerzanger.com/collections/products.php?view=&mat=&coll=Foussana

Thank you! I love the first backsplash, but worry that may be too busy for a kitchen. Your bathroom looks gorgeous! Now we may need to consider this for a redo of our master bath as the next project!! :)

Hi Jennifer - My husband chose the Oyster Gray grout color in the first backsplash photo. Not my fave, and it would be a bit busy in a kitchen. But I think if you paired a gorgeous Calacatta Borghini subway tile with WHITE grout, it would be sensational with Neolith in your kitchen.

Everyone told me not to pair Neolith with real Calacatta marble, but they were so wrong! Real Calacatta marble has so many natural shades of white that it blends perfectly with Neolith. Just stick to white grout and you'll have a masterpiece on your hands!

Above: Neolith surrounds shower; floor is real Calacatta herringbone marble with Bright White grout.

Hi Sherri- thank you so much for all your information and photos! I am preparing to use Neolithic in our new shower. If we have enough leftover, we will might use it as our vanity top like you did. Can you tell me if you’ve experienced any chipping on your countertop?

A shower is an excellent Neolith application.

Hi Otterlove - No chipping in master bath or 29-yr-old son's bath countertops, or shower surround. My favorite thing about using Neolith Calacatta Satin as a countertop is that it doesn't show dust or dirt. I think because it's such a matte surface, nothing reflects back onto it. I don't understand it, but I sure do appreciate it! I think you'll love having Neolith in your bathroom!

Thanks Sherri. We are just waiting for the space plan to see how much material will be left after our shower surround. I do have one other quick question. What is the difference between the Silk and Satin finishes? Our fabricator only had Polished and Silk for us to look at. The Silk finish is quite matte

Hi Otterlove -

Calacatta Satin 12MM is great for countertops. It's just under 1/2" thick, completely matte, and a has a slightly nubby texture (not completely smooth). It rarely shows dirt and NEVER shows dust, so it's ideal for bathrooms that get lots of use.

Calacatta Silk 6MM is completely smooth. It's just under 1/4" thick, perfect for vertical treatments, such as shower walls and backsplashes. It's matte, also, so it doesn't reflect water, dirt or dust. Calacatta Silk is working great on our master shower wall. Doesn't absorb water, so there are no signs of wear, even after 2 years of daily use.

Please see my post entitled Pix of CRACKED NEOLITH before considering this for a project.

Neolith Calacatta Polished Shower

Omnicron you could be helpful by encouraging THESIZE to be more responsible and have better customer service.

Has anyone from this post installed Neolith slab countertops in the north NJ area? I recently reached out to the local Neolith distributor in my area, HG Stones, to get a quote on replacing our current granite countertops (35 sq. ft) and backsplash (32 sq. ft). HG Stones referred to me to one of their local partners to coordinate an estimate/fabrication/install.

For 12mm polished Estatuario countertop with mitered edge and 6mm backsplash I was quoted just over $11k for the job; does this seem about right to you (~$167 / sq ft, installed)? Also, can I be confident that the partner they referred me to is skilled in Neolith fabrication/installation or should I go back and try to work with HG Stones, the local Neolith distributor in my area (per Neotlith's website), directly?

My last question: Neolith appears to have a 20mm thickness slab product out now. Has anyone see or had this thickness installed? How's it hold up/compare to the 12mm version?

If you read the posts here, you will avoid Neolith like the plague.

Sherri, may I ask you the cost of your Neolith project including installation? I’m in the process of getting ready to remodel my master bath. I want to do solid slabs in my shower, but I was shocked by the quote and that didn’t even include the labor.

I used Peter Brooks in NJ and he did a perfect installation and fabrication- see Peter Brooks Stone Works