Based on our nightmare experience with our quartzite: if you're considering honed, be sure you view/inspect a pre-honed slab; i.e., don't trust a fabricator to hone after the fact. Our guy provided us with a honed sample: buttery smooth. What we ended up with in our kitchen was a gritty mess -- nothing like the sample itself. When I asked to see the sample again (I could've sworn it almost had a hint of sheen to it, and wanted to see if perhaps they applied something to the surface), it mysteriously went missing. The fabricator/owner also told me after-the-fact that he didn't have much prior experience with quartzite, being a stone that was fairly new to the scene and just becoming popular. I don't know about quartzite being new to the countertop industry or maybe just new to the Houston area, but I wish I had known ahead of time it was new to HIM! Good luck.

A hot pan pictured sitting on quartz. Not good.

Trivet, girlfriend.

Joseph, that pan is full of prepped food, not cooked food. We are not crazy :-)

malabacat, your honed counter is just beautiful. Calm, cool with an organic nature. I want that in white. However, I'm having some real issues with this one sample. I left some olive oil on it for 5 minutes then washed it away and even applied Clorox clean up and the oil spot won't go away. I can see this looking like a terrible mess. Maybe I'll try to find a white sample to abuse. Or get some soft scrub cleaner.

Thanks for the advice, javiwa, I hadn't thought there would be problems with them honing it instead of buying one pre-honed. Did it ever get resolved?

I really want a 1cm/half inch honed countertop look as attached. Caesarstone doesn't make that thickness and silestone doesn't do honed. They have this "suede" version which isnt as matte as I would like. Is pentelquartz my only option left? Any help would be appreciated!!

@malabacat Thanks for sharing your honed countertop story..everyone's negative experiences are really putting me off getting it, but yours gave me hope. I am waiting for samples to arrive.

We have honed Del Mar(e) - variously described as granite, quartzite, and "natural stone" depending on which stone yard you're at. I'm messy as hell when I cook and I haven't hurt it yet.

misschocolatecake: I'm so sorry that I missed your June 15 post; my day must have gotten sidetracked. I won't bore everyone here with the details yet again, so please find my update [here (scroll to my June 10 posts)[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/countertop-seam-caulk-or-epoxy-filled-dsvw-vd~3960471). No, it didn't end well.

Does anyone have any updates about the honed quartz? I was looking at calcatta vicenza in matte ( honed) because when i went to MSI in Norwood, MA, I found that the matte wasn't as busy of a pattern and it was a lighter, more soothing design. After reading these reviews i'm nervous about the honed but I do like it better than polished, and I find that polished is more of an ivory and the matte is more of a white. Please help! I'm meeting tonight with the contractor.

Melissa, it looks like you've asked this question on several posts this morning. I've had Caesarstone Raw Concrete for about 9 months now. We chose it because it was the right color of gray for our kitchen (beige undertones), and my husband was dead-set on a concrete-look counter. It looks great in our kitchen, and overall I am pleased. I did a ton of research before making the final decision, however, so I knew what I was getting into.

Here are the cons I've seen firsthand with the matte finish:

1. The counters feel noticeably more plastic than other quartz counters. They don't feel quite like Corian, but they don't feel as stone-like as you might expect.

2. The counters show grease, fingerprints, smudges, etc. For me, this was not a big deal. The house before this one had 80-year-old marble counters, and this kitchen had very busy granite before. So I'd lived with a counter that showed everything and a counter that showed nothing. I prefer the former. I use a microfiber cloth to clean it, and it works fine.

Really, that's it. I am not overly careful with my counters, and we cook quite a bit. I haven't experienced any staining, even when we let something sit overnight. That said, I am a little more vigilant on this counter than I might otherwise be, knowing that there is a somewhat higher probability for staining.

Here is my kitchen, for what it's worth.

Sea of Tile Kitchen · More Info

WOW! that is beautiful!!! Thank you for your input. I've been stressing out because we find out the contractor is coming tonight and i've read so many reviews on here today that the honed quartz is awful but I do like how the design is more subtle on the honed and it's more of a pure white where as the polished looks like an ivory?

I had Caesarstone Honed Pebble installed in my kitchen (and a bathroom too) over three years ago and I love it. I did not want a polished counter in my kitchen, it was too shiny for me. The matte is so soft and calm looking imo. I also love how my counters feel. The matte finish is so silky and smooth compared to the polished.

I did a lot of research before I got them, like alerievay1, and my advice would be to read the info from your specific manufacturer as to how to clean your counters, since it will likely differ from their polished counter recommendation.

And get samples to test. Big ones if possible. It's so much easier to clean a larger sample than a smaller one. I was able to borrow some large samples from a nearby counter shop and the ease of cleaning of these samples compared to the smaller ones I had already gotten was surprising to me. I'd get samples of both honed and polished in the color you like, along with samples of other colors you're not interested in but can use to compare in general.

I do see fingerprints and smudges, but not that often. Mainly on one side of my island where people tend to lean on it a lot. Those easily wipe away with a wet sponge or dishrag. They aren't glaringly obvious though. They are subtle and only noticeable at certain angles or when the light is just right.

I do not have an issue with water spots. I have CS raven (polished) in one of my bathrooms and water spots show a lot more than on the honed pebble.

As for staining, I have no real issues with stains. I was concerned at first since I'd read how honed quartz stained so much more than polished quartz, but relaxed pretty quickly once I realized my counters were super easy to care for. To clarify the staining, I should say that on occasion I've had "stains" not come off right away. We cook a lot of Indian food and sometimes turmeric stains the counters and leaves a bit of color behind. I'll wipe the counters down and all the color doesn't come off right then. It'll be subtle but still there. But by the next day it's gone or goes away the next time I wipe the counters. So I now know not to worry, all "stains" are not permanent. I've seen this a few times w/red wine too but it's rare. And again, the "stain" is never permanent. And I don't use some fancy cleaning method. Usually just a wet sponge. On occasion I spray method cleaner on my sponge or dishrag and wipe with that too. Here's an older picture of my kitchen. Still looks the same :-)

I have Silestone Lagoon quartz counters honed (suede finish) - have had for 5 years - They show absolutely nothing - fingerprints, stains, scratches - nothing. They clean up easily, and I actually set hot pots on them (I thought this was ok), and have not had any problem with that either. It is so perfect to care for that I am installing the exact same thing in another house now.

I love mine! BUT I'm single with no children. Polished quartz and granite so 2010...I just cannot...

We were not informed about the difference by our designer ! The honed is so much harder to keep clean , especially newsprint ! we now have to put placemats out to read the newspaper ! We were able to clean it all up with Barkeepers Helper & a microfiber cloth . Get polished , we’re stuck ;-/

I had Daltile One Quartz counters in the Lincoln white color. These were a honed finish. I had them for five years before selling the condo and absolutely loved them. They never stained, etched, or showed a smudge. Super easy to clean. I miss them and will surely go back to that product if and when I be the chance to choose countertops again.

My honed frosty carrina is really pretty. I’ve only had it two weeks but no problems whatsoever.

I have matte countertop in my kitchen. I chose Cambria's Pike's Peak. I have two seams which are nearly invisiable and I haven't had any issues with maintenance. I don't have direct natural sunlight entering my kitchen so I think because of that I don't notice fingerprints. There have been no staining issues.

I have loads of sunlight and no fingerprints or anything in any lighting.

Quartzite is not the same as quartz. Quartz is a manufactured product. Quartzite is a natural stone. They behave quite differently in regards to staining, etching, and reaction to high temps.

I’m 11 days in with Regal Arabescato Gold Matte which is a honed quartz. I already regret it. The finish is already getting marks on it where the matte finish is shiny. There are small scratches where my stove was installed. Our designer presented it as a pretty alternative to high maintenence marble. We are learning (after install) that is is equally problematic and multiple experts do NOT recommend sealing it. A local, reputable stone maintenance company came yesterday. He could not get it clean and said it should not be sealed. The only alternative is to have it polished which will only make it look like new until I start using my kitchen again. I love to cook and entertain, so I’m feeling heartsick over this. I wish I had asked more questions and had a designer who was more informed. Countertops are a huge desgn element but ALSO an important element of your kitchen that gets used daily. If you are considering matte/honed quartz-please reconsider.