It's weird that you are even doing those tests on quartz - quartzite, yes, but quartz? Nothing touches mine, so far anyway. Silestone must not be all it's cracked up to be. I know it;'s not stainPROOF, but quartz is supposed to be very stain resistant.

(I'd never write with a Sharpie on mine though...pretty sure that's a no-no.)

What brand do you have? We have never had quartz so why not see how impervious it is? To be clear that is a garbage piece leftover from the sink cut out. I would never write with Sharpie on purpose but I could see it happening on accident. Just want to know my options!

I've just never heard of anyone testing their quartz for staining before, due to how stain resistant it is. I have LG Viatera. With everything I have read about it, it simply never would have occurred to me to stain test it. Doesn't mean folks don't do it I guess, I just would not have thought is necessary, but I research crap to death LOL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4SERp2eeUs

I had some discolorations on mine after it was installed, and the installer brushed it off as part of the design. I got it off pretty easily.

The marks might actually be from tape residue left on during storing/transport/sealing. We did our kitchen last year and had a mark like that and it drove me nuts because I couldn't "remove" it! My counter guy came to take a look and told us what it was. I am letting you know because maybe it will allow you some peace!

Oh, and I have white quartz and I had a blue sharpie bleed through paper and it come out!

Good luck!

I've got Caesarstone - as Chess said, not stain proof, but very stain resistant - no problems with anything I've spilled on it - tomato sauce, lemon juice, turmeric, red wine. Worst stain I had was from a piece of damp wood where the tannin left a mark - I had to use a poultice of damp baking soda on - but that did it. Reasonable care will keep it looking good for a long time. I wouldn't use a knife on it, though.

I would stick to caesarstone. We have it and it's fantastic, doesn't stain and is super easy to clean.
I get that you like simple, but i would pick something with a little bit of texture like this one

https://www.caesarstone.ca/collections/classico/4030-stone-grey/
Here is a good backsplash to go with it



Good luck
Cora

Try ordinary rust remover on any stain. Wipe on with a soft rag until stain is gone,, and quickly !!! wipe well with a soapy, bleach free rag. This works on metal marks as well, in any quartz color.

That said, other brands have had problems with the low sheen gray tones. I'd go for more gloss. Actually, if I wanted this look I'd simply go for Soapstone and get the real deal stone to last for a century.

I continue to be amazed that any fabricator would let a customer see, let alone fabricate and install a top with those kind of streaks. I would rather have a customer furious over a missed deadline; at least she can't take a picture of that and put it on the interwebby. These guys are some of the most stupid business people I've ever seen and you can tell them I said so.

Try some acetone on a rag, please. And with a jig on site they may be able to sneak the faucet hole over and still have the hole covered. I'd take that shot before I bought you a new top.

I have had silestone for 13 years and still love it. Nothing stains it, nothing burns it. But mine is Black Cannon and not a solid. I am amazed they are not baking their product.

Oh believe me, Joseph, we let them know. I do know they tried several different solutions that "should" have worked - denatured alcohol, etc. If they would have been able to remove the streaks we also think they could have snuck the hole over. But seriously they had the sink in-house and mounted it there. How could they not have seen it was off in the shop?

I have checked out all the samples, from Vicostone to Hanstone to MSI to Caesarstone and liked this one best. I will revisit the colors again. This is supposed to be the polished version - it is not suede. I can clearly see reflections in this (which I couldn't with the sueded sample I had). Thanks!

This was my inspiration picture... the look I was going for. Which I think is almost the same combo as the perimeter counters in your backsplash picture, Cora. The post never did clarify which counters they were. I assume we cannot get Caesarstone CA colors here in the US. Stone Grey reminds me of MSI Concerto, but I personally don't like the look...

Jan: is the picture you posted of soapstone or some lookalike quartz?

Caesarstone Stone Grey looks a lot like the Pebble in my kitchen (available in the US).

Acetone is the standard "resort". Rust remover, (and that advice and demonstration is FROM my fabricator btw.)......takes out what acetone will not. And I bet your service folks have already done acetone.

The picture posted was SOAPSTONE. : ) The real thing.

FYI all the stains we tried overnight on our test slab came off with no issue, except the knife marks.

JAN MOYER, Rust remover? Good to know. Had not heard that. My fabricator had said acetone would take everything off...in fact they wiped it down with that before they left. But there were definitely discolorations there, and I asked about them, and he insisted they were part of the veining design and just brushed if off as that. (I knew they weren't - any idiot could see the difference.)

But it was not anything that you could feel, or see in the sheen - it was really weird. I think what caused it was the gripping tools that they used to carry the counter in. I found that Scrubbing Bubbles Max Kitchen Cleaner was the best way to remove it. Liquid BKF worked too, but not as fast.

Joseph Corlett, LLC, I only have had experience with this one fabricator, and if I were to go by that, you are the exception. I swear you should write a "how to" for homeowners new to this experience. I was made to feel that I was just being "too picky". But I was actually right - the areas were not part of the material - they came off.

edit

You could make that the title of your guide. :-) Yeah I don't think I have ever read THAT, exactly, LOL. I have read and watched the videos - you CAN burn/scorch it, if you try hard enough. It's not an unscorchable material - but it does handle heat well, for a short period of time. I stated before that I did test my own quartz for heat, and I am very satisfied with its performance. That doesn't mean you shouldn't always use mats/trivets.

I know, I know...the material gets hyped a LOT, and it is surely not bulletproof, but I think it holds up to "normal" abuse really well.

Try glass stove top cleaner. We had some streaks on a quartz counter that nothing would take off. Magic stove cleaner did the trick.

Just thought I would follow-up in case anyone else ever has this issue. After much debate, I decided to go ahead with Cemento Silestone because I really had my heart set on it and couldn't find anything else I liked better. They ordered new slabs and we waited. The day of the re-install - after we had to disconnect our plumbing AGAIN and them removing the sink that had been mounted on the old slab - they dragged us outside to look at the new counter because they appeared to have the same issue!! On the phone with the VP. Assured that they had checked every inch of the new product when it had come in. WTH? After a few days of walking through every possible option, it turns out it was Ager. A solution that is used on granite sometimes to polish dull cut edges or dull spots. Obviously not a good look on solid grey silestone. Their top fabricator had it on his hands, tools and rags when working on our counters. Didn't think to recheck them after fabrication as they had already been thoroughly checked. There is apparently an Ager remover which was used to remove the streaks and spots. I have a letter signed by the company ensuring my full warranty remains in effect despite the chemicals involved and they refunded us 10%. Love my counters!

Thanks for the follow-up! I have Silestone Marengo (dark charcoal) and have had no problems. I did read just about every post about quartz issues before I got it. Don't remember agar ever mentioned as a cause of the problems some people have had. Glad you got it resolved and shared with us.

mnmamax3:

Did they get your faucet centered over the divider this time?

Thanks for the valuable information on ager.

It's so great you found out what was the issue and that you're happy with your new counters! I was just about to recommend Caesarstone Concrete Quartz. :)

mnmamax3, Thanks so much for letting us know what happened. So glad they figured it out. I had not heard of this product, and after reading about it, I am impressed, but a bit surprised that it would be used on quartz, especially as Tenax has a product specifically made for quartz.

Some information I found...

"However, the Tenax "Ager" product is more versatile. It works like other color-enhancers and can be applied to honed stone surfaces, but it also has proven to be effective on polished surfaces."

http://www.countertopspecialty.com/using-ager-to-darken-granite-countertop-edges.html

"Ager is often used to match the edge color to the top surface color of polished granite countertops that have been resined. It is applied after polishing the edges, but before any other sealer is applied. "

https://www.tenax4you.com/Tenax-Ager-Color-Enhanching-Sealer-250-ml-p/1mpa00bd80.htm

This is the remover, which does not actually remove the entire product, just the excess, which clearly was the issue with your slabs.

https://www.granquartz.com/tenax-ager-remover-for-excess-buildup-only/product/0/200487

"The best thing about Ager is: When it goes on, its on!

The worst thing about Ager is: When it goes on, its on!

Ager Remover is the remedy to eliminate the sticky, tacky residue left over by the Ager and Ager Tiger."

And this is the quartz product.

https://www.tenax4you.com/Tenax-Quartz-Toner-Stone-Color-Enhancer-p/1mpa00bg501.htm

Anyway, just a bit of information in case anyone is looking back through this.

I think it our case because the counters are non-porous, the remover removed it all. It wasn't "used" so much as "present" on the tools and equipment. Other fabricators may inadvertently get Ager on quartz products without even realizing it as I'm sure it wouldn't show so much on a busier pattern.

Yes, Joseph - it is finally all lined up correctly! :)

Chess Ager or any other similar sealer which is what it is WILL DAMAGE the finish on your quartz top.

The reason is that quartz virtually has no water absorption rate - 0.001% and the sealers will not bind correctly to the cross linked substrate

HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS if you use TENAX or any similar product and try to clean it with a cream cleaner etc. It remains sticky and WILL LEAVE these marks.

Another case of you you DO NOT KNOW what you are TALKING ABOUT leave it alone.

What the hell are you going on about? I literally copied and pasted INFORMATION from the links I posted, about a product that the OP had just been told about. Would you please stop this childish forum behavior? It's really tiresome.

Tenax Quartz Toner is an excellent product and works well.

Joseph Corlett, LLC still a color enhancing sealer, does not bind correctly, changes the color in the area you use it and also voids all quartz manufacturers warranties.

Yes agree its not bad, but does not hid issues caused by damage. And most importantly has to be used by a professional who knows what they are doing.

So use it all over the tops. Can you substantiate your claim that its use voids manufacturer's warranties, please?

Joseph Corlett, LLC this is Caesarstone's USA warranty though all the quartz manufacturers are all the same any alteration to the surface will VOID WARRANTIES this includes "BLENDING" burns and etches. Why our repairs do not alter the surface for this type of damage. The Gloss meter readings are the same and the visual inspections from any angle are also the same as the factory finish

So adding ANY SEALER which QUARTZ TONER is from tenax will VOID the WARRANTY!

QSCCRE:

The application of a topical like Tenax seems a far cry from mechanical alteration of the finish. What, does applying cleaning products to the surface void the warranty? Where do you draw the line?

Joseph Corlett, LLC Mate not my rules...lol

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area.

So the application of a SEALER like TENAX is infact a surface alteration and known to cause all sorts of issues. Any sealer like Tenax or others is FAR WORSE than mechanical alteration

PS they do exclude a heap of cleaning products... anything with a high pH with itself is a loose term... but anything off the shelf at Walmart or Safeways will fall into this defination

Exactly^^.

Joseph Corlett, LLC you could not be that stupid or naive could you?? Yes italian have been doing NATURAL though what works on natural DOES NOT WORK on QUARTZ!

Seriously? Such personal attacks have no place on a site that is supposed to be welcoming and helpful. Cease and desist please.

Chess If people actually knew what they were talking about and trade qualified they would know the answer giving

It is this sort of miss information that is given out on the internet and forum that CAUSES the issues in the first place.

Chess from your comments about BKF you are in the same category

Briana Bosch that is right the forum is public and so this the MISINFORMATION given by uninformed people... I am sure they do not put up their hand to pay for the damage caused by the incorrect information??

My post is from personal experience. I would never use anything on my quartz counters that would damage them. Your posts are to garner business. Not even the same planet, buddy. Plus, you’re just plain rude.

QSCCRE:

Please specify any "misinformation". Thanks.

https://www.houzz.com/user/mnmamax3 Thank you for your post. I am debating between the Silestone Cemento polished and sueded. What finish did you end up with. I need to order my slabs within the next few days. Thank you for your advise.

Meredith Keller you can not go wrong with either finish

Mine is polished. I heard too many horror stories about the suede version...

Its the cleaners that cause the issue, use the right cleaner on matte finishes and they will be the same as polished

We have Cambria quartz and it is beautiful. I have never had any problems with stains or streaks. Look it up online. It is a fabulous quartz. Good luck!

YEP ! I just installed Silestone Helix on a peninsula and Kensho on the sink/stove area. The Helix is fine but Im having the same problem as you on the Kensho. It must be a solid color problem. Im fighting with them now !

Wish I saw your article before installation :-(

So, what is the best cleaner for quartz? I just bought a condo with with speckled quartz countertops. I am used to granite, never had quartz. I can’t tell from the comments on here what would be the best cleaner to use.

Best cleaner is a bit of dish detergent and warm water. That covers most issues. For more ideas, see

https://usenaturalstone.org/do-engineered-quartz-countertops-stain/