There was only two choices available for everything. I didn’t ask if they could do the one I wanted (as seen on Cambria’s website), I just assumed they could do it since they sold Cambria. When I showed up for the template meeting he showed me the two choices. I asked for the other one and he said they only had the squared or bullnose. I chose the square.

KW; The guy who came to my home to repair my Cambria rounded off the 3 sink edges with a special tool. He said the sink edges were too squared/sharp and therefore chipped easily. The rounding is subtle. It looks nice.

Brenda, Thanks very much for reply! I now have my question list all ready for the fabricator when he comes to do the template. I may get an eye roll from him as a result but so much about a successful outcome is all about expectations, right? 😊

I just had MSI, Rolling Fog, quartz countertops put in. The sample did not match what was installed. What was installed has a very obvious pink tinge to it. I'm currently working with the dealer who is in contact with the MSI rep to either get my money back or replace it. MSI is saying all the lots have the pink tinge which do not match their samples, what?? I called MSI sales rep and asked if I can expect a color variance from the sample, I also did a live chat on the computer to get it in writing, and in both communications they stressed the slab colors match the samples 100% and I could expect NO color variance. Currently waiting to see what MSI will do to resolve the problem.

Can you get confirmation on when your sample was produced? From experience, they do change the "background" formula. We called this out when we went to the showroom back in Feb to look at their Calacatta Classic - what was on display in showroom was a completely different background color to what was in slab warehouse. We were told the showroom display was old formula, slab warehouse was the newer, whiter formula... could be what happened to you.
Hope you get it resolved to your full satisfaction.

Diana - I had a film (in multiple places) on my MSI countertops since November 2019. Just me and my husband, no kids, pets, etc. very clean. Took me months to get my installer out to my house. I tried to call MSI directly but you have to go through your installer. He finally came last week and he used lightly damp rag with acetone (yes nail polish remover aka acetone) and ground up quartz (for the grit) and all film came right off. I too, read and tried everything at home - magic eraser, cleaners, dish soap, etc etc etc. I cringed when he did this. It worked and worked well. He said he wouldn’t recommend it as a daily cleaner but once a year for stubborn stains is okay.

Meagan. Thank you. Muni stalker came out last week and told me the same thing. Use acetone and or lacquer thinner. I’m like used I was hesitant to try but he used lacquer thinner in a few spots and they came up. So I bought acetone and just need to take the time now and go over all my quartz. I have it in every bathroom, theater room, and kitchen. It seems like they should
Do that after they install

Two things in regards to MSI quartz.. 1st is that it seems they have a lot of older, creamier, yellower bases in some of their style options and New styles with the same names that have a whiter base. If you’re getting a too good to be true price from a fabricator it’s probably because they have leftover slabs of the older versions. I’m always cautious if the price is less than $70/sqft installed on a popular marble look color. Also, I would never work with a fabricator that doesn’t allow a template/layout review of the actual slab(s) before cutting. Bring your sample to verify the color. 2nd, as someone who has installed MSI statuary classique in a previous home, I can vouch for using lacquer thinner for cleaning tough stains. Worked perfectly for removing some black grout from backsplash install that got on the counters. Use with a magic eraser and a clean cloth rag. I am purchasing either the calacatta Monaco or miraggio in my current home without hesitation. Stains scratches and defects will always be more noticeable on a solid color with veining vs something busier like granite, but in my opinion it’s much more durable than marble (if you remove the refinishing factor of marble) - and that’s the look the boss wants.

I recently installed MSI quartz - Calacatta Leon in my Kitchen renovation. This countertop is beautiful, but scars easily. I’ve only had it a month and notice scarring from everyday use. At this point. I am not sure I would recommend quartz to anyone.

Just had MSI calacatta mirragio installed (excuse the rest of the mess). I love the color and design of this one.

@OnTrend Staging what do you mean by “scarring” on your countertops?

@Dorothy Hernaez can you tell me what your floors are? Also, did you use the Luccia on your perimeter as well? Your kitchen is lovely!

Maggie, I've been looking all over for a quartz I really love and finally found Rolling Fog by MSI but what happened to you is so discouraging! I'm wondering if you were ever able to get the issue of the pink tint resolved.

@dianna_campbellbrown are you liking your Alabaster white? I saw it on a design page I follow and am very interested in it. Curious how it’s held up in the last 6 months.

@maggie and @claire

Also leaning towards rolling fog. Maggie do you still have it? Did anything get resolved?

@dunstonstl, I am about to sign on on MSI Statuary Classique, and I noticed you said you had it in a former home. Did you like it? Its hard to find photos of it online - would you be willing to post photos? I am worried that I might get tired of the bold veins

I have MSI vena Carbona in my master bathroom and laundry room. There is scarring on the counter in the laundry room and I have no idea how it got there. I didn’t say anything bc it’s in that room.

Oh and I meant to add that I have Cambria Brittanica in my kitchen and there is no comparison to MSI. Cambria is so beautiful and has a depth to it. I was considering Statuary Classique and they gave me a large sample and there was a difference in clarity and we just loved the drama of Brittanica compared to the statuary which was just meh.

@J Pru, here’s a couple pics of statuary classique. Had to grab them off Zillow as they’re no longer on my phone, so I hope they show up ok here. I really did like the way they looked. We had originally wanted Pental arezzo but thought they were over-priced. So the pattern was a little more bold then we had been looking for, but I thought ended up very well balanced for the scale of our kitchen. My only complaint, if you could call it that, was that there was a hint of blue in the veining. It was subtle but not the grey I was looking for. That’s actually what I love about the Miraggio line.

Thank you @dunstonstl! That is quite the house! I actually like the blue, we have a blue island so I think it will go nicely.

@Sue what do you mean by scarring on the quartz?

Love my white background with thin gray lines MSI Cashmere Carrara. It is much warmer (temperature) than granite so sitting at the island is more comfortable. Also, quartz is much quieter when setting dishes down on it. I used quartzite and granite in my bathrooms because they hold up to high heat from hot hair straighteners and spills from hair coloring products.

Everything spilled on my kitchen quartz has cleaned up perfectly with microfiber dish clothes and dish detergent. After four+ years, I am very happy.

I had heard that granite could be etched from lemons and limes, so another vote against granite in the kitchen.

Only caution on MSI, some of the patterns are not as clear as others. My Carrara is clear and resembles real marble.

"I had heard that granite could be etched from lemons and limes, so another vote against granite in the kitchen."

What you heard is incorrect. Lemons and limes don't etch granite, but they will etch calcite-based stones like marble.

Jennifer F. Here are some pictures of the scratches on my MSI. Not sure where they came from.

Here are the pictures

I haven’t seen any like that before, but have you tried a dry magic eraser with lacquer thinner? Can you feel any ridges with a fingernail?

Oh...so scratches. ("Scarring" is rather an odd term for this so that is why it was a little confusing.)

Looks like that may have been done at the install. Did you contact the fabricator?

Look like swirl marks made by a buffer or polisher

dunstonstl I love your photos of the Calacatta Miraggio. I am looking at using this in an upcoming kitchen reno - how have they held up?

What paint color did you use for your cabinets?? I love the grey.

So I have had laminate counters that I HATE that stain and have dreamed of granite or quartz for years. A burst pipe behind some cabinets has forced an unplanned kitchen remodel.

Most threads I read have people loving their Cambria quartz and this is the first time I have heard a lot of complaints. In particular, I am worried about the staining issue as I was told the quartz is non-porous and therefore should absolutely NOT stain no matter what and the biggest thing was don't put anything hot on the counter.

I do not want stained countertops which happened to my laminate.

Regarding price, I have learned the "cheap" options aren't by brand but by which colors are "in house" for various fabricators. When a style is in house, they do not make you buy the full slab. For me, this difference is huge as I have an add 3-sided, 2-level island that otherwise creates huge amounts of slab waste. Not having to pay for that waste makes me look at those in-house colors really close. And they are chosen by the fabricator, so they will be different depending on who picked what.

I have also noticed there are tier levels of design in anything. For Cambria, it appears the more marble-y it looks, the more it goes up in price. I just didn't let myself get attached to any of those, even at no-slab-waste prices as, again, unplanned remodel.

If any Cambria owners can tell me about the stain-ability of it, I'd love to know now. I've been eyeing Berwyn and Torquay which I like better than Vicostone's Argento which is the next closest in-house I've seen that I like. Nothing bright white works with my tile, it has to be a certain creamy shade to not clash so it limits my options.

Sue:

I agree with KW. Those look like tool marks. When the fabricator comes to look, go out to his truck, grab a pad off his grinder, and set it next to the swirl. I'm sure you'll get a match.

The only way those are coming out is with a Quartz Renew kit from Regent Stone Products. Make him practice in the shop first please, unless he feels like replacing the tops. Check the repair against an untouched factory finish under low level light as in your pictures.

Meagan O’Conell thank you! I’m just installing the backsplash now so hopefully can post some better pictures next week. I think they’re holding up great in the short time that we’ve had them. I set tools and materials and everything else on them as we do other projects around the house. They do show a light grey “scarring” when scratched but they always come out with the methods I’ve described previously. As far as the cabinets, we did not paint them.. they are ikea lerhyttan grey.

Kelly Kay - I have had LG Viatera quartz counters for over 3 years now. I have found nothing that stains my counters.

@ainsleykarl sorry just saw your post the alabaster white has held up fine. For some reason it shows every watermark. I Love the look but it seems hard to clean.

@Dianna Campbell Brown I'm doing my own research here on quartz and your photos look to use a possible quartz backsplash as well?

I'm currently deciding on whether to use MSI calacatta laza as a backsplash behind my range. (If you're using a quartz backsplash) are you seeing any difficulties with heat-staining/scorching of the quartz right above the range? What range is that you're using? How long have you had it?

I hope you don't mind me asking, just wanting to make the right choice in my remodel!

Justin
Yes I used the same quartz for my backsplash abs love it. I have not had any issues.
I used monogram range and love it

As far as the quartz. I believe my mci quartz wads lower quality than others in their line
Diana

@Dianna Campbell Brown - Which monogram range are you using? The one with the digital timer and all brass, or the one with only the middle burner brass and no digital timer? That is what I was looking at getting, and I was going to do quartz as well, although I was going to choose Cambria Torquay.

Thanks so much for the response Diana! Do you remember the name of your pattern of quartz? Loving the look of it

Justin I used alabaster white

My husband and I are doing a remodel. We are looking the MSI quartz. Calcatta Laza, Calcatta Venice and a couple of Granites.

After reading this thread, we set off to do our own experiments.

Top left is hot sauce, bottom left cherry kool-aid and on the right the infamous pink.post it note.

RESULTS AFTER 20 MINUTES.

GRANITE -TOP, CORIAN- MIDDLE

AND MSI CALCATTA LAZA BOTTO

Pink post it note stained every surface. As seen above.

Granite stained the least.

The post it note stained all of them.

After 20 seconds of scrubbing with dish washing soap and a paper towel.

A little scared of my quartz now.

We cook with our kid all the time. We are messy while doing it and have fun.

Not sure if quartz can really hang in there with us.

Wow! Never heard of the pink sticky note test - great job! I am going to try that on my own sample of my counter. This would be the first stain that I have not been able to remove so this is very informative! FWIW, I rarely bother with using dish soap on my counters - if it doesn't come off with hot water and a sponge, I know I need to use something much stronger.

Success, That pink sticky note is just awful! But I got it off.

Tomato paste, hot sauce, and the dreaded note. I left them on for an hour.

Wiped with water and a cloth.

With dish soap and a sponge - that got off the tomato paste and the hot sauce. I was actually impressed with that!

After some Krud Kutter sprayed and wiped.

And my cleaner of last resort - BKF liquid. I let it sit for about 20 minutes. It was nearly all gone but still just a shadow. Pulled out my Fantastic Kitchen Max, sprayed it and let it sit for another 10-15 minutes and that did it. No loss of sheen at all.

All gone.

I will definitely keep those sticky notes away from water and my counters!! That is a PITA!

What is Fantastic Kitchen Max? I need that just in case!

Well it looks like it has been renamed or rebranded. I HATE it when they do that. But this is the product. Thankfully I have plenty left - I will make sure I keep it for my counters now.

What brand of quartz did you test it on?

Trying to figure out what to buy for our remodel.

Scottie Shull - I tested it on a piece of the counter that I have installed. (The fabricator installed a 4" splash on the other side of the kitchen and I did not want it so I pulled it off after he left. - that was 4 years ago). It's LG Viatera.