It’s hard to tell in these photos but it’s started with the veins and the entire slab is taking on a yellowish tinge! Pleas

Your veins were filled with a UV sensitive cheap filler. You're done. Nothing you can do but decorate with yellow.

More painful than your discoloration is my having to listen to all the stoners yammering about "all natural stone". Here's your all natural stone.

That’s crazy!! Was purchased by one of the most premium stoneyards around! it’s not a cheap Chinese or shady dealer at all!! Fabricator also told me he’s worked with this before aNd recommended it...

also so how are veins “filled “ ? Please enlighten me

"All natural" stone is filled with cheap UV sensitive polyesters at the processing plants in foreign countries. Just like in the states, these guys hate to use the more expensive epoxies, as their checks will have long cleared the bank before the sunlight ruins the tops.

Fabricators use poly and cold steel to reinforce tops. The tops blow up when the sinks leak past the poly and rust the steel. Again, their checks have cleared before I get the call.

Is this standard practice? Am I supposed to take this sitting down? Who is supposed absorb the loss? Me? can I go back to the stone yard to blame?! What now?

Newhome2018, no this is not standard practice. It is unusual. I also don’t know how anyone can make a certain diagnosis over the internet from your photos. Call your fabricator and have him come over and look at this, and see what he says. I am not impressed by alarmist posts designed to make you feel helpless. It could also be that the sealant is hazing and discoloring. Some stones should not have sealant applied. Sealant can be removed.

In my last home, I had granite that had been there for years, exposed to everything, you name it, and looked brand new. Be careful Joseph Corlett not to make it seem like all stone counters are “filled with cheap filler”. And there are thousands of people with stone counters who’ve had the same great experience as me. I’ve been on this forum for several years, and only seen the OP’s sort of staining 2 or 3 times during that entire time out of thousands of posts.

Joseph Corlet your contempt for stone counters is misplaced, and your intimating that this applies to all stone counters is wrong. Everything you wrote above makes it seem like what happened to the OP is how all stone is treated, and that the practices you described occur with all stone counters. That is false. I feel bad for the OP, but don’t make it seem like this is what is bound to happen with stone counters, just because you install manmade counters.

The majority of stones are resined at the quarry these days. Weak stones are coming to market with fiberglass backing and pumped full of resin that would have never made it out of the quarry a few years ago. Even basic stones are getting the resin treatment anymore though. As a standard. Consumers just don’t know it. Fabricators know it. And it’s on probably 80% of the stone out there.

“And it’s on probably 80% of the stone out there.“

That makes no sense. Does not take into account the hundreds of stones that are too dense to absorb resin treatment. GreenDesigns, you’ve been called out before on this forum for making statements pulled out of the air like they’re facts, for quoting statistics that you’ve made up, and for evidencing glee for a poster’s difficulty. You need to change your name from GreenDesigns to MaximumSchadenfreude.

Joseph used to be a fabricator and now he fixes all types of stone. I would trust what he says. He's not an alarmist.

It’s quartzite and supposed to be super dense. I’m wondering about the resin part too....

my stone guy will come by tomorrow to take a look. He thinks it’s calcium deposits in the stone and is confident he can whiten it to the original state with some poultices. Let’s hope. Also it’s a high end European stone purchased at european marble and granite I did pay for the premium product and would expect it to be that

Cpartist - what Joseph Corleft said above makes it seem that all stone is treated how he described. I’ve also noticed from being on this forum a while that there is the nice helpful Joseph Corlett, and there is his Mr. Hyde who is not.

”All natural" stone is filled with cheap UV sensitive polyesters at the processing plants in foreign countries. Just like in the states, these guys hate to use the more expensive epoxies, as their checks will have long cleared the bank before the sunlight ruins the tops.

Fabricators use poly and cold steel to reinforce tops. The tops blow up when the sinks leak past the poly and rust the steel. Again, their checks have cleared before I get the call.”

Does not say “there are a few”, or “some”, or “occasionally”. Makes it seem that both domestic and U.S. stoneyards are all the same. Excludes all the fabricators in business for decades who are not just thinking about “when their check clears”. If I were a fabricator I’d think Joseph Corlett has just insulted my shop, all its employees, and anyone involved in stone fabrication that takes pride in their work.

Following, want to know what final answer is.

Following . . . with popcorn :)

M Miller:

You make some fair points. I should have qualified my remarks with an occasional "some processors" or "some fabricators".

I have nothing against the natural stone industry, but I'm in a unique position to see what their weaknesses are. I'm constantly rallying for them to pick up their game. I will continue to do so. I've insulted no one, unless you have improperly rodded a countertop, it blew up, and you're doing nothing. Then you're a cheap hillbilly hack and I'll say it to your face. When I'm finished typing this, I'm going to do a rod repair/sink replacement that will cost a homeowner over 3K. So yeah, some of these guys pi$$ me off.

I can only take so much irony. Many of the stoners and their fans look down their noses as they have for years, at other surfaces as "plastic". They fail to see they would be out of business if many of their products didn't have "plastic" sucked into them at the processing plant. I'm betting they just happened to use the cheapest possible UV unstable "plastic" in this particular case.

I hope they can fix it for you! We looked at that stone yard when renovating and they had lots of beautiful slabs. Keep us posted!

Joseph Corlett that was well written. Fair enough. Though I am not convinced about the OP’s situation. A person would need to see it, and feel it, in person to know what is the matter.

M Miller:

Thanks, but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. I've heard of stone turning pink and orange, but yellow is classic UV light failure. Would you have to send a sample for forensic testing to be positive? Probably.

I am extremely sorry to see this happen to anyone. So many anxious, expensive choices to be made and then ugh! I'm in countertop hunt now but not quite sure what to learn from this other than to keep a serious paper trail of everything. Thanks for all the input y'all have shared thus far.

So many anxious, expensive choices to be made and then ugh! I'm in countertop hunt now but not quite sure what to learn from this other than to keep a serious paper trail of everything.

@Mittens Cat: If you really don’t want to end up here with a countertop disaster dilemma of your own, use Corian (or one of its more affordable imitators like LivingStone). Really. Stains or scratches? Sand ‘em out! Bowling ball fall from the sky and take a chunk of your countertop with it? Insert new chunk! I honestly think Corian is the most underrated material in the home improvement game—at least in the U.S.

I am also in my countertop hunt and have been following this forum for several years to be sure that I make an informed decision but I'm still as confused as ever. Bottom line, I have a white kitchen and love carrara. We use our kitchen every day so I know quartz would be a smart alternative; however, I haven't found one I love. There have been posts of people having trouble with their quartz and if that's the case I'll just get what I love and try to keep it safe. I know Joseph Corlett has been the go to expert on here for years, back when Beekeeper's Wife was doing her kitchen. I would love to hear what Joseph thinks about using porcelain slabs. Nate Berkus and the Property Brothers have created attractive kitchens using porcelain.

OT-I just wanted to take a moment and comment on how civilized and polite the exchange was between M Miller and Joe. Both actually took the time to both "listen" to the other's point of view, and to respond politely. And even to disagree politely. I appreciate that.

Okay, carry on. I have soapstone so can't comment on the problem.

Sammy, thanks for the nudge! I have been amused and somewhat skeptical of the quartz craze (is quartz not the cousin of cultured marble?), so I figured what the heck, I'll check out Corian 2.0. And what did I find? Corian now offers...Corian Quartz! A new product? No. It's what they used to call Zodiaq (yes, with a "q"). Everything old is new again (well, except me). :-D

http://www.zodiaq.com/

p.s. I found this Spruce article on the history of quartz interesting. Especially the part that said it all comes from Breton, a company in Northern Italy. Since my ancestors were from Italy, I know feel compelled to seriously consider this crushed rock and glue composite for all my countertops! :) https://www.thespruce.com/facts-about-quartz-countertops-1821233

Sorry, three comments in a row--switch me to decaf!

But it just occurred to me that in my attempt to stick with "natural" products as much as possible in our remodel, we are contributing to further environmental impact. Not trying to drum up a poo storm, but isn't it actually more "earth-friendly" to use one of these engineered products because they are made up of waste from the natural stone industry? Or is that just what their public relations departments want us to believe? I await your enlightenment...

The whole earth friendly and green debate could have its own forum! For many of these things once you add up all the resources at the beginning and all the waste at the end ... the difference can be small, or sometimes the earth-friendly version isn't as clean as it appears at first glance.

Not all quartz uses Breton technology. Lots of Chinese non-Breton quartz. Ask questions and do your research.

I would love to hear what Joseph thinks about using porcelain slabs.

We very seriously considered porcelain for our countertops. It looks absolutely gorgeous, it is super scratch and heat resistant. It sounded like the perfect material. Until we kept reading about the tendency for it to chip and crack easily. And then Neolith seems to have disappeared from all the online forums and all the local designers and studios stopped carrying it.

So, at the last minute, we changed tack and installed stainless steel countertops instead. Looks gorgeous and I am generally really happy with our choice. But of course, it is more of a living product. It shows scratches (which I can buff out, but they'll eventually be back) and it shows fingerprints unless I have freshly cleaned it very thoroughly (and that never lasts for long in a household with kids)

We couldn't completely pass up on porcelain though. We made our backsplash from a single solid slab of Dekton. Hopefully, with a backsplash there isn't much risk of it cracking or chipping as it's not really possible to drop heavy objects on it. I love the very clean look of a single solid surface. The only penetration is our pot filler. Outlets were moved under the upper cabinets to avoid having to cut into the backsplash.

Cooks Kitchen - great explanation! Thank you.

Mittens, your question about the environmental impact of natural stone vs. engineered quartz is one I've been thinking about for the last few months. I don't think there is a cut and dried answer.

- A locally quarried natural stone most likely has the lowest footprint.

- Remnants of either material are another green way to go.

- Slabs shipped round the world, no matter what they're made of, come with a large energy footprint.

- Materials (whether natural or manufactured) that come from countries with lax protections for workers and the environment will have a larger environmental and social cost.

- Engineered stone is not inherently more green than natural stone, for a few reasons. Engineered stone is mixed with epoxy and resins and is heated and cured, and these processes take energy and petrochemical ingredients.

- The mineral quartz that is used in manufactured quartz is not a waste product. It comes from a hole in the ground, the same as every other stone and mineral resource.

I've been doing a lot of recent work studying the claims of various quartz manufacturers and testing them to see if they are true. It's been super interesting. Surprise! A lot of what they say is not quite true. You are wise to read marketing claims with a healthy dose of skepticism.

NewHome, I'm sorry this happened to you. I can only imagine your frustration!

I agree with the others that the cause is the surface treatment. Before you replace the stone, though, do see if it's possible to have the slab re-surfaced (as in, grind/sand off the uppermost surface) to see if they can get below the surface coating. It seems worth a shot.

Your dealer/fabricator should have your back on this. Especially since it's a high-end place that lives or dies by customer satisfaction. If it was a fly-by-night shop, you'd be in a more difficult spot. As Cook's said, try to go at it with a collaborative spirit. Both of you want to un-yellow that stone and hopefully you can work something out.

Please keep us posted! Good luck!

We got Corian, and while I love it, I hated to give DuPont my money. :( But I do love my counters.

Porcelain can be a good countertop, but proper fabrication and installation is more critical than on any other material. I saw some gloss porcelain on display at Home Depot recently; very impressive.

" Before you replace the stone, though, do see if it's possible to have the slab re-surfaced (as in, grind/sand off the uppermost surface) to see if they can get below the surface coating. It seems worth a shot."

This is an excellent suggestion. The UV damage may be topical. I'd hit the tops with some MB 20 on a hog's hair pad and see what happens. It won't hurt anything.

Thanks everyone for your comments! @cooks kitchen, that was a very informative explanation of how stone works- I’m really learning a lot. will see what my stone guy says and if he can’t treat it easily then I will definitely have all parties sit down to discuss this. I like the idea of refinishing surface if all else fails. replacing won’t happen.

oh, and I definitely will share this thread with him