I am really not seing the issue so can’t comment on that as for changing the counter that is done often but normally the backsplash gets damaged no matter how careful everyone is. IMO the kitchen looks great from this distance. Are you sure this is just not overracting to being penned up in the house. I don’t like quqrtz so IMO polished granite is my go to. I have no idea what caused the ring to stay.

I would experiment with cleaning products. That can't be a permanent stain.

Have you tried putting a damp poultice of baking soda on the ring mark and leaving it overnight? Wipe off gently in the morning. That has worked for me on every stain I've had.

All I see is a faint ring. Put some liquid BKF on it and let it sit for a bit and sponge off.

Bathroom Magic Eraser... problem solved.

A granite installation for that size wouldn't be too expensive. You've found out what many don't know when they select quartz as far as how it wears. Certain things can be done to clean it, but it's difficult to resurface it. I agree with the others; try to restore it as is and live with it for a while yet.

Granite wouldn't look as nice in your modern, clean space. Solid colors, even on quartz, show more.

I don't see how the water/vinegar cleaner would create black marks, unless the quartz quality is really that questionable?

I have Cambria, Silestone and Pental quartz counters in the bathrooms and I clean them with whatever is handy, mostly clorox with bleach or Windex w/vinegar and have had no issues with the quartz in any of those brands. I also have a white Corian counter in the garage that gets cleaned with the same stuff and no issues with it either.

The countertop was cleaned with vinegar so the ring that was transparent with no colour then turned black. I tried baking powder and it made the countertop lighter in colour.

Is this a quartz composite (engineered) stone or a natural stone? Composite stone should not do any of these things, and certainly not show a glass ring.

What is your backsplash? Is it glass?

The dark spots in the counter may go away once it dries. A sealer might help prevent their return but do take advice from the pros on that. I wonder if the vinegar took off the sealer?

You shouldn't have to seal quartz. None of mine are sealed.

Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions! I'll try the baking soda paste and leave overnight.

Don't scrub the baking soda (it's a microabrasive) - just wipe it off with water.

backsplash is ceramic tile. Ceragres is the supplier, I'm in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

It's engineered stone and when I mentioned the spots to the fabricator, I was told that because it's engineered stone, it has imperfections. I think that's not correct. They were horrible to deal with and have since read many reports on TCE Stone being very bad quality quartz, it is a cheaper price. There are darker spots throughout the surface after the vinegar cleaning.

Quartz shouldn't stain, etch to that extreme. the fact that yours is, tells you that you may have a defective slab, a cheaply made slab, or that you did something your weren't supposed to do. (why your mom used vinegar to disinfect, is a whole other issue! Vinegar is extremely acidic. would you disinfect with with any type of acid? no. )

Anyway, is the countertop under any type of warranty? This is what I found on their website:

Does TCE Stone offer a warranty?

TCE Stone provides a 30-year limited warranty from the original date of installation for all TCE Stone quartz products against material failures due to manufacturing defect.

How to maintain TCE Stone?

To clean the quartz surface, use a neutral household cleaner or soap with a damp cloth; Clean all spills immediately.

How is TCE Stone’s performance on preventing stain？

All TCE Stone quartz products are invulnerable to liquid seepage or staining from household products such as oil, sauces and drinks. For best results on light-colored products, immediate cleaning after a spill is recommended.

Have you tried contacting them? I don't know what part of Can you're in, but they have diff numbers for whatever Province you live. I'd contact them

http://tcestone.com

if it bothers you that much, then look into getting it replaced. you could do it a for a few thousand w/pre-fab granite, marble or diff type of quartz countertops. I've used pre-fabs on many projects.

"It's engineered stone and when I mentioned the spots to the fabricator, I was told that because it's engineered stone, it has imperfections. I think that's not correct. They were horrible to deal with and have since read many reports on TCE Stone being very bad quality quartz, it is a cheaper price. "

They handed you a load of crap.

They have a 30 year warranty as stated above. CALL THEM. If they don't stand up to their own warranty, then file a complaint with whatever consumer board you have available. Either you got a crap product, or you got a crap company. I would not tolerate either.

To Beth H: I tried doing the warranty but was told that I needed to go through my fabricator who told me that it was too late to submit a warranty complaint and they proceeded to say that I should have told them right after it was installed and that any damage was my fault. They were not very much help, what's worse is the same fabricator installed perfectly good quartz to my friend (who went through her contractor) and that's why I used them also (but I went directly without a contractor - not sure if that had any bearing. I do feel ripped off.

It is a cheaply made slab and it does bother me a lot. What is a prefab granite? I did get a quote for granite and it came to $4500 with the removal and install. One of the comments that I got from this discussion was that my backsplash would get damaged since it's sitting on top of the quartz. There is about a 1/4" gap though so if the removal is done well, it could be ok? I do have extra tile that I can replace any damaged ones with though.

I haven’t had quartz, but I have had granite installed twice. One was a typical brown, gold, black, white, silver granite. The other is a refreshing white, green, gray, and a little black granite. Polished finish on both. I use the same material for the backsplash, including a big slab behind two 30” ranges, to avoid the backsplash selection dilemma seen here so often. I have had no problems at all. I do not set hot pots on the granite ever ever ever. Easy to clean. A good surface for rolling dough.

A design,,, tell your fabricator you have a 30 year warranty. If they refuse to do it for you, get their name, info and call the company yourself. tell them the fabricator is refusing to work with you. Do you have any sales receipts of the quartz?

If you do decide to switch it out, a pre fabricated countertop is one that is finished on 3 sides and come in 6, 8, or 9, foot lengths. (X 24" deep) I've done them in a few houses that we redid.

You will have to hire your own fabricator, (hopefully not the jerk you previously hired) to cut it to fit your specs. It's not a big deal.

A 9' pre fab comes in at about 450-650 bucks. usually. exotics are more. a plain white quartz would be the cheapest. Paying someone to cut it to fit would be in the 800-1500 range. It just depends.

If you go through a stone yard place, they prob have their own fabricator.

Here's what they look like at my tile/stone place.

marble, quartz, granite,,,whatever you like.

This one is from StoneContact. a plain white quartz. (w/sparkles I think. I have a remnant of this in my closet. I love it!)

and at another place that has tons of selections.

So, for the 1/4" gap. not a big deal. You (or they) can break it apart yourself without harming the backsplash. you would score the back joint between tile/countertop and make sure there is no adhesion there. protect the tile with cardboard or thick material and tape it in place. (if anything hits it, it won't damage the tile).

now just break away the countertop. BTW, if you do all of this yourself, you could prob save close to 1K. there are demos on youtube if you need to see how to do it.

check around stone yards in your area and ask about the pre fabs. I don't know where you are, but here in SoCal they are all over the place. They come in directly from China and prob get distributed from here. Obviously if they have to trek it up to the middle of Canada, it's going to cost more. It just depends.

you could also look for remnant pieces. maybe you could find two pieces that you could use. check with another fabricator. you could also use a butcher block.

"Has anyone had an experience of just replacing the stone in their kitchen?"

Yes, I've done it for customers. You'll sign that I'm not responsible for any backsplash or other damage, but that damage is unlikely especially with the 1/4" clearance.

I'd try some different poultices on the pot mark; fortunately it doesn't look like heat damage.

There's a warranty on the material itself....and fabricators usually offer a one year warranty on install. The material should still be under warranty....you should call the manufacturer and tell them the fabricator is not cooperating with your warranty claim. Ask to speak with your local manufacturers rep as well!

Most quartz manufacturer's warranties are worthless. When a fabricator cuts a sheet, releases internal stress and cracks the piece, he's lucky to get a slab reimbursement at no charge.

As a manufacturer's warranty agent, there were three things I looked for: 1. Customer abuse. 2. Fabricator/installer error, 3. Manufacturer error. One and two fight for first place, three stays at three; very rare.

The ring is customer abuse.

Most warranties in general are just a feel good thing...I agree, Joe, worthless. But I have had a couple warranties come through in the past. And you're right about #1 and #2. Last year I measured a kitchen. Their countertop had a HUGE crack in the corner...like the San Andreas fault line! hahaha. They had a lazy susan and NO support in the back corner. The cabinet or countertop installer should have put a cleat against both walls in the corner to support that top. The homeowner was blaming the countertop manufacturer. But it was installed improperly by Lowes.

I'm just speechless of what people are using to clean their countertops.....OMG
Vinegar, Clorox, Soda.....Stop it!
it damages your stones!!!!
Just google or ask experts what to use for cleaning!

I know that you're only supposed to use certain products on quartz. Unfortunately, my mom didn't and she thought she was helping out when she cleaned with vinegar! I wasn't home at the time. I have since asked her to refrain from cleaning the countertop. It's not ideal that the countertop is now ruined but life is not perfect. :). My plan is to replace down the road...

I just had a look at the cleaning manual for my quartz tops (Caesarstone). It specifically says "If you’re looking to use environmentally-safe cleaners on your Caesarstone quartz countertops, you can use a combination of 50/50 vinegar and water." So, it seems to me the kind of damage you're talking about could represent a manufacturing flaw.

Incidentally, the manual also recommends Clorox wipes and gentle household bleach for stubborn stains.

Many restaurants use vinegar to clean their tables, believing this sanitizes the table tops. This has been done for over 50 years.

It wasn't the vinegar, it was setting a metal pot on top of the wet vinegar. The vinegar had a reaction with the pot and the countertop was the loser.

Thanks for all your comments. I used the baking soda poultice a few times and the stain has lightened up considerably!