The red plastic matt pictured above has trapped water which has leached the color out of this engineered stone. Were I the warranty agent on this job, I would rule this customer abuse.

I'm not ready to say that's the case here, but I've got a feeling this or something similar may be what's going on.

^^ I suspect this is what's happened - there was some moisture / dampness that was around the base of the paper towel holder and some "reaction" happened. And yes - it will be deemed "customer abuse"

Whether wiping down the counter and setting a benign item on it SHOULD be deemed customer abuse is another story altogether.

Joseph can this happen with a silicone mat and granite? I just recently got a silicone dish drain mat for beside my sink and don't want this happening to my granite. They are brushed steel gray granite.

Quartz is stain resistant, not stain proof.

First time I have seen Cambria website. I think their lawyers will re-write some of this.

"Quartz countertops do not absorb liquids, do not stain, and never require maintenance. "

"Granite also absorbs liquids and stains, while quartz is completely nonabsorbent."

"Unlike marble, quartz is nonabsorbent, so staining liquids and harmful bacteria are never absorbed. In addition, acidic foods like lemon can cause etching on marble countertops, which is never a concern with quartz."

https://www.cambriausa.com/quartz-countertops/

Compare to Silestone website:

"Silestone is a non-porous surface and highly resistant to staining caused by coffee, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, makeup and many other everyday products."

https://www.silestoneusa.com/what-is-silestone/

I'm pretty sure my picture above is a discontinued Silestone. Brand doesn't matter; they're all the same stuff and trapped water/soap will do it to all of them.

vinmarks:

No trapping water/soap between a mat and an engineered stone or natural stone countertop. I can't say "Yes" or "No" to every different situation. Some will use a mat for years with no problem; some will ruin their tops in weeks.

@vinmarks, I have had my leathered steel grey granite for several years now. I have quite a few things on my counter and nothing has EVER left a mark or stain on it. None of my items have large swaths of silicon like the drainer you’re describing, but I do have some items with rubber or silicone on the bottom feet and no marks. Hope that helps!

skmom thanks that does help. I have lots of other things on my countertop like paper towel holders and what not and haven't had any problems. I was just concerned about the silicone. No water is being trapped under the mat.

I was surprised by the rather absolute nature of the Cambria description of quartz. Based on their website, a reasonable person would believe that quartz was impervious to all matters of staining and etching. I had never read the Cambria website since I bought Silestone.

Cambria is maintenance free and requires no sealing or polishing. In addition, never apply any sealers, penetrants, or topical treatments to Cambria.

Corrosive chemicals can damage any surface, including Cambria. Do not expose Cambria to strong alkalines, acids, free radicals, oxidizers, or other similar chemicals or cleaners (whether high, neutral, or low pH).

The above information can be found here: Product care and maintenance

I have had Silestone since 2004. Just noticed one little chip, nothing has stained or marred it otherwise. And the chip is right about the dishwasher. I'm sure I did that emptying the dishwasher of my heavy Fiesta Ware. Love it!

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Thank you that was educational.

@Louise Smith That is typical vague marketing material common to many products, but if one can keep their eyes open to the end of all instructions and disclaimers, it's usually there.

A while back I came across an interesting article if anyone likes to read it Click Here

There is a good possibility that in this case or the example that Joe gave with the mat all these items could have some sort of color die in them and whatever the circumstances were they left a color imprint on the stone... Could be some cheap Chinese products, seen that happen a few times and not only on stone.

Sammy:

Manufacturers often don't know what's appropriate for their own products. I use Tenax Quartz Toner on all engineered stones occasionally with great results.

This just happened on my Cambria quartz :( I purchased a new Umbra cream drying mat and now have a yellow-ish line on my quartz. I probably should have pre-washed the mat before using to make sure any dyes were removed. Ugh ...

I have had Zodiac quartz for about 15 years and have ner

Agh..sorry. Finishing to say I’ve never had a stain of any sort. Lots of chips around the sink though.

When I was looking at Cambria I called their customer service to find out about their warranty. They said they guarantee it against manufacturing defects and do not guarantee it against "anything that happens in your kitchen". So the marketing is deceptive by design.

It is not deceptive. People do all kinds of crazy things in their kitchens, like setting a cardboard box full of leaking toilet bowl cleaner on their countertop overnight. That'll suck the color out of engineered stone and granite. Cambria has no way of controlling this.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC I will never forget when a few days before closing a cleaning crew left a butter roll on the counter, I came in the next day and almost had a heart attack when I saw the stain from it. I tried everything nothing would get it out. Two days later came in for a walkthrough with the homeowner right before closing and the stain was gone.

Gotta love natural stone!

I once had a customer with badly stained quartz. A school age child left a colored paper folder in a wet area on the counter and the dye from the folder leached into the quartz (actually dyeing the petrochemical based resin binder). nothing I tried made any difference at all.

Wet area? I'd cut in a bigger sink...

The marketing is totally deceptive...its so stain resistant they say but if you have a stain no matter what kind you are on your own.

Also keep in mind that the quartz manufacturers are also deceptive about the resin content of their product. Its much higher than people think. A typical resin based material will consist of 66% quartz and 34% resin by volume. They like to talk about the percentage by weight in order to make it seem like the resin content is a lot smaller.

We installed (at the advice of a designer) a matte finish quartz countertop. After only 6 months of normal use (just 2 adults living in our home) I have permanent water stains in the perimeter of my sink. I’ve not used any unapproved cleaners on this stone. The Cambria rep informed me that the matte finish is prone to staining and that there is nothing that can be done. I can start a media campaign to diffuse the anger over my $13,000.00 investment that has turned out to be a sham. Why would a company market a kitchen countertop that stains when exposed to water🤬🤬🤬

Linda, so sorry you are having this big disappointment with your new countertop. I wonder how the water is staining the counter? What is happening in the quartz? Maybe someone can explain.

Reading this is so discouraging. What material should a person use if they want a durable material that does not have to be babied? Please don't say formica.

"What material should a person use if they want a durable material that does not have to be babied?"

Corian. 50-year track record.

I don't baby my leathered steel gray granite.

We have Cambria and it’s the Langdon pattern. We have never taken any special care of it. I get down to eye level with it and see no damage whatsoever. The Cambria came installed with our new homefour yearsago. We love it. Your stain looks more like a reaction with something placed on it.

The patterned quartz I have on my island does not seem to be as vulnerable to staining as the solid color on the perimeter countertops. Cambria’s website claims the matte finish is ”maintenance free with easy-care convenience and superior stain resistance”. This has certainly not been our experience. It looks awful most of the time; the rep is coming today to evaluate our problem, I’ll let you know what kind of response I get.

Linda:

If you can get the stains out, try some Tenax Quartz Toner please.

Thank you Joseph, I’ll give it a try. The tech was here yesterday and was able to lift some of the stains, but eluded to the fact that he thinks it’s from the “hard water” we have here. I just wish I’d known that every fingerprint was going to show, and that I’d be spending a lot of time everyday wiping up every bit of water that splashes on my counter. They should be sued for the false claims of “maintenance free and superior stain resistance”.

I hope all works out for you. So many aspects to consider when getting counters. We also ended up with Cambria and have had no issues. It does stain sometimes, but it comes out with some soap and elbow grease. Superior stain resistance does not mean stain proof so we might very well have accept that certain things might affect the tops. Best of luck!

I have Cambria quartz countertops throughout my house with the exception of the laundry room and pantry counters where I have honed granite. Unfortunately I too have noticed several spots where apparently water has leached into the countertop and left visible marks, including several rings from glasses left on the countertop. Insane to pay this much for countertops and have to worry about wiping up every drop of water. I wish I had known, I would have stuck with granite!

Valerie, what type/color do you have?

Skara Brae…

@Valerie We just had Charlestown Cambria (dark grey with faint white veining) installed and are seeing rings from cups and other wet items that set on the counters for mere minutes. It was installed two weeks ago! We’re also seeing dark spots ALL over the island (but NOT the 26+ feet of perimeter), which I’m reading from others might be resin pooling??? SO much money was spent on these and I literally spend a quarter of my day obsessively keeping countertops clear and wiping every splatter of water that lands. I’m SO angry. This is clearly a more noticeable issue on patterns that are smooth and less bus…polished or matte. Either way, it’s obsurd and might just be enough cumulative loss to justify a civil suit…I may have to investigate.

Amber:

Try some Tenax Quartz Toner please.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Thanks for the suggestion. What does the toner do, please? Is it potentially removing the marks or just making them less noticeable? I have a fabricator tech coming to look at it Monday. I would love if this (or any product) would resolve the issue. But I certainly do not want to void any part of the warranty…it sounds like they will fight just about any claim as it is.

"Thanks for the suggestion. What does the toner do, please? Is it potentially removing the marks or just making them less noticeable?"

I can't answer those technical questions, all I know is that it makes estone look very nice.

Was at a home show and talking with a rep about quartz counters. Currently have Corian and no issues besides scratching which needs to be polished out. He told me you had to be careful using a crockpot or instant pot on it because it can damage it. Apparently lots of people don't know that and they had many warranty calls. I'd certainly have never known if not for talking with him. Corian has no issues with either.

Natural stone, engineered stone, and solid surface tops all require trivet use by the manufacturer.

@Joseph, we are about to have Skara Brae installed. Would you recommend something like the Tenax Quartz Toner be applied right away for our counters as well? I did read that it can act as a protectant against oils and water residue, while enhacing the color. I'd like to be proactive vs. reactive.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Ok, thanks. I’m being told that polished quartz should never be sealed, and it looks like Tenax is considered a sealant. :( Appreciate the suggestion, though! Cambria is being super shady about the situation, so it looks like I’ve got some research and investigating to do.

The Tenax Quartz Toner is like furniture polish for your countertops. It's never going to hurt anything, I don't care what the manufacturers say. It makes water bead up nicely.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Thank you for quick response. I was especially concerned around my sink area and coffee/beverage counter. I always keep a handtowel near, but I will add this to our list. We installed Ceasarstone on a 60" one-sink powder room counter top. It's gets used frequently, but I wipe it down regularly. I noticed a couple of variations under the hand soap dish where water sat. It's more dimly lit there, so not really obvious, and fortunetly, doesn't draw attention from the pattern. However, I want to avoid anything further there, and from it occuring in our new cambria counters in kitchen, for sure.

I have same problem in my bathroom with my MSI quartz counter, there is discoloring under where I keep the soap bottle. The cut edges around the sink and around the faucets get discolored too and are very difficult to clean. No way would I put this stuff in my kitchen which gets much heavier use. I have had a better experience with our current 30+ year old kitchen laminate, which is still in perfect condition despite heavy abuse. Stains and cuts just fade away. I am most likely going with corian for my kitchen remodel, it sounds a lot more bullet proof.

@skitt It's more about care/maintenance. I don't main being proactive, I just need to know what to do. I've dealt with about every surface between the counters and tile, and there are no bullet proof options out there. You go with what you like, but go in being mindful what the pitfalls are up front, and accept that you will need to care for it. That said, Cambria is a premium product and it's positioned that way. There are different tiers within their lines, and we went with a top tier option. I do expect more. However, Ceasarstone is also top tier. If I had issues with that, albeit minor, I just want to know what to do to be prepared for my cambria counters. I am glad that there is more pattern variance in my new counters vs the ceasarstone.