Waiting for response.

I just saw some slabs in person today and am considering them for my kitchen. Was told they are tolerant of high heat.

I would not recommend Raphael Stone. I had it installed in August 2020, and I'm already making plans to replace it.

The appearance is fine, but it chips with incredible ease.

Here is the Google Review I left for them: https://goo.gl/maps/uvbdM6kKoeZqM84t5

@Mark Adamski Do you know where Raphael Stone is manufactured? I can't find the info anywhere. I suspect China?

Chipping is predominately the result of edge profile selection, not material selection. Engineered stone is all the same stuff; Chinese or not.

@SJ Allison - I've looked under the stone for a "Made in XXXXX," but can't seem to find anything. Since posting my review, I've added two more chips as well as a stain from curry sauce that doesn't seem to want to release.

No matter where Raphael Stone is made, the best thing you can do is not buy it!

@Mark Adamski So sorry that you're having so many quality issues with your Quartz. :-(

After exhaustive research, I discovered that Raphael Stone is made in Malaysia at a factory (Agrostone) that uses Breton technology. (I am also looking at Raphael Stone so am very concerned.)

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Thank you for your input! In looking at Mark Adamski's photos, he used simple square edges, which is what I plan to do. Do you recommend against doing that?

The more round the edge, the less likely the chipping. I never recommend the squared "pencil" edge, particularly at sinks. It's a chip factory, no matter the material.

Is there any difference in either the quality or appearance between Raphaelstone and Caesarstone? I am trying to understand why one is more expensive than the other. Is RS just a downmarket brand?

@SJ Allison When you bought them did you think the look and feel was good? Do you think a greater thickness would've helped?

My Raphael Stone continues to be a nightmare -- I would discourage anybody from getting it no matter how much more attractive the lower price may be.

It's not even just at the edges where chips occur, but I have two "craters" on the flat part of the surface where a knife and a pot contacted it too rough, and it chipped (see pic). This would have never happened on my previous granite countertops.

I have literally conditioned myself to gently place everything on these awful countertops.

The thickness of the material isn't the problem; it's the density. Raphael Stone has the hardness of styrafoam whereas Caesarstone is more like oak wood/steel.

Please, learn from my mistake and avoid Raphael Stone at all costs...it will end up costing you more!

I recently had raphael stone, calacatta venetian installed on an island/sink area/bar area (80sqft+). We could not be more disappointed in the durability of our counters. Edge (pencil) chipped incredibly easy. There is nothing that wont stain these counters. Just condensation from a water glass will leave a noticeable stain that does not 'clean up with just soap/warm water/microfiber'. Im working on the seller/installer and the company in regard to warranty info. We feel incredibly misguided regarding the durabilty of this quartz product. If we can replace, we will.

Mark,

Do you still have the counters? Did you get anywhere with Raphael stone or their warranty?

-wish i saw this review earlier but i was so sold on quartz i didnt think twice to research...total fail

@tyler grant - I still have them, and they still suck.

On the bright side, I have learned of two friends renovating their kitchens via Instagram stories, so I reached out to them to advise them to not install the Raphael Stone garbage, so I feel like I've recouped some money there.

But as for the warranty, no -- although I didn't really pursue it too hard. If you read the text (it's on the Raphael Stone website), it pretty much holds them accountable for nothing.

What a terrible, terrible company with an even worse product.

I'm sorry you're experiencing the same issues as me.

what a waste. ill certainly pester both seller and manufacturer…at the minimum to hopefully get someone to come out and explain to my face. what a scam

I am also considering this quartz and can't find much in terms of reviews. This is really detering me but finding an alternative is seemingly difficult. Anyone heard of a york gold from Precision in Elk Grove? Its unclear who makes it.

danihaas9:

It's all the same stuff, 2/3 quartz, 1/3 resin, no matter the brand.

@danihaas9 - I've not heard of Precision, but I'm also not in the market for quartz at the moment. I did have Lemoncello Stone (assuming you're Chicago-area based) come do some repairs on the garbage Raphael I have, and they indicated some other brands. I believe they install as well, it might be worth calling them.

Is there another quartz brand anyone else can recommend?

Mark, I see you are very upset about two of your self inflicted wounds on your quartz its to Bad your fabricator didn't recommend easing the edge, which generally alleviates conditions favorable to self inflicted chipping. To say the product is Garbage, while not attempting tor reach out to your local office for a warranty consultation doesn't seem logical. I would think the time it took you to write and Badger a Company that has tens of thousands of satisfied customers would have been better spent trying to resolve the issue which you said you didn't do. Please let me know when purchased and what fabricator you used. We can first start by verifying they bought our material. Then move on to trying to resolve the issues you presumably had with our material. My Email Address is thomasm@raphaelp.com Look forward to working with you, to resolve your issue. I will keep the group here updated and share our interactions.

@Raphael Stone - Game on, then.

I purchased from Raphael Stone Collection Chicago (officially Elk Grove Village) in ~August 2020.

Here's their location on Google Maps, and you can see my review there: https://goo.gl/maps/ddyEqwquBhHvyBZs9

I will happily share with you my correspondence from when I tried to resolve this in 2020 with Raphael Stone Chicago (it backs up my review of them; I'm not in the business of sh*t-talking companies for an unwarranted reason), provided there is an expression of interest in truly helping me resolve this substandard material.

As it stands, I still continue to be incredibly disappointed with the material that's been in my kitchen for the past two years. Perhaps you can change that.

Since Raphael Stone hasn't kept the group updated as was promised, I will.

I replied to their post (tagged; as you all can see), as well as emailed 2x to the address that was provided.

No response has been received (spam folder has been checked).

I know you all can't wait to experience this great service from Raphael Stone when you purchase their product. :)

Mark You haven't reached out to me, as requested and looking for your supporting documentation that the material was purchased from us. Once again my email is thomasm@raphaelp.com please try to support your claims. Also a fabricator statement and receipt would be helpful.

@Raphael Stone - I posted the two emails I sent.

I will send you another email right now.

Please send to Thomasm@raphaelp.com you don't show the full email address on your post. Why don't you post your receipt of purchase and include a statement from your fabricator with proof of purchase for all to see. please put all supporting documentation on the platform for all to see. Still very willing and able to assist.

Here you go -- this is the email I've been writing to, and you've not replied. Are you receiving them?

@Mark Adamski I have Silestone installed in my kitchen (very expensive Silestone). It has several chips around the sink plus some surface scratches. All of my friends who really cook and use their kitchens (who have quartz countertops) also have chips, no matter the brand. It's just not as durable a material as they'd like you to believe.

@Diana Kay that's a shame, especially since granite was so strong and durable. I could drop cast iron pans on that stuff and it begged for more abuse! :)

@Mark Adamski Exactly. I had granite for years and never had a problem. My Silestone countertops have a warranty - but it doesn't cover chips or scratches. What does that tell you?

About to start renovating my kitchen.. looking at quartz counters.. so what I gather from this thread is that the brand is not really important since all qualities are relatively the same.. looking at Raphael stone and Daltile. Any other suggestions for our search? I have granite countertops now. They are extremely durable, but just don’t love the look.

Obviously I have Raphael Stone (cough, garbage, cough), and while the consensus is that quartz isn't as tough as granite, I think there are higher quality quartz options out there, if you're concerned about durability.

Just be prepared to set pans on them very, very gently...and if a soup can drops on them at the proper angle, make sure you look for the chip that flew out so you can glue it back in.

Went to a local stone yard and they had this brand as well as tons of other brands I never heard of. Glad I googled and found this.