It's all the same stuff.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC, sorry what do you mean? Whatever I tried on the sample it always comes clean which is not the same for my countertop. There must be a difference.

How long are you leaving the staining material on the sample? How long did it stay on your countertop?

The same time. I have a comparison test where I put tea on the sample and the countertop. After 12 hours when the tea got completely dry I attempted to clean. The sample came clean while the countertop did not.

Simon what brand quartz do you have? So disappointing! Did you try Liquid Soft Scrub?

The brand is Vicostone. I only tried recommended solutions from their maintenance and care guide. The thing is I am looking for a professional opinion for what could go wrong with the slab that its stain resistance got worse.

Simon:

I've been in the engineered stone business since its inception and have never heard of a situation like yours.

No, estone counters aren't stain proof. Corian is.

And yet, it happened. Whatever I do with the sample it always gets clean. However, even tea leaves pretty stubborn spot on my countertop.

Simon:

Try some Tenax Quartz Toner please.

Very unusual. I wonder if the sample has a coating like wax. Clean the sample with acetone and then do your tests again .

I would wonder if the sample has been touched by so many hands, all covered with oily residue, that it has absorbed over a period of months or years. And if that impacts its ability (or inability) to absorb a stain.

@Vicostone USA, My local Vicostone distributor is not really cooperative. They de facto acknowledged the problem but did not provide a solution that would work for me. Take a look at the pictures of the comparison tests:

initial:

tea on

after 10-12 hours

The stain after cleaning:

The sample after cleaning is the same:

It’s a knockoff of a more reputable brand, so what do you want. Despite the claims, and willful blinders on some, quartz is NOT ”all the same stuff”. Not even close.

The issues with the low priced non genuine Breton produced brands are *numerous* and ugly. It is the industry’s dirty little secret that too many want to ignore.

Knockoff Breton machines that don’t reach the correct pressure or temperature can NEVER produce ”the same” material as a result. And that isn’t even considering the lower quality resins or impure quartz rock that are used. It might be a similar recipe of “plastic and rock, heated under pressure”, but you do not get ”the same” results with bad ingredients and poor machinery. #justthefacts

#Yougetwhatyoupayfor.

@Simon Ford Simon, thank you for the pictures and description of your issue. I'm sorry to learn about your experience with your local distirbutor. Please email us directly so that we can provide you with better support: https://us.vicostone.com/en/contact-us

If you are located outside of the US, we can still help you get in contact with the best local team for your request.

@User Thank you for your comment. You are correct that non-Breton quartz is less durable and stain resistant than quartz made on authentic Breton machinery. Professionals and homeowners can verify which quartz brands use Breton on the Italian company's official website: https://www.breton.it/en/engineered-stone/main-breton-engineered-stone-manufacturers. All Vicostone products are made on authentic Breton machines in our Hanoi, Vietnam factory.

@User, I would agree with #Yougetwhatyoupayfor and would not complain if the installed product had the same quality as the sample. This is exactly what gets me - you shop around, do tests, research, check people's reviews and at the end receive unexpected result. The sample has excellent quality. I was so happy to find this brand at first. But after installation I found it is not the same. How frustrating it is? And on top of that company just does not want to deal with it. Thank you for your reply i suspected something like that happened during the manufacturing process of the slab but since I am not from that industry noone would listen to me.

@Vicostone USA, lets try it. I already emailed my request to Vietnam head-quotes before but it came back to my local distributor which like I said seemed was not interested in resolving this issue in a friendly manner. So that was the dead end.

@User Seriously?! Did you read the posts by the OP?! The sample and counter react differently. How is this the customer's fault? @Simon Ford I hope you find resolution. It looks like the company wants to help. Please come back and let us know what happens.

@cheri127, I sent a message to @Vicostone USA, waiting for a reply. Will keep it updated.

Thank you for your message, Simon. We've responded to your email and hope to hear from you soon so we can help resolve your issue. Please let us know if you need anything else in the meantime. Have a great day!

@Vicostone USA, thank you for a prompt response. I just replied on your email.

"You are correct that non-Breton quartz is less durable and stain resistant than quartz made on authentic Breton machinery."

Vicostone:

Please provide scientific substantiation of your claim.

Thanks.

“Today, Chinese quartz represents approximately 50% of the market. The factories in China were innovators in many different types of quartz looks, including the most popular looks in the market today such as Carrara, Calacatta and other white marble quartz looks."

Rupesh Shah of MSI

"“On the other hand, as for ourselves, we worked with some of the top-quality suppliers and producers in China,” Cohen continued. “They were reasonably priced in the market. The most expensive in China, but their quality was one of the top from any quartz I have seen around the world. There was good product out of China and it’s sad to see they will lose that opportunity. Also, the public could benefit from those companies. There were some really beautiful products coming out of there that people can’t get now."

Evan Cohen of Quality Marble & Granite located in Ontario, CA.

More here.