Im sorry youre having issues with your countertops! have you found a solution to these issues? have you contacted your fabricator?

i have my heart set on the same countertop and you have me worried!

I have contacted Silestone, and have not heard back from them yet. The people who sold it to us are going to try to fix the couple of tiny scratches, but sort of just say "that's what happens when you have kids." I will say now that we have had it longer, I believe the 2 scratches may have been there before it was installed, seeing as I found them after the first couple of days and we have not since scratched it 2 months later. However, the white streak marks were somehow from us, but nothing obvious that we did. We did stain it day 1 with a dry erase marker, which I take full responsibility for. They did warn us about black marker, and my son was using a dry erase marker and got a little bit on the counter. I tried to wipe it up, but it ended up just sort of smudging around to the point where it sort of blends in with the gray veins, and only really I can notice unless I point it out to someone. But it did not come out with any of the tricks I tried.

I will also tell you that I do not notice anything on the perimeter counters. The natural light does not shine on them the same way that it does on our island. The sunlight pours on it in the morning, and that's when I can see all of the imperfections. Again, a stranger probably wouldn't notice a thing, but it bothers me because I see more and more as time passes. I do not notice them later in the day, so I think when others say they have no issues, perhaps it's the difference of how the light shines on it. I have resorted to keeping placemats on the island where anyone would sit, and just place anything down on them that I put on that counter. I use a silicone mat when using any appliance that may get hot, like an instapot and have had no issues with that.

It is beautiful, but if I could do it again, I would choose something like MSI Calacutta Valentin, which is a different look, but busier and would hide those imperfections. As of right now I am not to the point where I want to rip them out. Even if Silestone was willing to compensate, I wouldn't want to pay for the labor of replacing.

I will also try that toner. I think that's the only thing I haven't tried.

Sorry that you are seeing these issues. I am considering this quartz for my perimeter. Can you tell me if you had suede or polished version of the calacatta gold?

I have polished. Again, I think the light shining on it is a huge factor. I don't notice anything on my perimeter counters, only on the island where the light from the window shines directly on it. And I only see them when I am looking from one side of the counter. As I have had them for a few months now, I have relaxed and am not searching for every new mark each day. Personally, next time I choose a quartz I will go with something else that is a little more forgiving, ie MSI Calacutta valentin, which we almost went with. But it is a different look. If you do choose the ECG, the #1 thing to avoid is black marker of any kind. Most other stains have come off with barkeepers friend.

This is the first post I have read about issues with the lighter Silestone countertops; so sorry to hear you are having problems. I had my kitchen renovated a few years ago and chose Silestone, color: charcoal soapstone for my counters, no issues, still looks great. I hope you hear from Silestone and your fabricator. What about your countertop warranty?