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How else should I test these countertop samples?

4 years ago

We are trying to select kitchen countertops and really love the concrete finish Caesarstone. However, I am worried about all the mixed reviews of staining. So we got 4 samples, smeared them with lemon, oil, marinara, and red wine, and let them sit overnight. We rinsed and dried them this morning, only using dish soap on rhe oiled sample. They are perfect. Does this change with time? Is there something else we need to try?



Comments (29)

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Sticky things that harden and you need to scrape off, and stickers that get stuck to it. Coffee stains, food coloring.

    technodiabla thanked Kaitlin
  • 4 years ago

    I think food coloring is not a fair test, as food coloring is manufactured for the sole purpose of changing the color of things. I think the tests you've already done are really good; you could add coffee to it, maybe mustard, but given the tomato sauce and lemon and just rinsing it, it has already shown it's quite impervious.

    technodiabla thanked M Miller
  • 4 years ago

    I think you're good to go.

    ketchup and basalmic vinegar would be the other two you could try. But I think you're good.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    M Miller as someone who bakes, I would like to know how quickly I need to find the splatter of food coloring to prevent a stain. A difference of 30 seconds and 5 minutes could be huge. I definitely wouldn't let it sit overnight to test that though.

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Try permanent magic marker please. Maybe some Easter egg dye. Women's hair coloring.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    womens hair coloring? in a kitchen? lol. (techno, will you be dyeing your hair in the kitchen sink? )

    Get out the Rit Dye in Fuschia and lets see if that stains! (will you be tie-dyeing tshirts in the sink?)

    Magic Marker,,,,that could be a possible if someone is careless. just keep those markers out of the kitchen area.

    I would be worried about actual kitchen items and not some random dye that will never touch my countertop.

  • 4 years ago

    Thanks everyone. We are trying molasses, food coloring, coffee, and a banana sticker. Will try magic marker if we even have one. No way is hair color coming into my kitchen.

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    What you need to test is how those look in glancing light. There is often residue held in the texture that looks like a smear. Most of the textured quartz also requires drying manually to not have water or detergent residue affect the look when you have a light creating a bit of glare.

  • 4 years ago

    I don't know....I remember back in the day we would sit down in a dining chair in the kitchen and dye the hair or give each other perms. That was the only place that had hard floors and enough space.

  • 4 years ago

    Beet?

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Tara, I remember those days too. One of my best friends was a stylist and she would deal with us after hours - in my kitchen. Anything imaginable done to hair was done in my kitchen. :)

    Bathroom was too small to give us any wiggle room and certainly didn't have space for 3-4 young women. 'Frosted' was big then - think bleach.

    My biggest countertop concerns are oils (DH is careless and he's 'helping' more since retiring), and lemon or lime juice. You seem to have covered those already.

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Try tumeric....

    Good tests so far!

  • 4 years ago

    However, I am worried about all the mixed reviews of staining.


    I'm guessing that what you're trying are the substances that others have reported stained that quartz?

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    The Final Results: We tried oil, red wine, lemon, and marinara overnight and mustard, food coloring, paint, Sharpie, molasses, and coffee for several hours. Most things cleaned up with water and rag with zero signs they were ever there. The exceptions: Food color left a very minor spot after 2 hours, blue only, barely visible. Sharpie permanent marker didn't come off at all. We tried it on glossy quartz and it doesn't come off that either. Do not use Sharpie in your kitchen! We are likely going to select Caesarstone Fresh Concrete for our kitchen (concrete finish.) Likely going Silestone White Storm for the bathrooms (glossy finish).

  • 4 years ago

    Did you try using a Cleaner with bleach for the food coloring stain and sharpie. Spray and let sit for a few minutes, then wipe and rinse It has worked in the bathroom to remove hair dye stains that sat overnight on my white Cambria quartz.

  • 4 years ago

    We haven't tried that but made some headway with soaking it with rubbing alcohol. I feel pretty confident in the finish.

  • 4 years ago

    Try scuffing it up, too.

  • 4 years ago

    Dry erase marker overtop of sharpie permanent marker wipe off. That is how you remove permanent marker.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Nail polish remover (acetone), drain cleaner. i think once the surface is breeched (from wiping), it'll behave differently

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    @chispa you are not suppose to use bleach on quartz.

    @technodiabla I have matte Cambria quartz in my kitchen in a med gray color--Pike's Peak. My kitchen doesn't get a lot of direct sunlight, but there is one small area of the countertop that reflects glare. I often clean that area more than the rest of the countertops, because the blotches show up when looked at an angle. I use Simple Green, as recommended by Cambria, and then wipe up with a damp cloth followed by a buff dry with a dry cloth. It's not a big deal and I only do it about once a week or so. However, if I had to do this more often in a sunny kitchen with lots of reflective light I would seriously regret my decision. I also notice the blotches when the the undercabinet lights are on and the overhead lighting is off.

    technodiabla thanked theresa21
  • 4 years ago

    A wet receipt. Ask me how I know. LOL

    technodiabla thanked anna_682
  • PRO
    4 years ago

    I have Fresh Concrete in my bathroom and have specified many matte and concrete-finish quartz countertops for my clients. I have found no special maintenance issues. Every once in a while you might get a stubborn stain that doesn't wipe up immediately. In those cases, a little spray of Clorox Bleach or Goo Gone cleans it up right away.

  • 4 years ago

    @theresa21, I'm not using straight bleach and I have been using Clorox w/ Bleach for 30 years to remove rare stubborn stains from tile, granite, quartz and quartzite with no issues. If I damage something it's on me, but not worried about it. It is not my daily cleaner.

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    "No way is hair color coming into my kitchen."


    Yeah, and I've had customers that thought toilet bowl cleaner wasn't either. And motorcycle chain oil remover.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Hair dye -- yes, test. I thought I'd never have it in the Kitchen, but the reality is that the best place to rinse it out is in the sink with a spray faucet* -- and the only place I have that is in the Kitchen. So, yes, I rinse my hair in the Kitchen sink.

    * I don't want the dye all over my body, so I don't do it in the shower. Plus, it's dyed in the evening & I shower in the morning.

    My brother is a professional hair stylist, he comes by in the evening to dye & cut my hair, so it's always done at home and it's done with professional hair products. However, some people dye their hair on their own, so it could be an issue. FYI...if you think you won't need it for years -- don't be too sure! My hair started going gray in my late 20s!

  • 4 years ago

    As someone mentioned above -- acetone. But, use full-strength acetone (carefully). If that doesn't damage it, then nail polish remover won't either.

    Paint thinner?

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    From one of the FAQ threads:

    Tests (especially for Absolute Black) (using a sample of YOUR slab):

    • To verify you have true AB and not dyed: Clean with denatured alcohol and rub marble polishing powder on the face. (Get denatured alcohol at Home Depot in the paint department)
    • Lemon Juice or better yet some Muriatic Acid: will quickly show if the stone has a lot of calcium content and will end up getting etched. (This is usually Chinese stone, not Indian.)
    • Acetone: The Dying usually is done on the same Chinese stone. like the others said, acetone on a rag will reveal any dye that has been applied
    • Chips: Using something very hard & metal, hit the granite sharply & hard on edges to see if it chips, breaks, or cracks


    https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2558824/stone-information-and-advice-checklists

    Even though you don't have Absolute black, perform the same tests to see how your sample reacts to the various chemicals.

  • 4 years ago

    no really, hair dye will not be in my kitchen. I go to a salon. And there are handheld sprayers in two showers but I won't have dye in their either b/c it might stain the grout. Been there with my teenagers home hair dye. Never again.