IMO there is no fake stone that looks like real ever . Why not get real stone and it will always look real.

I'm just starting to plan a kitchen remodel, so my first stop was MSI. I wanted to get ideas & a line item budget idea.

The last time I shopped for countertops (pre-Covid), I found all the quartz to look very fake. This time, I was truly amazed at how close the newer ones look to real stone!

There are a lot of quartz-haters on this forum, with Patricia taking the lead, I have MSI (neither of your selections) and love it, but it really depends on the style of your kitchen & your home. I did *not* pick a marble-like quartz b/c I do think all of them look pretty fake. I picked quartz because I wanted something that looks different.

Are you sure you don't have the budget for marble? I'd price it out, b/c quartz is surprisingly expensive.

There's another thread going about Castana here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6422862/msi-calacatta-castana#n=102

I was also obsessed with Castana and got prices from multiple fabricators - it’s more expensive than some of the marble options, bc it’s only available in 2 cm and needs mittered edge to look nice

I actually saw Castana in person recently - and was surprised re: how far along faux marble quartz has evolved over the past few years. This new line looks much nicer than the older ones - they aren't pixelated with a ton of dots over the surface.

Many people won't look these up on their own - you need to provide photos of the two different quartz countertops that you are considering. I decided to grab photos for you since I am stuck up at the hospital - and very bored!

These are MSI Premata quartz photos:

These are photos of Castana:

Leslie - what are the materials you've selected for your cabinets/floors/backsplash (hopefully, you haven't selected a backsplash yet - unless you are going to run the countertop material up the walls). Without knowing what else is going to be in your new kitchen, it will be difficult for people to provide suggestions/advice re: which slab you should select.

Leslie what did you decide? I am having the same issue between the two stones and I have to decide. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Also exploring premata. I went to five Main quartz companies and saw slabs. I highly recommend seeing the slabs to get a better idea. Bring a few samples and try them in different lights and next to what the cabinet color is going to be. Keep in mind all of the different colors and textures from your floors to your walls and what you’re willing or interested to change. You’ll want things to blend or contrast in a intentional manner
While, we could do marble or other real stone. I have found that upkeep is more of a problem. Thus we are actually excited to try out quartz.