Donna Leake I see a lot of wine bottles! Any problems with the Fantasy Brown and wine?

Thanks! The only thing I can tell you about our cabinets is that the color is called cognac. Lol I have no idea what type of wood they are. Our marble is polished, but not high polished. When the light hits it, part of it has a satin finished look to it. I’m in love with it...constantly touching the surface. Lol My husband thinks I’m insane! Lol

Lol The wine bottles! Lol We haven’t really entertained in the kitchen yet. With the beautiful weather we’ve been having, we entertained a lot outdoors. I’ll post after the holidays and share my experiences. Fingers crossed!!!! I’ve sealed the counters with Lustro Italiano products, and plan on sealing it a couple times a year to keep the marble protected as much as I can. I’ve also researched, and found that this product doesn’t discolor light stones.

Donna Leake "constantly touching the surface"....that's so funny as I love to do that too! I went shopping with the woman from the stone store and we both touched all the slabs. Maybe it's a girl thing. My husband doesn't understand it either! Some of the slabs have signs on them saying "Touch Me". lol The place I may buy from puts a 10 yr sealing on their counters. But I guess if water doesn't bead up on it at any time, the sealer should be reapplied. A guy at the stone yard said not to mix sealers, always use the same one. And don't use the stone cleaners with sealers in them because that is what can cause the hazy appearance on the counter top....his expert advice.

Lol You’re right, it must be a girl thing. I’ve also heard we’re not to mix sealers. That’s why I love this forum...I’m learning so much...especially that I’m not the only one that’s obsessed with my fantasy brown. Lol I was told that there are so many good sealers out there that will help protect with spills...but nothing prevents etching. I’ll learn to live with that. My sister was just in Italy and told me there was marble everywhere, with etching all over...she said it was still so beautiful! I’m sure a year from now, I’ll be more relaxed and probably seal every once in a while...or even forget to seal. Lol

I love this forum, too, great info. There's a model home near us with kitchen counters and an island that I would swear are Fantasy Brown. It looks great. Taking my husband there so he can see how beautiful it is. He's still voting for Cambria Summerhill quartz. We both like the sparkle in it. But, that "bad boy" FB still wows me more. The real estate woman at the model said the counter is "honed granite". Wrong! Still like the White Macaubus, too.

I notice that you don't have a dish drain next to the sink. When hand washing dishes or pots, do you put them on a towel or one of those drying mats? I'm wondering if the wet towel or mat would leave a mark on the Fantasy Brown.

Lol “Honed granite”. Lol Yes, have your husband take a peek at the FB, and see what it looks like installed. I don’t use a dish mat, because I’m neurotic when it comes to drying dishes and pots right away, and putting them away. Lol

@skipper328 and others

You're not alone with regards to what to choose. It's overwhelming and I had to step back for a bit. One day walked into the fabricator's showroom to ask a question and decided to look at their stock just for grins and giggles. There it was...first time I saw fantsy brown and it drew me in, reminded me of rushing water. Kitchen is too small for island therefore I knew the countertops choice would be the "statement" in the kitchen. Hubby is building cabinets and stain color was already chosen. Our kitchen is a bit dark being on north side of house however it's worked out fine. What I'm leading up to, be aware of how dark your tops are if your cabinet color is also dark. Yes overall lighting can accommodate, but don't want dark against almost dark. Here are a few pics of mine. The fantasy brown slabs we chose are more in the gray/green tones versus brown, which is a color definitely didn't need. There is little more green than pics shows. If I place something gray, it looks more green and vice versa. Have received many compliments not only in the countertops, but cabinet colors also. Hope this helps

Beautiful! I love it, of course. Your cabinets go very well with the FB. Cherry cabinets? Agree, I don't want real dark cabinets. But don't want them to be too reddish because that doesn't go well with our pine logs. What color is your glass tile? Looks green behind the stove and blue on the other areas, maybe because of the under counter lighting. Your hubby must be a professional cabinet maker, those are gorgeous! And no complaints from hubby about the potential problems with FB, like chipping and etching? Maybe I shouldn't share all my research with my hubby! I am considering White Macaubus, too, and saw the pics with the oil staining which is distressing. But that might be an improper sealing issue. In the model home, they used creamy white cabinets with a gray-taupe-ish colored subway tile and it looks very nice.

Hi, I'm just starting the process of planning my kitchen renovation. I recently visited a small kitchen and bath place and they had the fantasy brown counter top in one of their kitchen displays. Needless to say I immediately fell in love. I'm thinking of installing espresso or dark brown cabinet and Modena Elm porcelain tile. I don't have picture of the cabinets yet but I do have picture of the floor tiles. The picture does not seem to capture how beautiful these tiles really are. I think it will go well with the FB. I'm super excited.

This is the slab(s) I fell in love with on the yard. Using two cabinet colors and a 1.5' border of hickory where plates and elbows will rest, on the Fantasy island. We begin Monday and this thread has been very helpful for me.

Oh yeah.....This is the sueded/leather version!

Kkyates73 Starting on Monday, so exciting! I agree reading this thread and another I first happen upon has been very informative and helpful. I haven't been to the yard to select my slab as of yet but I know I want the leather finish on my FB. That what was in the store and fell in love with. I think your the choices you made will come together beautifully.

@skipper328

cabinets are maple with green die, then black cherry stain. 2 colors. The tile color is called element smoke, glass, 2 x 6 in size. You are correct, color does look different and due to different lighting. Over stove, halogen bulbs, under counter are LEDs. Also, I use a drying mat and haven't had any issues. When done with it, pick it up. They usually dry in a couple of hours and as long as it's not soaking wet all the way thru shouldn't be problem.

tristoneandtile.com

Still going strong. Love my stone!

I love it! Is your paint color brownish/ grayish?

The lighting is not good in these photos. My cabinets are white not yellow or cream. My island is deep dark cherry wood. My "glass on cement" tile is very neutral clear light grayish color that changes to the color placed in front of the tile. My wall paint is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter. This color changes with the light natural vs artificial vs minimal light in the room. Grey Green Beige. It's perfect with the stone if neutral is your taste. I saved the hanging art work, hardware on pendant lights, entry doors, metal side tables in the open family room as the contrasting darker colors because I can change them out easier.

@spryun your kitchen is stunning! I have the same wall paint. I agree, it’s a nice neutral color.

I was experimenting with where to hang the art work The above pic is the paint color at night more green the below still look oks green but it's more of a beige gray during natural light. My tile changes too almost equal to the color of the paint. I love it. Thanks!

@Donna Leake. Thank you so much! Yours too! It's so much satisfaction when you "do it yourself" with no disrespect to those amazing designers out there! They def have the advantage, eye and experience and I'm sure LESS anxiety over whether a room will turn out just "right". I have no designer training but a whole house renovation is certainly an education! Houzz is such an excellent helpful resource! And addicting!

And @donna leake my favorite stone to "hug" is Calcutta Gold Marble

@spryuyn-absolutely gooorgeous!!! Everything!

spryun, I love your kitchen! I hope mine turns out as well. They destroyed EVERYTHING in one day! I was amazed. Wednesday, we go to the yard to place templates on stone slabs. This thread has told me what NOT to do with Fantasy Brown. Photos taken ONE HOUR apart!

@kkyatrs73 wow! It's overwhelming but you're going to love your new kitchen!! Can't wait to see the "after photo"!

@ spruyn Calcutta Gold Marble!!!!!!! Now that’s a beautiful stone. Your kitchen design is absolutely stunning! I agree that it’s such an amazing feeling to say that you had say in every detail of your kitchen. Something to be proud of.

@ kkyates73 Awww look at the smile on your face! It’s a beautiful kitchen design.

Thank you Donna Leake!!

Here is an updated photo of my fantasy brown island. It arrived at the fabricator sealed and the company also attempted to add an additional layer of sealant which they didn't have much luck with. Anyway I've had in for a couple months, but it's been covered during construction. I'me excited to see how this thing holds up. It's beautiful and truly makes a statement in my house.

Such beautiful 'rock'!!

@Scott H - what are the perimeter counter-tops? I need to show this to a client.

Nelson Rogers, I used: http://pentalquartz.com/products/clay-pebble/

Looks like this is a pretty old thread but was wondering if anyone knew the manufacturer and color of the subway tile. Thanks!

I’m in love with this leathered look and my fabricator cut just perfect to where all veining runs perfectly together

I’m in love with this leathered look and my fabricator cut just perfect to where all veining runs perfectly together

Skipper- what did you pick?

Hi Lauren Law, Finally decided on quartz. Cambria Summerhill. But I still love Fantasy Brown and many of the quartzite slabs I saw.

Technically speaking, both marble and quartzite are metamorphic rocks. Marble is a metamorphosed carbonate rock (in the simplest case, metamorphosed calcium carbonate / CaCO3), while quartzite is metamorphosed sandstone (cemented quartz crystals). Rocks that undergo metamorphism (changes due to heat and pressure over a very long time) change their crystal structure and affects many of their properties, one of which is hardness. Many times, this results in rocks that are harder and more resistant to both mechanical and chemical weathering, for instance dissolution. The various colors in the slab are due to the presence of other minerals, and they have there own properties - the whole slab is not going to have the same hardness or resistance to etching.

One point of correction, it is NOT calcium that makes the mineral susceptible to etching. It is the carbonate. And it is due to the carbonate equilibria that defines the speciation when that mineral is dissolved. There are many carbonate minerals besides calcite (calcium carbonate). For instance, dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate / CaMg(CO3)2), and siderite (iron carbonate / FeCO3) are other carbonate minerals. There are always other elements present when these minerals precipitated out of solution (usually water), resulting in a mix of various carbonaceous minerals. There are many, and they have their own properties, and they don't all change in exactly the same way when exposed to heat and pressure over time. Hence what we see in the slabs.

Thinking about FB in my kitchen and read on usenaturalstone.org that FB is a combination of marble and quartzite. The article says, "it is made of layers that have been folded and squeezed together." The article continues to say that it should be treated as marble. Do you agree or disagree? I'm overwhelmed with the granite/quartzite decision. Thanks!

@ Houzz user I treat mine like a marble, and was told to by fabricators and designers. I’m more afraid to scratch/chip my counters then staining them. A good sealer will prevent staining. However, it doesn’t take much, in certain areas of my counters, to scratch or chip. I have 2 tiny scratches on my FB counters, which is only noticeable when I point them out. I absolutely love FB, and I don’t regret my decision for one second.

Thanks for your feedback. I'm stuck on FB and hope I'm making the right decision. Do you know how you got the scratches?

I don’t have/know of any product that takes out scratches. A fabricator can come and maintain countertops (sand/polish) if there was any horrible damage or dullness throughout the years. I purchased a maintenance kit from lustro italiano...it has products to take stains out, to remove etching, to seal...and to polish. https://www.lustroitaliano.com

@Donna, What diameter are your pendants above your island?

I just tested the softness of my Fantasy Brown sample and it's super soft. Scratches very easily. This makes me nervous as we're going from typhoon bordeaux to fantasy. We're not terribly neat and I have really sharp knives. My typhoon was flawless and super easy to care for.

@allonte They’re from Quiozel...8” wise and about 12” high. I bought them from a store in Glen Cove called Elements for about $126 each.

We have had our FB counter tops 2 years now and still no serious issues. We do have a one foot overhang and noticed what might be a crack developing at the cornnef and so installed 2 flat steel corbels to support the overhang. If I were doing another overhang I would install the braces before installing the countertops just to be sure, they can ve totally hidden in that case.

@HU-26297029928 I'm not sure how the scratches got there. I think one of the scratches was from a big package I moved/slid on the counter. It's so tiny, but it made me realize how soft my FB is. That's why I will always treat it as a marble.

Cambria, located in Minnesota, with their over 400 gorgeous quartz surfaces will make these marble, granite and quartzite tests and decisions a thing of the past. I'm glad I waited several years to remodel. As good looking as FB is, you can find its equal and more on the Cambria website. No sealing, no etching, no staining, and a life time guarantee. Just keep hot pans and casserole dishes, curling irons, and crock pots off direct contact with the surface and that's it! Comes with a lifetime guarantee too!

Some of you as well as myself have been mislead. FB is marble mined in India. It is NOT man made or considered a quartzite. It is a very hard marble that may mimic quartzite, but will easily etch as we found out setting a lemon on it.