The installer specializes in granite and marble and urged me to choose granite. When I reported the mysterious stain, they basically said "we told you" not to use quartz.

I choose Silestone/Tao which is neither shiny nor matt. It is opaque (black) and has no pattern in it. I thought it looked like an old chemistry lab top. In less than two weeks it looks like a disaster.
The installer is coming to look at the stain. Silestone will rely on their report.
When I mentioned that my cat (10lbs) leaves scratches on the 'scratch proof'
surface the customer service rep asked if she was declawed?

I have no idea how this is going to turn out but in less than two weeks I have learned that there is no such thing as stain or scratch proof.

It is so, so unlikely that the stain is any common soft-drink, tea or coffee, that I can almost guarantee you its something else. But if it is, then the Silestone was certainly defective.

Silestone advertises its resistance to common stains very widesly, viz:

Silestone is non-porous and therefore it is highly resistant to stains from coffee, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, makeup, and many other common household products. Unlike granite, Silestone does not need to be sealed to keep its lustrous shine."

Buyt I was also just reading the Silestone "Limited 15 Year Wrranty". It is one of the more interesting "Non-warranty" Waranties I have read in a while.

Basically Silestone warrants it it surface to the original owner to be free from factory defects, but only if

• The surface has been maintained according to the "Silestone quartz surfaces Care and Maintenance guide"


• The surface was installed by a Silestone approved installer


• The owner registers the surface with Silestone within 60 days of its installation and "the Silestone product identifier [is] still affixed at the time of the warranty claim"


• The owner can prove the surface was maintained according to the "Silestone quartz surfaces Care and Maintenance guide", and can prove the surface was installed by a Silestone approved installer.
  

maybe it depends on the brand it is?

As a FYI, honed and "leathered" surfaces of whatever material will have a lot more texture in their micro-surface that will trap oils and are thus more difficult to clean. The texture holds on to those oils in the tiny crevices. Also, many sinks or counters will get "scratch marks" on them, but they are not actually scratches in the surface. If you drag a pot or pan across granite or quartz, you will have a mark because the quartz is harder than the metal and is eroding a tiny bit of it onto the surface. Again, on a textured surface, any residue of any kind is more difficult to clean.

Good luck with the stain.

Ne

Have you tried Bar Keepers Friend?

If you can't resolve it with the installer, be sure to have them direct you to your area's Silestone rep.

It doesn't help that you're dealing with incompetent and/or dishonest installers.

Neither is supposed to stain or scratch.
If a cat can scratch your counters (and a tiny one at that) you're in trouble if someone slices a bagel, drags something over it, (imagine someone grating cheese and the base of the cheese grater...)

Something's wrong here. All stains aside, the scratching is what would really have me up in arms.

Either way, this is stinking for you! Good luck.

Christine

As far as the weird stain - is it in a similar color to the rest of your quartz? It is probably a resin blob since quartz countertops are like 93% stone and 7% resin. We have one small blotch but it is in a corner and hardly noticable. I think there was one poster here who had several unattractive splotches. If it is really that bad, I would ask for a new slab.

I wish I could have a Silestone rep look at it too, but the protocol (according to Silestone) is that the installer has to make the initial report, even though the
installer (who has been doing stone countertops for 50 years) is not that familiar with quartz, and not at all with Silestone.

I selected quartz because I thought it would be less prone to stains and scratches. After two weeks, with minimal use, it is really awful.

First of all, very few people have reported serious scratches and stains with quartz. There are known issues with discoloration due to UV rays, and to bits of the aggregate popping out and needing to be refilled with resin. And like real stone, it could come to a bad end if you put something really hot on it. So the chances you have a defective material are high.

Second, granite is not inherently bulletproof. Some are, true. But many need to be sealed. Others stain easily. Others chip. Each type of stone is unique. There is nothing magic about the entire category of materials called "granite"--except the fact it's what your installer usually sells.

So, if their "report" doesn't say you get a new stone, then demand to take it up with the manufacturer.

Any marks that look like scratches, such as a bit of residue from cat claws, should simply scrub right off with some Softscrub. The keratin of nails, whether human or animal, are only about a 2.5 on the Moh scale. Quartz is around a 7. Nails might scratch a wood counter, but they should not scratch a quartz one. Any "scratch" marks should come right off with Softscrub. If cat claws truly do scratch the surface, then it's defective.

What have you used to clean your counters? Softscrub is a great choice, but it can leave powdery residue if it's not rinsed off completely. A solid black surface will also need drying with a microfiber towel if you are going to avoid any water marks. For oils that get really down into the texture, a thin bit of Dawn placed on top of them for a bit and then washed up usually will bring up the oils and let them be wiped off---again with a microfiber towel.

I'm actually wondering if you really do have silestone installed? Is it possible the contractor did some kind of bait and switch or something?

I posted a letter and a photo of the large stain (not the one along the edge that
the installers left) on the Silestone Corporate Facebook site. I am hoping someone there will look at it and get in touch. :http://www.facebook.com/SilestonebyCosentino?ref=ts

The product I have is the Zen series, color Taos. I think one problem might be that it is neither shiny, nor matt and possibly a new surface for Silestone.
There is no pigment in it. It is virtually opaque which maybe why scratches are so visible. The stains are darker.
The only thing I used on it is Dawn liquid. The installers had a 'mineral spirit"
of some kind that they used to remove some marks. I had a 2'' edge put on it and I think the dark lines near the edge maybe the result of glue.
I just wish I could get a Silestone rep to look at it.
It really is awful and now I am wondering if it is Silestone. It was 2x as much as the granite and soapstone quote they gave me.
Thanks again for your help!

Your stain looks like a greasy residue. Have you tried Bar Keepers Friend? That is what the rep will likely do first.

Hang in there!

Did you try peeking underneath through the drawer or cab openings to look for the logo, just to be sure?

Would you plese update what has happened since. Has any of you found more chipped, scratched area? I've had a Silestone only 3 weeks new and just noticed a good number of holes (dents) on the surface. I couldn't tell 100% if they were there originally despite I did inspect upon installation. MY worries is the resin keeps coming off for whatever reason, hence the surface feel chipped. Thanks.

(P.S. Fingerprints from the installers!)

Things are trendy. We pay a ton to put them in, and next year, the trend is something else. I don't have patience for that. We sell our house, and what we did will get ripped out for a fresh start for a new owner. I don't need trend. Don't need scratches.

Love this thread!
Suzi

When remodeling we went with a polished dark granite and now have all the above advantages without the grout maintenance.

Everyone has their preferences, but I was curious why the dislike for granite when it seems you want durability and low maintenance.

As I and others have stated above, the experiences posted above are not typical for quartz countertops, including Silestone. The overwhelming majority of people find quartz to be a very good countertop material.

this is incorrect. any quartz surface is approx. 30% resin which is scratched relatively easily compared to what is considered acceptable countertop material. quartz IS quite hard but it only makes up part of the surface.

When we had our counter installed, our fabricator rejected the first slab that his supplier sent him because it was scratched. Our fabricator thought it was because of rough handling at the suppliers, that the slabs scraped against each other. He asked for a replacement slab and it was scratched too. So he went to the supplier and picked out a slab himself, which he asked us to come see and approve. It looked great and we used that. We're very happy with it.