Are they even doing the honed finish anymore? I thought all of the quartz companies quit offering it because of the complaints of it grabbing and holding on to finger oils and other dirt. Even with people being made aware of the issue beforehand, there were still numerous complaints.

I remember reading that dark colored countertops are hard on the eyes as we get older. A member here has dark quartz and said she'd go light next time.

Caesarstone is still making honed options, pebble being one of them. If you click on the Pebble color you'll see under Technical Info that the finishes are polished or honed.

What do you mean by the honed isn't guaranteed? Do you mean covered under warranty? Their honed finishes are covered, it says so on their Residential Warranty page.

There are a few threads on GW about honed Caesarstone finishes. Do a search for honed CS and I think there's some info in one of the Neolith threads (I know I responded on one thread about how I made my countertop decision, don't remember which one). I know that CS stopped offering the honed finish on some of their darker colors b/c of complaints like greendesigns mentioned.

Call CS yourself and talk to people at countertop places about your concerns with the honed finish. Ask them their thoughts on it. And get samples, the bigger the better. You might be able to get them from a local countertop place, or you can order them from CS. That way you can see for yourself how you like the colors in your space, how they clean up, if you can scratch them, do they stain etc... You should do that with any countertop material btw. I know I felt a lot better having samples to test myself.

I'm putting CS honed pebble in my kitchen. I'm in the throes of remodeling craziness so I don't have any pictures to share. After talking to so many people and doing testing, I'm comfortable with the honed finish as is my dh. We can handle the extra cleaning the honed finish will need and we love the color and prefer the matte finish in our kitchen.

may_flowers said: I remember reading that dark colored countertops are hard on the eyes as we get older. A member here has dark quartz and said she'd go light next time.

I've said that here several times. It is harder to see things on dark counters, harder to find spills, is a more difficult background when you're working on it for longer stretches.

I think dark counters *look* great. I love the contrast with light wood or white/cream cabinets. It took me a while to realize that I prefer working against a lighter background.

Thanks so much for all the feedback. I have read and looked at most of the photos on this site and others. The veining in FC is so subtle that is doesn't show up in wide shot photos. To me, that makes it look more faux and less enticing, but we haven't yet seen a large slab in person. Headed to the showroom this weekend. Also checking out Pental, although their marble lookalike isn't a contender.

malabacat, Sorry for the misleading language. What I meant is that Caesarstone asks you to sign a "special care" waiver for their honed surfaces. My husband is not thrilled about this because he feels the whole point of getting quartz is to have a worry-free experience. That's why I wanted to hear from people who have the honed product.

may_flowers and linell, Interesting perspective. Not sure if Pebble qualifies as dark. Certainly lighter surfaces are trendier now, but many of our serious cook friends (of all ages) have soapstone, without complaints.

Meanwhile, I'm deeper in indecision land. malaba, did you look at Neolith before choosing your countertop?

I did not look at Neolith before deciding on the Pebble. I encountered it when I obsessively went to several countertop stores that carried CS to ask their opinion about the honed finish. I really liked one particular gray color but I don't remember the name, and I also loved how the Neolith felt. If I hadn't already made my decision (and I didn't want to change it) I would have explored Neolith more to see if it would be the right fit for me.

I looked at a slab of the FC when we were choosing counters and from a distance it just looked dirty to me. The 'veining' looked like dirt that hadn't been wiped up. It wasn't strong enough to look like veining or even a real part of the design. I know some people here have it and love it though, so perhaps that effect isn't so pronounced indoors as when the slab was on display outdoors in full sunlight.

Please get a sample of the honed and experiment with it before finalizing your choice. It IS more difficult to clean, and keep cleaned, even though it's technically non-porous. The rougher the surface, the less easily it releases oils and soils.

I don't have Pebble honed, but I do have Pebble polished on my kitchen island. I really love it - even though it does have a weird sort of fake looking pattern. I rarely notice the pattern even though I sit at the island every day. It is super forgiving, always looks clean, and I love the color. One of my best friends has honed Caesarstone (Misty Carrera) and it definitely looks dirtier and appears to holds the smudges and grime in a way that I would not like. I priced Frosty Carrina and London Grey for a kitchen remodel in our vacation home. They priced at $125/sf installed (!!) compared to $65 or $70/sf installed for older Caesarstone colors like Blizzard and Pebble. I seriously considered FC but ended up thinking it didn't provide enough visual punch for the cost. I used London Grey on my island and it is gorgeous. Everyone loves it - it's really stunning. Not sure whether that would be a contender for your kitchen?

I wanted honed quartz, but our architect had recently had a client who hated their honed counters and ended up replacing them (yeah, money was no object, not the case for us). Between that and the waiver that you have to sign, we got the polished after all (color is Wild Rice, so sort of a medium in tone. I really liked Pebble, but the color ended up not looking good with our cabs and flooring).

It is not as shiny as a lot of polished stone or as shiny as a glazed tile. It is sort of in-between when the window light hits it. I ended up loving it, though I'm not attracted to shiny things in general. Even our backsplash is matte. It's so easy to care for. Between that and the new induction top, I sometimes wipe it all down just for fun-- sounds warped, I know. I never do that at home! (We don't live in the new house yet.)

This has all been very helpful. We (I) are now thinking London Grey or Polished Pebble, but of course that could change when we see the large slabs. We have procured a large sample of Pebble, which we have been abusing with red wine, sauces and hot items. Has held up better than the FC, and much better than the honed Pebble.

What is going wrong with the honed pebble?
(asks the still nervous yet to purchase remodeler)

We couldn't get the red wine stain off our sample using a Clorox wipe. But in all fairness, we waited several hours to wipe it up, which I doubt would happen in real life. Will try the recommended Soft Scrub later and let you know how it responds . I still love the look of honed and we haven't ruled it out entirely. I'm certain your countertops will be fabulous!

This post was edited by studiojr on Thu, Oct 9, 14 at 22:41

Good to know this before I get this countertop. I will be conscious of that. I always wonder if different slabs of the same material will behave differently. In reality they shouldn't but in actuality they could. I did not have any stains on any of the samples we tried (I got several samples of different colors to test), and we left them on for over 24 hrs at the longest stretch. Hmmmm. We drink a lot of red wine. Caution will be key for me I think. Thanks for the info.

Update: All stains disappeared easily using Soft Scrub more than 24 hours later. We're checking out all the slabs in person this weekend. Still considering two honed colors and up in the air about a marble lookalike.

Studiojr, not to hijack the thread, but can you share what you've read about Neolith? We're in information-gathering mode, and I haven't been able to find much pro or con, but I'm intrigued by its claimed ability to stand up to anything.

Hi AvatarWalt,

Most of what I've read about Neolith was here on GW:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg121753248162.html

We were in Spain last month and I admired several surfaces in restaurants that I thought at the time were concrete - I now believe they were Neolith.

Spoke to a rep in the Fountain View, CA showroom, who said it's hugely popular, mostly for outdoor kitchens. We're more than an hour away and deciding if it's worth driving down to take a look. Will let you know if we do. Please share whatever info you have as well.

Glad to know the soft scrub worked! I'll remember that :-)
We ordered our countertops last week so in a couple of months I'll be able to let you know how the honed pebble is on a full counter not just a sample.

Stuiojr-- I've been out looking at Neolith and competitors, but I thought I'd post the information in a new thread so as not to re-direct this one. Just wanted to give you a heads-up!

Thanks - Headed over to your new thread now. Our update: Saw the polished pebble and ruled it out - didn't feel right for our home.

Now leaning toward marble lookalikes, but eliminated Frosty Carrina from the running - veins too subtle. Very impressed with Calacutta Nuvo and also Pental Onixaa. Both look very realistic, but the Pental might be too greyish. Pental had some fabulous honed surfaces in colors similar to Pebble, but like Caesarstone, they warn about stains and fingerprints.

Our indecision has led to a delay in our very small project. We are now waiting until Jan because we can't get the hood for our Bluestar hood until mid Dec. In a way I'm relieved because a) it will be less stressful without a kitchen after the holidays and b) new products seem to be coming out every day.

Studiojr -- I'm seriously considering honed pebble for our counters but your post makes me reconsider. Would love to know what you ended up with. Also -- where did you get a larger sample of CS? I can't find anything bigger than a 4x2 inch. Argh!! Thank you!!!