dannyboy123 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 (edited) It's two seperate questions I guess but as far as quartz go is there really that much difference in quality between manufacturers? There seems to be a vast price difference avaliable for the same style. Silestone seems to be one of the most expensive but you can get similar fir half the price...is there really that much difference ir are you paying for the name? Also as far as cabinetry materials, what is the best to go for, or what questions should I be asking when I go looking at new kitchens? Thanks in advance Edited August 1, 2019 by dannyboy123 Mistake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryder72 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 (edited) Material wise not that much difference. The cheaper quartz has lower quartz content, therefore higher resin content which makes it 'softer' and less heat resistant but only relatively. The main difference is going to be customer service in case of issues. There is a lot of quartz coming in from china, india etc which is unbranded, not made using Breton machinery (I am told is superior with better polish) and there will be no warranties or service backup on the material. We only stick with 3 or 4 brands of quartz who we know have responded well when the rare customer service issue has arisen. It could be argued that issues are rare and while that is partially true, be aware that you will be left very little to no comeback if such an event occurred. Edited August 1, 2019 by ryder72 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 When we were looking around there weren't that many suppliers offering a thin (~20mm) option, either (more do now, I believe). We ended up going with Silestone mainly because the local stockist had a good reputation and they did the colour we wanted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy123 Posted August 1, 2019 Author Share Posted August 1, 2019 6 hours ago, ryder72 said: Material wise not that much difference. The cheaper quartz has lower quartz content, therefore higher resin content which makes it 'softer' and less heat resistant but only relatively. The main difference is going to be customer service in case of issues. There is a lot of quartz coming in from china, india etc which is unbranded, not made using Breton machinery (I am told is superior with better polish) and there will be no warranties or service backup on the material. We only stick with 3 or 4 brands of quartz who we know have responded well when the rare customer service issue has arisen. It could be argued that issues are rare and while that is partially true, be aware that you will be left very little to no comeback if such an event occurred. Thanks for the reply mate, the cheaper ones I have seen come with a 10 year warranty...or so I am told. I am concerned about the less quartz more resin comment though. I dont want it to be softer. Also a little concerned about the polish, I want the white to be white and shiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryder72 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 What brand of quartz is it? If it a warranty that the fabricator is offering of 'My Brand Quartz'? Many do that simply because they can make a lot more margin on the product that no one else in the country sells but the warranty is tied to the fabricator being in business and honouring the warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy123 Posted August 1, 2019 Author Share Posted August 1, 2019 8 minutes ago, ryder72 said: What brand of quartz is it? If it a warranty that the fabricator is offering of 'My Brand Quartz'? Many do that simply because they can make a lot more margin on the product that no one else in the country sells but the warranty is tied to the fabricator being in business and honouring the warranty. I'm not to sure on the brands, I will try find out. To be honest I'm not sure what I would ever need warranty for on a worktop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryder72 Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 I have seen 3 types of faults - cracks, discolouration, pitting. All 3 down to material/manufacturing defects where the manufacturer provided replacement slabs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiBee Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Are you sold on quartz? I have read that it is stain resistant yet I have seen three stained work surfaces and my grey quartz tiles have marked and scratched. The supplier no longer imports these as they had many issues from customers. A friend in work complains that his quartz worktop has dulled and he can’t get it back to how it was. I have a black quartz false shelf in our downstairs loo which has no natural light. It’s lost it’s lustre and where one of those Yankee oil stick air freshener things sit has left a mark. Point being, I would be worried about using quartz for a worktop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryder72 Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 13 hours ago, SiBee said: Are you sold on quartz? I have read that it is stain resistant yet I have seen three stained work surfaces and my grey quartz tiles have marked and scratched. The supplier no longer imports these as they had many issues from customers. A friend in work complains that his quartz worktop has dulled and he can’t get it back to how it was. I have a black quartz false shelf in our downstairs loo which has no natural light. It’s lost it’s lustre and where one of those Yankee oil stick air freshener things sit has left a mark. Point being, I would be worried about using quartz for a worktop. This probably points back to what brand of quartz it was. If your fabricator was importing this material, I suspect they stopped due to quality problems. Run a mile for the cheap Asian imports. They really can be hit and miss. Dulling points to two things - high resin content or improper use (dragging items across it which is capable of scratching almost all worktop materials dulling the surface) Staining again is possible on granite and quartz and the biggest culprits are oil and acidic substances. Sadly no worktop is perfect but quartz on balance is a great surface unless you like black/grey granites which have a lot going for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiBee Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Ryder72 you obviously know a bit about this stuff. All mine is Gulf Stone as recommended by a few tilers/ retailer I know. originally wanted it for the bathroom as he missus love sparkling stuff but my go to guys reeled in horror. Too much natural light and moisture. They have pictures of tiles that have warped. Don’t suppose this would apply to a thick worktop? Still scares me off though. Her friend spent a fortune on granite thinking it to be bulletproof (not literally) it got marked by I think a hot pan. Laminate for me, my heart won’t sink when it shows the first mark? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz07 Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 I'm going thin solid laminate next time. Treat it as a consumable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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