Caesarstone

[Farsy]

Has anyone had any experience with caesarstone kitchen benchtops?

i'm currently looking into this for a new kitchen reno.

What sort of cost for this material?

Any info greatly appreciated.

A.

[arms]

cost is slightly less than real granite,personally i dont like the product it looks and feels manufartured and synthetic ,real stone has character but for info http://www.caesarstone.com/Index.asp?CategoryID=90&ArticleID=26:rolleyes:

[Mirboo]

Hi Farsy,

The house I lived in before the one I'm in now had real granite bench tops. We had the granite bench tops for 5 years before we moved and in that time there was not a mark on the bench tops. They were just like new.

The bench tops in our current house are Caesar Stone. The house is about 3 1/2 years old and therefore so are the bench tops. In several places on the edge of the bench tops little chips have formed.

Our Caesar Stone benchtops are a very light colour and the Granite ones we had were a very dark, almost black, colour. The Caesar Stone seems to pick up marks, such as coffee cup rings or red wine spills, whereas the granite did not. This may however just be due to the difference in colour between the 2 different bench tops.

Don't get me wrong, the Caesar Stone doesn't appear to mark easily but it doesn't perform as well as the granite bench tops we had at our old place. The marks that do appear on the Caesar Stone seem to dissappear with time so it isn't much of a problem.

In conclusion I think that Caesar Stone is a good product but I reckon granite is better.

Regards,
Mirboo.

[Bin J]

For our new kitchen (currently being installed, so I haven't actually used it), I chose Quantum Quartz which is similar to Caesarstone.

The idea they push with the engineered stone is that it is supposed to be non-porous (unlike natural stone - granite), so it shouldn't stain AT ALL!. The Engineered Stone companies say there is no maintenance on their products and real stone needs sealing etc.

Are they fibbing us, Mirboo? :( Did you have to seal the granite during the time you were at your old place?

[Mirboo]

We didn't seal the granite at our old place and we haven't sealed the Caesarstone at our new place. We bought our new place about 2 years ago when it was 1 1/2 years old so I'm not sure what was done to it before we bought it.

The dark colour of the granite we had at our old place might be the reason we didn't have problems with staining. I don't know.

Regards,
Mirboo.

[katydid]

We are also trying to decide on whether to use caesar stone or granite - in our case for a bathroom bench top - so I am really interested in anyones input. Which is more easily maintained? Which looks good most of the time. How much maintenance is required for either product? Or would it be better just to install a "laminex" type product -probably a fraction of the price and the maintenance!!

[journeyman Mick]

One thing to watch with the synthetic stone tops is that some (all?) are not UV resistant. The glue used to bond the stone particles will break down if exposed to a lot of direct sunlight over time. Was told this by a supplier of stone & synthetic stone tops. Can't remember the brand, but it wasn't cheap, more expensive in a lot of cases than marble or granite, so I'm assuming that it wouldn't be limited to the one brand.

Mick

[Steveoo]

caesarstone is manmade, has more stain resistance than granite - but is not stain proof ( try leaving red wine on a white top for a couple of hours), it is really only semi-gloss, it is priced inbetween the cheap granite and the exotic expensive granites, it is "lifeless" in appearance, it has even colour across the sheet and will be the same colour as other sheets (for big jobs). Architects love it as they can specify it in plans and know that is exactly the colour they will get (it is being used in alot of commercial aplications because of this). No maintainace is required.

Granite is natural. Light coloured granites are fairly pourus and suseptable to staining (ie white stone + 1/2hr redwine = permenant stain), dark coloured stone is less porous and basicly stain proof, it is a bit glossier too, Maintainance is not nessary but if you have the light coloured stone you can increase the stain resistance by using car polish every six months for first two years - just apply like polishing a car. you can buy "stone sealer" but it is pretty much the same stuff carnuba wax. granite has alot of depth to it and can be said to be alive, the colour and patterning can vary across the sheet and to other sheets, it also can have directional grains so people doing big jobs can run into trouble.


personaly i like granite because of - cost, colour, gloss, a bit less of a "latest fashion' item it mightnt date as quick,

ceaserstone is proberly more suited to ultra modern kitchens and bars

[Cobber]

Does anyone know whats cheaper...ceaserstone or quantan quartz. My cabinet maker said the cost depends on what colour and sort of stone you chose....Im looking for a light colour. Looking to cut costs here as after doing the numbers last night I realised this extension/renovation thing is going to cost me alot of money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

Another thing -should I source the stone myself or let the cabinet maker source it. Im afraid he will get a cut for sourcing it and it will cost me extra.

The other aspect is the cabinet maker is the builders recommended one so the builder might also be getting a cut if I use this cabinet maker. Trouble is he seems to be the best one Ive found so far. Can anyone recommend a good one in Melbourne.

cheers

Cobber

[Wardy]

[

The other aspect is the cabinet maker is the builders recommended one so the builder might also be getting a cut if I use this cabinet maker. Trouble is he seems to be the best one Ive found so far. Can anyone recommend a good one in Melbourne.

cheers

Cobber[/QUOTE]
cobber from experience ask to see the cabinet makers work this builder has recommended, pick 2 or 3 others ask to see their work before you choose, that way you satisfy yourself and decide where your hard earned money is going:)

[bennylaird]

Love our Caeserstone tops, Almost white and the satins come off easily with Jiff etc. Not a chip in sight after 2 years and when plates or cups are dropped they tend to get a bit of bounce rather than break. I made my own master and they came out checked it and when they delivered and fitted it it was perfect. Great service from the stone maston. http://www.parthenonmarble.com.au/companyprofile.htm

[Wardy]

Love our Caeserstone tops, Almost white and the satins come off easily with Jiff etc. Not a chip in sight after 2 years and when plates or cups are dropped they tend to get a bit of bounce rather than break. I made my own master and they came out checked it and when they delivered and fitted it it was perfect. Great service from the stone maston. http://www.parthenonmarble.com.au/companyprofile.htm

sounds just like our kitchen,same colour,same age.verrrryyy happy
cheers wardy

[becstar]

Caesarstone is the most cost effective reconstituted stone on the market. There are four colours that are much more cost effective than others only beacuase they are purchased in bulk therefore buying rates are much better. im am shocked to read this forum and see the lack of knowledge on engineered stone.
Engineered stone has a porosity level of 0.02% almost nil. It is stain resistant and leave the red wine there for weeks if you must, it still WILL NOT mark the top. if it does, pour a bit of undiluted bleach on the stone it will come out i guarantee.
I really think you should NOT cut cost on the benchtop, its the first thing that catches the eye, laminate is a dying product.
Quantum Quartz is an inferior copy of caesarstone, although you will find with the 10 year warranty and technical backup caesarstone as well as being much more cost effectie will last a life time.....
good luck..go through the cabinet maker for the stone...



Does anyone know whats cheaper...ceaserstone or quantan quartz. My cabinet maker said the cost depends on what colour and sort of stone you chose....Im looking for a light colour. Looking to cut costs here as after doing the numbers last night I realised this extension/renovation thing is going to cost me alot of money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

Another thing -should I source the stone myself or let the cabinet maker source it. Im afraid he will get a cut for sourcing it and it will cost me extra.

The other aspect is the cabinet maker is the builders recommended one so the builder might also be getting a cut if I use this cabinet maker. Trouble is he seems to be the best one Ive found so far. Can anyone recommend a good one in Melbourne.

cheers

Cobber

[jags]

my two cents

I used ESSA ciro 20mm ( cheaper than caesar stone but looks the same ) in the last kitchen i did on Ikea applad cabnets and it came up looking great .Personally i like this product better than granite . Because it is man made (glue and power ) it is alot harder and rarley cracks unlike granite . I know of two people that used granite only to have it crack around the sink .

i feel that it all depends on what you are trying to achieve to what you should use .

But one thing is for sure don't use corian that stuff is crap .
After 1 day it looks old . Thank god it comes with a ten year warranty it needs it .
My mate just finished building his house and by the time he was handed the keys the bench top looked like it needed to be replaced .

Also i was checking out the new caesar stone colours the other day and they look hot .

[becstar]

Wow !!!!!... im surprised the essa stone came in cheaper than the caesarstone. That should definitely not have been the case. Not entirely sure if Essa have got their " recipe" right yet they are fairly new to the engineered stone game and manufacture in Korea.
Caesarstone is actually not glue and powder but a composition of around 95-97% natural quartz around 1% colour and 2% polymer which is the binding agent. So its a man made product made with mainly natural materials.
Corian is outdated and is purely synthetic material. And yes you are right its requires constant maintenance and buffing. Corian is very 90's.
If anyone needs any in depth information on CaesarStone...please ping me a comment!!:)

[becstar]

Does anyone know whats cheaper...ceaserstone or quantan quartz. My cabinet maker said the cost depends on what colour and sort of stone you chose....Im looking for a light colour. Looking to cut costs here as after doing the numbers last night I realised this extension/renovation thing is going to cost me alot of money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

Another thing -should I source the stone myself or let the cabinet maker source it. Im afraid he will get a cut for sourcing it and it will cost me extra.

The other aspect is the cabinet maker is the builders recommended one so the builder might also be getting a cut if I use this cabinet maker. Trouble is he seems to be the best one Ive found so far. Can anyone recommend a good one in Melbourne.

cheers

Cobber

CaesarStone...for sure!!
if you have a good joiner/cabbie...he will not put a mark up on the stone..
mmm you can always source the stone and stonemason yourself. who is the builder? i know most builders and cabinet makers in melbourne

[silkwood]

Becstar, do you have a professional affiliation with the Caesarstone product? If so, it would be nice if you mentioned it. There are a number of products on the market the equivalent of Caeserstone, some cheaper, some more expensive (often depends upon the colour).

Most of these are good products. Regardless of the sales pitch, the reality is a number of users have found problems with these products. These are, however, few & far between. Overall they work well, are difficult to stain and highly durable. I personally find the natural variation in stone more attractive, but the consistency of manufactured stone products is a real plus. I'm not going to mention brands, but do some homework and don't just listen to the salesperson.

As for stone sealants, they are NOT the same as using wax (some people can't help making emotional comments which aren't backed up by further information).
These sealants will settle into the porous areas in the stone without changing the look, will protect better and for longer than waxes or oils. However, using a light wax every so often does no harm, so long as you clean it up well before resealing every 3-5 years (an easy job).

Cheers,

Mark

[gorotsuki69]

I have a Caesarstone top and it's great. Have left red wine and tomato sauce overnight after a party and it just simply wipes off as good as new again.

The comment about Caesarstone suiting an ultra modern look is piffle.