[lindad]

I have just installed an Abstract White Kitchen. I love it and don't want to choose the wrong countertop. We want to stay with a white countertop. Don't want corian - been there done that. Does anyone know which is whitest countertop among Silestone, Caesar Stone or Zodiac. Has anyone used granite. Your opinions are welcome and needed. Thanks

[MLS99]

The whitest quartz I found was Silestone White Zeus: no 'bits' in it. But I believe they discontinued it because of problems with its softness or manufacture. Certainly when I was buying my countertop (March 2008) it was no longer available. Perhaps they've sorted out the problems now.

I then checked out Zodiaq and Caesarstone Blizzard and the next best from Silestone, and all 3 had visible 'bits' in them. But I chose the Caesarstone, and now I generally don't notice them. You can see what it looks like en masse in my photos in the gallery.

Be aware that the more white they are, it means the more resin rather than stone they contain, and the stone bits are smaller, and so the softer they are. I can put a hot pan down on mine without a problem, but just be aware.

[AustinBear]

Originally Posted by lindad

Don't want corian - been there done that.

We're looking at white countertops too. We're looked at the various quartz options and have two issues:

1. Most are speckled, can't find one really, really white.
2. The fabricators here don't want to do a thick, square edge - they don't want to laminate. They say the seams will be very visible and we won't be happy.

So, we're now looking at the plain white Corrian. They say they can do it in 4 cm (vs 3cm with quartz), so that's a bit better. Not to mention $37/sq vs $64/sq.

What did you not like about the Corian? Look, durability, other? I'm thinking if we get the edge we want (thick, square, modern), it's a good value vs the quartz and will look okay (though we are going to re-look at the sample this weekend.

We're also looking at doing our own concrete counters using the Buddy Rhodes system, but that's a whole other conversation.

[lindad]

I did not like Corian because the only way to make it look new after several years of use was to have it professsionally sanded. Small cuts look dirty. I finally settled on Hanstone Aurora Snow, 3 cm with a standard beveled edge. I searched around for the best price, and paid $1900 including tax and install for undermount sink. I had about 40SF. It will be installed in about one week. Hanstone is pure quartz - won't stain or burn. Best to you

[lindad]

I once had Corian and found that small cuts or scratches did not come out unless professionally sanded. I choose Hanstone, Aurora Snow, 3cm. with the standard beveled edge to go with White Abstract cabinets. It does have pin dots. I viewed full slabs of Silestone with and without the pin dots. I was surprised that I liked the slab better w/ pin dots. I went with Hanstone because it was the whitest and a little bit less expensive. Hanstone has no resin or microbial stuff in it, and wont scratch or burn. It is pure quartz. About $50 per SF. It will be installed next week and I am keeping my fingers crossed. Best to you.

[lindad]

I had Corian counter tops and found that it stained and small scratches and cuts looked dirty and the only way to repair was to have it sanded. I am using Hanstone Aurora Snow, 3 cm, with a standard beveled edge. It does have pin dots. However, I viewed slabs of Silestone with and without the pin dots and was surprised that I liked the pin dot slabs better. I selected Hanstone as it was whiter and does not stain or burn. It is pure quartz, no resin or microbial stuff so I am told. It will be installed next week and I am keeping my fingers crossed. Best to you

[doitmyselfer]

Originally Posted by lindad

I have just installed an Abstract White Kitchen. I love it and don't want to choose the wrong countertop. We want to stay with a white countertop. Don't want corian - been there done that. Does anyone know which is whitest countertop among Silestone, Caesar Stone or Zodiac. Has anyone used granite. Your opinions are welcome and needed. Thanks

i too have been looking at silestone [white zeus] & caesarstone [blizzard]. white zeus has not been discontinued. i just got a quote on it 2 days ago. i had heard rumors that they were no longer offering a warranty on the color due to staining but so far no one has confirmed it. a friend just had it installed 2 weeks ago in the honed finish [much harder to maintain] & she said there's no problem. i thought the blizzard looked whiter but it does have some flecks in it.

[doitmyselfer]

well... it's only 2 months later but i had my countertops installed today...well kind of. i went w/ silestone, 3cm white zeus. after the counters were installed, they started attaching the sink. luckily i was watching as they were gluing & immediately knew the cutout was too large. 1/4" of the top of the sink was exposed all the way around. it looked terrible & what i wanted was an 1/8" countertop overhang. i had given them the dfx template which they did not follow so now they are making me a new counter.... another week w/out a sink!

as for the white zeus,,, it's not a white white & not as white as the abstrakt doors [but i don't think i'll notice in a few days]. like the caeserstone it has flecks in it , but they are more subtle [you need to really look closely at it to see them]. i think i'll be much happier when my sink & faucet are in!

[lindad]

I installed Hanstone (another quartz product) - Aurora Snow which is not as white as Abstract. I installed flourescent lights which cooled down the color and it looks fine. For the backsplash, I am using a 4" high stainless ledge to contrast the Hanstone, and then large white color coated glass. Note: white backspash against the white quartz didn't look good, hence the purpose of the stainless ledge. What are you doing for the backsplash?

[doitmyselfer]

your backsplash sounds great! i haven't decided on mine yet since i've done everything in reverse order. i still need to pick my floor which will influence the backsplash. i'm thinking of going w/ a taupish cement colored tile floor & a mosiac backsplash [multi colored neutrals]. if i went with a white floor, i'd probably do white glass. i need to jazz it up & add some pattern since everything else is so sleek. my base cabs are stainless steel & my wall cabs are abstrakt white & aviskt glass.

btw... after 2 days, i don't even notice the flecks in the counters or the difference of the whites. are all your cabs abstrakt? would love to see pics!