Recommend a Quartz/Granite shop

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

The Caesar stone people are the originators of the formula for the Quartz. Then the patent expired/or formula re discovered and suddenly you have competition.

Quartz is not without it's downfalls, sharpies can permanently damage them.

Sharpies as in pens, or sharp objects..lol

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I would not recommend going with a big box store. I've heard a lot of bad stories about jobs gone awry. However, I've actually heard really good things about Ikea and their prices are pretty competitive. I think the prices are $79 to $99 per linear foot (I don't recall if it was 25 or 26 inches.)

We did actually look into Ikea which is where we decided on quartz, but they have too long of a wait to have cut and installed. (a month after cabinets are in!)

[Slava]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

The Caesar stone people are the originators of the formula for the Quartz. Then the patent expired/or formula re discovered and suddenly you have competition.

Quartz is not without it's downfalls, sharpies can permanently damage them.

That's not true. You can remove Sharpie from Caesarstone. One of the major advantages is that its non-porous and unlike some other stones (marble for example) things don't soak in. So for example people spilling red wine on your white marble might stain the marble, but not Caesarstone.

Sounds like you might have an issue, so here's the deal. Lay down paper towel over the mark and soak it with methyl hydrate. You might have to leave it for 10-20 minutes, but it should do the trick. You could also use bleach. Be patient and the Sharpie should come off.

I also PM'd you with a few shops and contacts to consider, Buzzard.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

Thanks for help so far guys.

Today a kitchen install guy (who was not selling the quartz) whom my wife talked to briefly said not to be talked into more expensive quartz. He said quartz was quartz, and that you should only pay more for thicker slabs which are better because its stronger and no need for base over top of counters. I don't know any more than that as I wasn't there, but can anyone back that up or argue this one way or the other?

Quartz is different. Some companies use different formulations and less actual quartz. They also use cheaper resins which makes it easier to chip or break, and the cheap resins can yellow over time. Plus a lot of those companies have no warranty. Just overall, not particularly comparable.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Reneeee

Got ours done through hgbstone. Cheapest price out there and quality is top notch.

I went there as well. I had a bit of a unique issue as I only needed a small piece for a bathroom vanity I was building myself. All the other places I went wanted $1500 just for the quartz, which I was installing myself. HGB only charged $500 with sink as he had exactly what I wanted leftover from another project, was very helpful giving me install tips and picking the appropriate sink and how to do the backsplash, none of which I have done before.

[SportsJunky]

You did a nice job ^

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Rerun

References I take with a large grain of salt... I mean who is going give a potential customer a bad reference?

However, how do I do a courthouse search?

You can go to the courthouse and do a name request. We use a company called EldorWal to do it for us. You pay for their service, but it is reasonable. I think you can register online to get it started.

Search the name in Queens Bench or Provincial Court. Then if the search shows hits, consider pulling copies of the documents to see if they have been sued for quality of product.

http://www.eldorwal.com/

[MotoRacer]

Thanks for the thread... Will be getting quotes as well

[Ace]

Does anybody have any info on Vicostone? How about Limestone?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Ace

Does anybody have any info on Vicostone? How about Limestone?

What do you want to know?

[Ace]

I guess I'm wondering how they compare to Caesarstone

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Ace

Does anybody have any info on Vicostone? How about Limestone?

Limestone can be really interesting visually but it is not a very durable product. It is pretty easy to stain or etch a limestone surface and as such it might not be the best counter top material for a heavy use environment.

[calgarywinning]

Originally Posted by Slava

That's not true. You can remove Sharpie from Caesarstone. One of the major advantages is that its non-porous and unlike some other stones (marble for example) things don't soak in. So for example people spilling red wine on your white marble might stain the marble, but not Caesarstone.

Sounds like you might have an issue, so here's the deal. Lay down paper towel over the mark and soak it with methyl hydrate. You might have to leave it for 10-20 minutes, but it should do the trick. You could also use bleach. Be patient and the Sharpie should come off.

I also PM'd you with a few shops and contacts to consider, Buzzard.

Marble is porous. The major issue with it is that you can burn it with "Acid". So if you are at restaurants with marble table tops, you will see the acid etching in the form of hundreds of rings. Looks like it hasn't been cleaned but doesn't bother me.

We did a surround in marble and a central bar in quartz. Which will be the workstation of the kitchen. We were at Stone Selection and talked to Jared about it and he was the one who told me about the sharpie problem. So I will let him know about your solution. Can I assume that you have actually done this remedy? Also, this was on the Caeserstone variety.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

Marble is porous. The major issue with it is that you can burn it with "Acid". So if you are at restaurants with marble table tops, you will see the acid etching in the form of hundreds of rings. Looks like it hasn't been cleaned but doesn't bother me.

We did a surround in marble and a central bar in quartz. Which will be the workstation of the kitchen. We were at Stone Selection and talked to Jared about it and he was the one who told me about the sharpie problem. So I will let him know about your solution. Can I assume that you have actually done this remedy? Also, this was on the Caeserstone variety.

My wife works for Caesarstone and she has created an entire training program about the care and cleaning. I personally haven't done this, but she has purposefully and I have seen the video. Unfortunately even a lot of the shops don't realise its non-porous and the use all kinds of sealants and other products on it that wind up causing trouble down the road, so they have to be removed. Thats also how I know about the different products and PMd a couple guys about shops.

[Ducay]

We just went with "The Granite Guys" for our newest custom kitchen, we had a Quartz product installed (LG Viatera), as well as a small granite remnant for a vanity.

Nothing but good things to say about them. Really liked their templating process (plastic which is then turned into a CAD drawing) and there was always someone in contact with you at every step. Install guys were great too. They're #1 on HomeStars for granite (which is mostly due to them mentioning they'd appreciate a review, so they actually get reviews unlike others), but I believe they're near the top for service and price.

On our last kitchen we dealt with Jade Stone & Tile, and we were happy with them as well. They were a bit harder to deal with as they do a large volume, and they use a laser templater, which I used to prefer (no longer).