Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Feb 02, 2012 11:59 am Hi all I am in the process of picking stone benchtops and just wondering if the ones with flecks (eg ES new basmati) in them would be less likely to show scratches and marks than the ones with either no or very small flecks (eg ES crystal chalk). Thanks Our custom Gemmill Home in Bedfordale WA Build thread:https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53788 Timeline on page 1 Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 2Feb 03, 2012 12:19 am I don't have my ES benchtops yet (as I don't have a house yet!) HOWEVER, my ES samples did arrive in the mail this week I was so happy when I got them, and they were completely free!! Unfortunately, I had ordered them before my pre-start, when I didn't realise that I would have to go with light coloured benchtops, as I would have to use the same colour throughout my home, and dark wouldn't have suited my bathrooms. So I have two dark coloured samples and (thankfully) the colour I chose, Dusk. Aaaaanyway.... The great thing about the samples are, you can conjure up all kinds of weird and wonderful tests to use on your sample to see if they affect the stone adversely. So far, I've only used one because I like the little sample so much. I tried the "blue ballpoint pen" test on the Dusk.... I freaked out because I couldn't get the writing off with a damp cloth. I could get it off with some dishwashing detergent, a damp cloth and a few seconds of elbow grease and persistance. I think I might try the curry test next.... If the sample survives all my testing, I'll probably end up using my 3 samples as coasters in the new home. Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 3Feb 03, 2012 9:06 pm What a good idea Caz I hadn't even thought of testing the samples! I just took the the samples (Absolute Stone) with a knife and discovered the following: - the scratch was really obvious on the black stone - the one without flecks showed the scratch but it wasn't as in your face as the black - the one with flecks disguised it really well, in fact after I put it down and picked it up again I couldn't even find it And your coaster idea is pure genius Our custom Gemmill Home in Bedfordale WA Build thread:https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53788 Timeline on page 1 Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 4Feb 03, 2012 9:34 pm Essastone has the nicest samples, by far! And I should know, I have, like, half the colours. I changed my mind soooo many times. I actually think I have enough caesarstone, essastone and quantum quartz samples that I could construct a bench...or a splashback.... Anyhoo, I seem to recall seeing a post on here somewhere that the styles with larger flecks (like Caesarstone Almond Rocca) hide scratches and chips more easily. Having said that, if you're careful you shouldn't get too many scratches and chips?? I'm replacing my coasters as I write this... Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 5Feb 03, 2012 11:00 pm Woah I wouldn't be taking knives to my stone benchtops, unless they were made of diamond! And I'm not talking about "Diamond gloss"!! I completed a full-day curry test (ie. I left the curry paste on all day). Placed a mixed curry paste on my essa Dusk sample.... Photos below! Fresh samples Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ By caz_770 at 2012-02-03 After a full day, the samples dry out.... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ By caz_770 at 2012-02-03 Et voila! With minimal effort, the curry disappears without a trace!! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ By caz_770 at 2012-02-03 I can't believe the curry was easier to get off the sample than blue, ball-point pen! Cool!! Considering curry is more likely to end up on the benchtops frequently Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 6Feb 04, 2012 11:13 am Wow that's impressive!! I thought that curry would stain for sure considering the marks it leaves behind on plastic containers. Essa stone definitely has the best samples. The are perfect size coasters caz_770 Woah I wouldn't be taking knives to my stone benchtops This is not something I plan to do at all, but just had to test as my husband seems to think the bench is perfect surface for cutting I have two glass cutting boards which are on the bench all the time, nice and easy for him to use, yet he chooses to walk to the other side of the kitchen and cut on the bench! I may just have to ban him from the kitchen all together once the new house is built! Our custom Gemmill Home in Bedfordale WA Build thread:https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53788 Timeline on page 1 Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 7Feb 04, 2012 11:57 am soakedblonde caz_770 Woah I wouldn't be taking knives to my stone benchtops This is not something I plan to do at all, but just had to test as my husband seems to think the bench is perfect surface for cutting I have two glass cutting boards which are on the bench all the time, nice and easy for him to use, yet he chooses to walk to the other side of the kitchen and cut on the bench! I may just have to ban him from the kitchen all together once the new house is built! Something I've seen is the piece of granite that is built in to the benchtop, so all you have to do after cutting is wipe the bench as normal!! I really like this idea, but I didn't look in to it because I figure my builder would either a) say they couldn't do it, or b) could do it, but it would cost $5,000 to do it Ok, maybe not $5k.... But because I wouldn't use my benchtops for cutting on directly (even if I had granite benchtops!!), didn't think it would be worth looking into. You could ban your DH (I guess that stands for "dear hubby".... not "d*** head" ) from the kitchen, but then you'd have to make him snacks whenever he wants them!!! I used to only use glass cutting boards, because they're easier to clean, more hygienic and were trendy at the time. I've gone back to wood chopping boards (beautiful "handcrafted" ones that cost too much) because they're prettier, don't blunt your knives rapidly and don't make an ear-piercing sound at each chop..... I made the decision when I had to cook for myself while I was sick and had a splitting headache But love wooden chopping boards!! They make bamboo chopping boards too, which seem to have a more "repellant" surface than normal woods, which leads me to believe that they may be more hygienic too.... Haven't really done my research, but I know that the surface is harder!! If I was a DH (dear husband, of course), my reasoning for chopping directly on the benches would be that I don't want to have to then lift the chopping board, take it to the kitchen sink/bin, wipe it down, then put it back on the bench. I probably wouldn't even want to wipe down the bench after I'd chopped there, but would.... Just to remove any evidence/ keep my wife happy, not realising that it's actually the tiny, little scratches that I can barely see on the bench that really cause her anguish. Ok, I will go now.... Don't ban him from the kitchen!!! Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 8Feb 04, 2012 12:05 pm .l am lucky my DH is very good. Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 9Feb 04, 2012 12:25 pm You are very lucky pattycake My hubby is TERRIBLE, I curse his mother everytime he enters the kitchen, bathroom, etc I have tried to 'train' him but he is not but he does not learn quickly, or rather has caught on to the fact that I would rather do it myself than attempt to clean up after him (which is much harder!) I stopped using the glass chopping boards when I discovered they blunt the knives quicker than others but left them either side of the stove for putting cooking utensils, hot pots & pans, etc. They work quite well for that and hubby actually uses them for that purpose too However it did take me yelling at him after I saw him put a roasting tray straight onto the laminate bench I now have a permanent mark on the bench in the shape of a roasting tray! On that day DH stood for d***head Our custom Gemmill Home in Bedfordale WA Build thread:https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53788 Timeline on page 1 Re: Engineered stone benchtops - flecks or no flecks??? 10Feb 04, 2012 2:38 pm some are harder to train. Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 16736 Thanks Simon, I guess I'm no concerned with the volume of the noise rather that dead and hollow sound and feel that is associated with floating floors. But I'm not sure… 3 6702 Hi, planning on using the attached stone pieces in my bathroom. I want to remove stains and gloss seal. Can I get some advice on best way to remove stains and best… 0 7405 |