Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 May 31, 2012 10:05 pm Hi all, Im new here and really have no idea how to use this place. Sorry if something similar has been posted or ive put this in the wrong place. Ive done LOTs of googling to find pictures of the $hitake being used but havent had any luck. There 4 or 5 picture on the caesarstone website but its in a bathroom and the lighting can be difficult to see what it really looks like. We are building and im stuck as to what bench colour to go with. I really LOVE the nougat but am affraid with a young family it may start to look very well loved to soon so something with more tone would suit best. I plan on using the $hitake in the Kitchen, Bathrooms, laundry and possibly the pantry. If anyone has any picture i would really love to see them . Sorry for not spelling the $hitake right but i think it thinks its a no no word. Cheers Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 2Jun 01, 2012 7:53 am What a gorgeous colour! It would probably help if you told us what your other colour selections will be in your kitchen, bathroom and laundry (cupboards, paint, flooring etc), so we can get a 'feel' of the place, and help you decide! Your best bet is probably to go to a kitchen place and have a look at the sample in the real with other samples of your colours, as colours from photos on the internet really do not give an accurate colour at all. It could be quite pink or green in the real, which may not be represented in an online photo. FWIW, I have a young family and Caesarstone 'Ice Snow' throughout my kitchen and bathrooms. It is so easy to look after and doesn't look any different to the day it was installed 3 1/2 years ago (except for the messy things that get dumped on the kitchen bench!!). Just be wary of turmeric, as that can leave a yellow stain. Don't use harsh abrasive cleaners on it, polish it every now and then, and it will keep looking like new! I love my light caesarstone. Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 3Jun 01, 2012 9:14 am Thanks stormy for your reply The cupboards will be Formica warm white gloss vinyl wrap or the whiter one which the name has escaped me but its a white white where as the warm white is just a little softer. Our tiles are everstone durastone crema Luna polished ( from the name you would think they were cream) but there a whitish slight beige colour with sections of slightly darker beige through them. Just enough detail so there not a plain colour. But in a big area I will loose some of the detail. Our splash back in the kitchen will be a toughened mirror just for something different. Our walls will be dulux whisper white with vivid white ceiling & skirts ect. I really loved the ice snow and the nougat but with all my white light colours I thought it may be to much. I've had a look through a essastone showroom but didn't fancy any of there colours and no one close has a biggish sample of the $hitake so I may have to do a Melbourne trip to see the big real thing. It's a huge decision and $$$$$$ so I want to make it right without regretting it. I may even decide to go a ice snow or nougat bathroom benches with darker cupboards. This way I may get the best of both. Would it be silly to do this? We have been through a few houses with my mum ( realestate agent) looking at colour schemes and have noticed a few have done this. Cheers Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 4Jun 01, 2012 9:16 am Yes! Go with the nougat! These composite stone benches seem to be very hard wearing. I know essastone (by Laminex, which I'll be getting in my new home) send out free samples. I wanted these so that I could test curry on the white stone. I did a couple of tests. The first one I used cold curry sauce & left it overnight. Came off, no problem. Second test I used hot curry sauce & left it much longer. Still, it was easy to get off, no evidence that it was there. I don't work for Laminex or anyone, just here to help. I think people have mentioned that there are show rooms around the place (for Caesar) and you may be able to pick up free samples there. Good luck with your choices! And once you can work out the tricky art of photo uploading to the forum, be sure to post some pics! Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 5Jun 01, 2012 9:25 am This is why I'm so stuck I did a little test on the essa new basmati, the Caesar nougat and ice snow. I used curry, red wine and food coloring. I left on for 1/2 hour then rinsed. They all marked!!!!!!! The only thing that removed it was bicarb left on for 1/2 but not sure if this would effect the finish of the stone. So undecided also wondering if it would be all to light with my tiles & cupboards . I love the white with a timber floor but it's not practical for us. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 6Jun 01, 2012 7:50 pm Firstly, welcome to the forum tamz026. Secondly I was going to ask the exacty same question but as this color in rather new I thought nobody might have pictures to show. I was like you and was worried I had to much white. Very white walls and ceilings and the cupboard doors will be natural white 2 pak. I was going to have essastone basmati as Mum has the nougat and I thought the basmati was a bit whiter looking. My floors are polished concrete. I was getting closer to final choice, so I made the 1.5hr trip to the ceaserstone showroom. Best thing i could of done. They have huge big pieces that look so different than the small pieces and the internet. I totally changed my mind. One color i bought home thinking it would match the greyness of polish concrete was soo not similar. I didn't realise the base of the concrete was more beige looking and the $hitake was the best match forthat. They compliment each other. I would of loved to have had timber bench tops, but just not practically, and I wished someone would make a look a like stone one. So I bought home 3 10 x 10cm blocks of colors I thought might be ok( just a gold coin donation for them). I have gone with the $hitake as it will give my kitchen a slight bit of color and will go with my concrete and timber windows and furniture and my black Belling stove. I am not having ceasarstone in pantry, bathroom and laundry. In the pantry I have picked a laminex very similar go in there and other rooms are toatally different to kitchen/pantry. So if i was you I would make the trip and take all your color samples and have a good look. Best thing I did and I look forward to swapping pictures. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 7Jun 01, 2012 9:00 pm OHH wow thanks ceejay! You have made me feel so much better. I liked the essa basmati but yes its very white/ grey and i think it would be an over kill of white. The other thing i was frightened was having 2 many whites and one white making another look yellow. I would have to be so careful in selecting colours as close as possible. The $hitake atm seems the best option as its a colour with detail in it but i think i will just have to make the 3.5 hour trip which i wasnt keen on lugging my 14 month old around looking at house things lol. The thing i loved about the es basmati, cs nougat and the ice snow was that they have different flecks in them. But when you start to look at the slightly more brown tones they seem to be a flat colour. Where as the $hitake has some detail to it. May i ask what laminex colour you chosse for the pantry? Id seen one i thought looked similar but am not to sure . Many thanks again and i will show some pics for sure! Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 8Jun 02, 2012 3:25 am We will be starting our new build in a few months and are using $hitake in our kitchen, and white shimmer in our bathrooms. I wasn't that keen on $hitake when viewing it online... and the small sample didn't really impress me that much... but I fell in love with it when I saw it in the showroom on a large scale. Our kitchen cupboards and island are all natural white 2 pac. Glass splashback colour is "Autumn" I guess it's a natural light mushroom beige type colour. Our floors tiles are Etic Noce which are "timber look" porcelain planks in a warm beige/brown colour. Walls are Taubmans Antique Ivory. We love the look of a white modern kitchen, but also want it to feel warm and inviting. Upon setting my eyes on $hitake in the showroom I was sold on the spot. The colour is perfect for the look we are after, and I especially love that it looks more natural. I would suggest taking that trip to have a look for yourself. We ended up picking a colour we didn't think we would like... and the samples we thought we liked didn't really appeal to us on a large scale. I know it's a long trip and a pain with a baby, but I think in the end it will be worth your while. Cheers... Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 9Jun 02, 2012 8:01 am Jodnpaul thanks for your reply. Your kitchen sounds lovely!!! I did like the look of the timber look tiles! Yes all white is lovely but I'm a very neutral girl so another reason I have gone away from all white. Would love to see some pics when its getting done, I would say we will be building around the same time. Although we are going owner builder & may be a little slow! Cheers Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 10Jun 02, 2012 10:13 am The laminex for pantry is Cocoa Nougat. It is a little bit darker the $hitake but it has different flicks of color through it which doesn't show marks as much and they are not side by side each other so you will hardly know the difference. And the $hitake changes in light / darkness as the day changes i have found. Where were you going to have the timber look tiles? They sound interesting, as I have not seen them. Not sure what i am having color wise for splashback but they will be 600 x 600mm tiles with very little grout. Sounds like between you, jodnpaul and me our kitchens are going to be very similar color wise. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 11Jun 02, 2012 10:41 am I did look at the timber look tiles as they look fab and had seen them in a house i went through. Just like a normal tile but with streaks through them like bamboo is how i describe them? Quite stunning. They were laid straight not like a checker board? If that makes sense lol. I would have had them through out the house except for the bedrooms & formal lounge. But went for something pretty much the same as I have in my house now. Full revo 4yrs ago and I find they hide things ok so just went with what I know. Except they will be 600x600. Never realized this whole building thing was so difficult. I thought I knew what I wanted but once I started looking I was shocked! Because I like white I wanted the majority of things white or neutral. But there's a lot of whites out there! Bench tops I figured would be easy but are buy far the hardest part. Bricks & roof now that's another story. Will be very nervous ordering my bricks and finally deciding on roof ect because I keep changing the combo of colours. ( I haven't seen anyone used the bricks I have chosen) But at least I think I have got my kitchen & bathrooms sorted Ceejay....... Don't use white grout... Biggest mistake my husband made behind our gas cooktop. White tiles & white grout look great but I'm forever bleaching after spaghetti bol. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 12Jun 23, 2012 1:48 pm The boys on THE BLOCK used ceasarstone $hitake in the their white kitchen and it looks great! Scotty and the judges made very good comments about the stone and colour. Their benchtop obviously had a positive impact. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 13Jun 23, 2012 8:50 pm Thanks for confirming that for jodnpaul. I watched it the other night and I was pretty sure it looked like $hitake. Tried looking it up on the Block website but they took days to put kitchen suppliers up and then it wouldn't let me get into suppliers. Yes the judges were impressed with the color of the ceasarstone. I am having the $hitale with the white cupboards like the boys so I hope it looks as goos as theirs. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 14Jun 28, 2012 11:00 pm Only problem we have found with $hitake is that at certain angles it looks like there is a stain on the benchtop; that's due to the more organic shapes of the aggregate. But we like it, and used it for our splashback as well. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 15Jul 02, 2012 1:46 pm Hi everyone sorry i have been a little MIA . Id put in the wrong password a few times then got locked out! Id seen replys and really wanted to post back! The $hitake is AMAZING!!!! I went to melb on the weekend after being totally stummped not knowing what to do since we have changed out flooring and i have to say. Anyone looking a caesarstone NEEDS to see them in the whole at a local showroom. I saw large pieces ( at the caesarstone showroom in melb) Huge slabs look so much different and amazingly beautiful. I went away wanting them all I think ive settled for nougat in the kitchen as i feel white is more striking with spotted gum flooring but id fallen in love with the $hitake so will have it in the bathrooms/laundry. I look forward to seeing everyones kitchens Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 16Jul 03, 2012 10:51 pm tamz026 Anyone looking a caesarstone NEEDS to see them in the whole at a local showroom. I saw large pieces ( at the caesarstone showroom in melb) Huge slabs look so much different and amazingly beautiful. I went away wanting them all Seeing whole in the showroom doesn't show it in context; we did go to CS showroom in Domayne, Alexandria, and due to lighting, it doesn't look the same as in daylight. FWIW, we are using about a whole slab at 3m x 1.2m. Re: Anyone used Caesarstone $hitake? 17Jul 04, 2012 7:30 am Very true. The lighting in the showroom I saw wasn't to bad. As there was a lot of natural light as well as a few lights so it didn't give a false colour. Seeing anything to highly lit up makes things lighters & show a different colour. As title suggests, looking at using the interlocking Pentablock stacked stone products to replace failing timber retaining… 0 17849 there is only 20% difference in concrete strength between 20 mpa and 25 mpa, so check with your engineer first if it fits his calculation tolerances. There are ways to… 6 18294 Wish you all the best. Once you signed the contract, they will find millions excuses to charge you. And have seen their sites unfinished for a long time. 4 24807 |