Quartz Tabletop

[yumyumz]

Would like to seek the opinions of experts here whether the brands of quartz tabletop matters? From European brands like cesarstone etc to brands like aurastone, Lian hin etc to ikea quartz tabletop. Saw that there are some price difference and wondering what are the main considerations for each.


Read HWZ Forum Rules!

 

[lousylah]

For quartz ask your ID (or the supplier) the % of quartz for the various brands. Ceasarstone market their slabs as high % quartz (>95%?) so less resin and other binding material - thats the thing that will discolour over time especially with UV exposure or may “melt” (in theory) if you place a scorching hot pan or oven tray directly on it.

LH quartz (and its MANY copycats) are from china with % of quartz in the high 80% to low 90% - for such brands avoid the white/light coloured designs due to the higher likelihood of discolouration (yellowing).

this problem of discolouration and “melting” is not an issue with sintered stone (be it china or european) if you can stomach the higher premium compared to quartz especially for use in kitchen. For bathroom vanity top quartz is good enough though.

similar to tiles the europeans are better (subjective to individual) with their matt/textured finish than mainland suppliers. No issue if you are going for gloss finish.

Lian Hin has proven the viability/success of (re)selling OEM slabs from china so MANY towkays/brands have followed suit which is why there are now many brands of quartz/sintered tops (compared to 5-6yrs ago), a situation similar to laminates (HPL) in terms of brand choices.

 

[artery]

How about quartz countertop from

iQuartz?​

 

[lousylah]

How about quartz countertop from

iQuartz?​

OEM quartz from china - same biz model as LH and many other local brands.

ask you ID/supplier the % of quartz to resin for iQuartz or any brand the offer.

 

[matrix05]

Solid surface is dead? Now are Quartz and Sinsters Stone for countertop. Any other material is 'in' now?

 

[new_bie]

yes, certain quartz in market really cmi.

anw if kitchekn top is quartz (done deal), anyway we can remove & change?

 

[yumyumz]

For quartz ask your ID (or the supplier) the % of quartz for the various brands. Ceasarstone market their slabs as high % quartz (>95%?) so less resin and other binding material - thats the thing that will discolour over time especially with UV exposure or may “melt” (in theory) if you place a scorching hot pan or oven tray directly on it.
LH quartz (and its MANY copycats) are from china with % of quartz in the high 80% to low 90% - for such brands avoid the white/light coloured designs due to the higher likelihood of discolouration (yellowing).
this problem of discolouration and “melting” is not an issue with sintered stone (be it china or european) if you can stomach the higher premium compared to quartz especially for use in kitchen. For bathroom vanity top quartz is good enough though.
similar to tiles the europeans are better (subjective to individual) with their matt/textured finish than mainland suppliers. No issue if you are going for gloss finish.
Lian Hin has proven the viability/success of (re)selling OEM slabs from china so MANY towkays/brands have followed suit which is why there are now many brands of quartz/sintered tops (compared to 5-6yrs ago), a situation similar to laminates (HPL) in terms of brand choices.

Oh what about laminates? Am starting my reno soon and would be good to know what to look out for.


Read HWZ Forum Rules!

 

[wacko]

yes, certain quartz in market really cmi.

anw if kitchekn top is quartz (done deal), anyway we can remove & change?

it is possible, but there is no guarantee that when they try to remove the countertop, that there will be no damage to the carpentry and backsplash.

 

[lousylah]

Solid surface is dead? Now are Quartz and Sinsters Stone for countertop. Any other material is 'in' now?

I think quartz and sintered prices have come down due to competition (actually thanks to china OEM model i explained, LOL) so no point bothering with solid surface (acrylic) for homes. In f&b like food court, yakun, kiosk (old chang kee) are still using solid surface so there is still a market for it.

yes, certain quartz in market really cmi.

anw if kitchekn top is quartz (done deal), anyway we can remove & change?

Yes, replied you on another thread.

actually really curious which brand, share via PM if not comfortable

Oh what about laminates? Am starting my reno soon and would be good to know what to look out for.


Read HWZ Forum Rules!

discussed here :
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/laminate-brand.6965764/

Basically many of the brands frequently used by IDs/contractors here are actually SG brands - which is not a bad thing in itself. Good thing is you can visit their respective showrooms to view the laminates in actual size (large format). Admira and Arova are in same building at Ubi while Lamitak is not far from Lavender mrt.

Other brands are in woodlands, if you are willing to travel up north then you can visit the countertop showrooms as well for some brands.

 

[yumyumz]

I think quartz and sintered prices have come down due to competition (actually thanks to china OEM model i explained, LOL) so no point bothering with solid surface (acrylic) for homes. In f&b like food court, yakun, kiosk (old chang kee) are still using solid surface so there is still a market for it.
Yes, replied you on another thread.
actually really curious which brand, share via PM if not comfortable

discussed here :
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/laminate-brand.6965764/
Basically many of the brands frequently used by IDs/contractors here are actually SG brands - which is not a bad thing in itself. Good thing is you can visit their respective showrooms to view the laminates in actual size (large format). Admira and Arova are in same building at Ubi while Lamitak is not far from Lavender mrt.
Other brands are in woodlands, if you are willing to travel up north then you can visit the countertop showrooms as well for some brands.

Okay, will read up more first. Thanks for sharing.


Read HWZ Forum Rules!

 

[exterminazn]

@lousylah can check with u whether sintered stone is it more durable and less stain compared to quartz?

and also sintered whatever supplier is also same quality?

 

[wacko]

@lousylah can check with u whether sintered stone is it more durable and less stain compared to quartz?

and also sintered whatever supplier is also same quality?

sintered stone is completely stain resistant, it's basically like a super large floor tile. durability wise it is not straightforward better than quartz, sintered stone is more brittle, hence more prone to chips and cracks, but at the same time it is more heat resistant than quartz.

 

[new_bie]

I think quartz and sintered prices have come down due to competition (actually thanks to china OEM model i explained, LOL) so no point bothering with solid surface (acrylic) for homes. In f&b like food court, yakun, kiosk (old chang kee) are still using solid surface so there is still a market for it.


Yes, replied you on another thread.

actually really curious which brand, share via PM if not comfortable



discussed here :
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/laminate-brand.6965764/

Basically many of the brands frequently used by IDs/contractors here are actually SG brands - which is not a bad thing in itself. Good thing is you can visit their respective showrooms to view the laminates in actual size (large format). Admira and Arova are in same building at Ubi while Lamitak is not far from Lavender mrt.

Other brands are in woodlands, if you are willing to travel up north then you can visit the countertop showrooms as well for some brands.

but their online review not bad wor.. maybe is mine that slab got problem?
that brand that got their own in house sink as well.

 

[lousylah]

@lousylah can check with u whether sintered stone is it more durable and less stain compared to quartz?

and also sintered whatever supplier is also same quality?

As wacko said, superior stain+heat resistance to even quartz.

as for the quality across brands, newbie will share from his experience that its a ‘No’.

i have 2 different contractors told me that china sintered stone is not as nice for textured finish and one of them gave me a disclaimer that china sintered is even more brittle.

i know personally of a homeowner who did his own tests with the sintered samples provided by his ID. He confirmed it is completely scratch, stain and heat resistant but he used an ang moh brand. Lol.

sintered stone is completely stain resistant, it's basically like a super large floor tile. durability wise it is not straightforward better than quartz, sintered stone is more brittle, hence more prone to chips and cracks, but at the same time it is more heat resistant than quartz.

Sintered stone and porcelain slab are very similar but NOT the same.

im not an expert but i believe firstly the mineral mixture is not the same and second the temperature treatment is much higher for sintered stone.

there are companies offering XL format porcelain slabs for use as countertop/backsplash and its a different proposition to sintered.

 

[lousylah]

but their online review not bad wor.. maybe is mine that slab got problem?
that brand that got their own in house sink as well.

Bad luck bro! Maybe can claim on the warranty.

your clue is very obvious (to me!) and yes, its china OEM sintered stone.

if you search carefully on the correct online platform you can guess-timate the wholesale price of china slab (and its ridiculous cheap) but you do need professional equipment and labour to transport, cut it to size, cutout for sink, tap, switches, etc plus securing it on top of carpentry. Thats the real costly bit of the business, especially in SG.

 

[new_bie]

they came once to fix the chips, is like after 2-3 mts after installation?

cannot be they come after every chips/crack - not really fair to them in a way as well

 

[lousylah]

they came once to fix the chips, is like after 2-3 mts after installation?

cannot be they come after every chips/crack - not really fair to them in a way as well

I think you are fully entitled to claim on the warranty as long as its valid. The company should be the paiseh one for selling/delivering you sub-standard product (a “lemon”).

maybe you can argue/insist they replace the whole slab for you this time, perhaps you really unlucky to receive a bad slab/batch so replacing it may solve it for good.

 

[new_bie]

not sure is user problem or their problem .. hard to gauges also

 

[wacko]

if you chip the countertop, that is wear and tear, it should not be covered by the warranty. you just need to be more careful around the countertop.

 

[lousylah]

if you chip the countertop, that is wear and tear, it should not be covered by the warranty. you just need to be more careful around the countertop.

Chipping is not suppose to occur so easily for quartz (compared to sintered or acrylic). That means their mineral/resin blend is probably low 80%.

Then they should jolly well know that customer complaints and claims on warranty will be higher and have to factor that into their operating costs (i.e. the Prism+ model for monitors). Therefore newbie has the right to claim on that warranty or demand full slab replacement.

thats my 2 cent.