Neustone For Kitchen Countertop

[MV-5]

if any forum member has used this product (for kitchen countertop) please share your experience.

[Kavvz]

if any forum member has used this product (for kitchen countertop) please share your experience.

Usually anything that's not automotive related gets posted in the post-whoring section. Unless this said counter top has four wheels and an engine that's where I'd expect to see this...

[iRage]

Usually anything that's not automotive related gets posted in the post-whoring section. Unless this said counter top has four wheels and an engine that's where I'd expect to see this...

I think under "The Lounge" it is acceptable to open threads that are non-automotive (e.g...threads on birthday wishes, movies, house paints, smartphones...)

Sorry no idea about neustone though....just for curiosity how much is a sq ft of it ?

Edited February 4, 2015 by iRage

[MV-5]

my basic requirement to get a good countertop(very close to white color), white color granite has their own drawbacks. so i am looking for an alternative.

NueStone is one option, but i know nothing about that other than elcardo said.

it is highly appreciated comments on NueStone or any other alternative,

to get some idea, i posted a image of my under construction pantry (solid color countertop is the best match)

Edited February 4, 2015 by MV-5

[VVTi]

After trying out possible options we settled with a titanium polished kitchen top. Didn't cost a thing apart from the cost of the concrete slabs and the titanium cement. Used an orbital polisher to finish...

[iRage]

After trying out possible options we settled with a titanium polished kitchen top. Didn't cost a thing apart from the cost of the concrete slabs and the titanium cement. Used an orbital polisher to finish...

My wife wanted that and I too liked the color and finish of it. We were told that if it wasn't sealed well the top would start absorbing "stuff" and it would get spoilt much sooner than the usual alternatives of granite to tile to this neustone stuff; so we kind of drifted away from it. What did you do to "finish" it ? Did you apply any sealer or anything of the sort ?

Edited February 4, 2015 by iRage

[Crosswind]

Granite absorbs liquids. Especially oil. and leaves a permanent patch on it.

Anything is better than granite for a kitchen top if you ask me.

BTW @OP - your best bet is to get in touch with MasterDon. He knows a thing or two about these stuff.

[kush]

After much thought i settled for R****l gloss tile 2x1 ft, 8 year back so far no complains

[iRage]

Granite absorbs liquids. Especially oil. and leaves a permanent patch on it.

....and the solution I was given for that...get a dark color so you can't see it

[madmax]

Couldn't find anything about material makeup of Neustone is since it seems to be local brand name. But looking at this I'm thinking it's what's known as 'Corian' in the west which is an acrylic product. It could also be a quartz product that is closer to granite. If you tell me what the material is I maybe able to help you since I'm also in the market for counter tops and been doing some research on the different products.

Edited February 4, 2015 by madmax

[MV-5]

Couldn't find anything about material makeup of Neustone is since it seems to be local brand name. But looking at this I'm thinking it's what's known as 'Corian' in the west which is an acrylic product. It could also be a quartz product that is closer to granite. If you tell me what the material is I maybe able to help you since I'm also in the market for counter tops and been doing some research on the different products.

it is an artificial stone, somewhat smiler to Corian, ELC**DO is the one who sell this product in LK,but i am not sure about the row material.

'Corian',comparatively less heat resistivity (against granite) is a sort of disadvantage. and in LK so far i was unable to find a place who sell and install 'Corian'.

next Saturday i am going to visit few showrooms in Nawala, i know only one who sells this Quartz, if it fits my needs that would be the solution.

@madmax,

would light color Quartz work for me (does it eliminate the disadvantages of light color granite like off coloring and color patches after 1-2 years)?

@Others,

please name few more shops who sell and install quartz (i know only SGM)

and Thanks all for valuable comments you provided so far, and i am waiting for more.....

Edited February 4, 2015 by MV-5

[MV-5]

@madmax

please check the page number 31 in this pdf (this is not a local brochure )

http://www.romandinicabinets.com/pdf/KitchenChecklist.pdf

[VVTi]

My wife wanted that and I too liked the color and finish of it. We were told that if it wasn't sealed well the top would start absorbing "stuff" and it would get spoilt much sooner than the usual alternatives of granite to tile to this neustone stuff; so we kind of drifted away from it. What did you do to "finish" it ? Did you apply any sealer or anything of the sort ?

After letting it dry for about a week, we used the No. 800 and 1000 paper to smooth it. Then a very thick layer of mansion white floor wax and buff it off. We do that every year and it looks fine. Of course some stains get in, but it always gets cleaned off the next time you do a buff.

[MasterDon]

Hi.MV5.I'm so sorry I'm not familiar with this material.The pantry tops we've had installed lately have been Titanium cement,Granite or wood.To be honest this is the first time I've heard of Neustone...Maybe it has another name.I'll try ringing Elcardo tomorrow and find out more info...If you're going tile or countertop material hunting try the hardware shops at Galwala,off Jethawana road as well as Nawala.

[madmax]

Here is a popular quartz (reconstructed stone) product here is the US. It gives you a granite like finish with a non-porous surface that requires less maintenance than natural granite. But if Neustone product is similar to Corian, it is acrylic and feels more plastic than stone.

http://www.silestoneusa.com/what-is-silestone/

[MV-5]

Hi.MV5.I'm so sorry I'm not familiar with this material.The pantry tops we've had installed lately have been Titanium cement,Granite or wood.To be honest this is the first time I've heard of Neustone...Maybe it has another name.I'll try ringing Elcardo tomorrow and find out more info...If you're going tile or countertop material hunting try the hardware shops at Galwala,off Jethawana road as well as Nawala.

Thanks MD,

I think Titanium cement or tile is not an option for me (since my kitchen setup does not have concrete slab, correct me i am wrong, i am just exposed to this boring stuffs because of my wife :-) ).

Laminated wood is also not an option due to low durability and some other disadvantages,

Granite is not an option because i need to get very light color top because pantry color is "Honda metallic red".

Quartz and Nuestone or any other artificial (engineered) stone would be alternative solutions.

Here is a popular quartz (reconstructed stone) product here is the US. It gives you a granite like finish with a non-porous surface that requires less maintenance than natural granite. But if Neustone product is similar to Corian, it is acrylic and feels more plastic than stone.

http://www.silestoneusa.com/what-is-silestone/

Thanks,

then i might be wrong, its look and feel like stone (but comparatively "warm" to touch ).

I will check the link you posted.

[SeanD]

In case you're interested, there are no authorized installers for Corian in Sri Lanka at the moment. An established interior design company in Colombo 7 had the agency a couple of years back and lost it due to the mess they made of the product locally. Now Alumex (Hayleys) imports and distributes, but you will need to go with one of the freelancers who will work with the product and hopefully turn it out the way you want. There are also one or two parties who import and install a similar product to Corian (they call it the "Korean" Corian as it comes from South Korea) and do a very decent job of it (I think one of them has worked for Dupont Corian at some point), but I have no idea of the longetivity.

Non-porous material such as corian or quartz (the latter freely advertised by a shop near the American Embassy who do a disastrous job at installation) are your best bet for non-staining countertops, if you can actually find someone to work it!

[MV-5]

Non-porous material such as corian or quartz (the latter freely advertised by a shop near the American Embassy who do a disastrous job at installation) are your best bet for non-staining countertops, if you can actually find someone to work it!

Mercantile Fortunes, right? could you please share more about your experience (or actually what you know about the quality of their job)

Edited February 4, 2015 by MV-5

[iRage]

I think Titanium cement or tile is not an option for me (since my kitchen setup does not have concrete slab, correct me i am wrong, i am just exposed to this boring stuffs because of my wife :-) ).

You can always plank up the top of the counters and then put a concrete slab on that. However, then the issue is if your counters can support the weight of the concrete.

[rover]

Sorry for the late reply. We have been using Neustone kitchen top for the last 3 years and so far no issues. easy to maintain and less cost than granite. I think one sheet 8X2.5 feet costs around 25000/-. This material is being imported from Australia as far as I know and only Elcardo is the authorized dealer.

[MV-5]

Sorry for the late reply. We have been using Neustone kitchen top for the last 3 years and so far no issues. easy to maintain and less cost than granite. I think one sheet 8X2.5 feet costs around 25000/-. This material is being imported from Australia as far as I know and only Elcardo is the authorized dealer.

Thanks, how about the scratch resistance, and heat resistance (ex: if drop some just boiled water...you know here i am talking about 100C not 250C :-) ) .

I know this question is difficult to be answered without having a comparison.

I except this kind of answer :-) ,

"after 3 years i can see only very minor scratches on top which is not noticeable, and we normally place hot dishes on the top and it makes no harm to top at all"

[iRage]

I think one sheet 8X2.5 feet costs around 25000/-.

Wouldn't that make it around the same price as granite ? Roughly ~1250/= per sq. foot ? Corian was more expensive.

Spoke to the Corian a sales people at an interior deco and fashion exhibition in November or something and the guey wasn't too hopeful about the product. He said they ahd only 2 colors in stock and was not sure if they would get any more.

Anyway, after what VVTi said I spoke to my floor guys and they too said that they have put titanium tops with good results. His reply to stains and stuff was "it would be like your floor. You don't replace your floor every time oil, etc falls on the floor. Just polish it goes away". So now seems like we are more convinced to use titanium.

[The Don]

I wonder why ceramic tiles have gone out of fasion completely. True they are not completely scratch resistent, but they are stain proof, spill resistant and can withstand very high temperatures. We have an old kitchen at my parents house which was installed over 20 years ago, and while the area around where the chopping block is has some scratches, the rest have fared really well. This is an actual kitchen used daily rather than a separate panty which is used sparingly. As far as I know you can install tiles on any even surface.

[iRage]

I wonder why ceramic tiles have gone out of fasion completely.

I think it is a matter of cleaning and the potential for it to get really dirty between the grooves if not done properly...

[The Don]

I think it is a matter of cleaning and the potential for it to get really dirty between the grooves if not done properly...

True about the grout getting dirty but thats usually sorted by some cleaning detergent. Whatever material you use, you need to keep your surfaces disinfected so I think that takes care of that scenario.

Plus you can reduce it by using larger tiles, which weren't available when our house was built in 1988.