Hanstone Quartzite Countertop Review

We decided to get a hanstone quartzite countertop after researching all of the different countertop options on the market today. Hanstone has been making quartzite countertops longer then any other quartzite countertop manufacture including Zodiaq and Cambria. Hanstone countertops are manufactured in Korea and all of the quartzite countertop manufacturers are not manufactured in the united states. The exception being Cambria which manufactures their countertops in an old cheese factory in Wisconsin.

There are a multitude of options for choosing a countertop today. Quartzite countertops are the only type of countertops that are truly non porous and are certified food safe countertops. We wrote down our different countertop options and considered the pros and cons of each.

• Formica countertops. These are the cheapest types of countertops on the market today and they do have some new almost granite looking designs. The problem with these countertops is they can easily be scratched and the edges never have that professionally finished look to them. In summary they are cheap and also look cheap when it comes down to the details.
• Caesarstone and Silestone. We considered these engineered stone type of countertops but after researching them we found that they were not as hard and resilient as Quartzite countertops. Additionally these engineered stone type of countertops did not have many different designs and looked bland and "fake" looking.
• Concrete countertops. We researched what was involved in building a concrete countertop and also having someone else build one for us. The DIY aspect seemed way too much and having one manufactured was also extremely expensive. Also since this countertop will be on a second story room the weight of a concrete countertop was just too much to deal with.
• Tile Countertops. Tile countertops can look beautiful when first installed but having to constantly clean the grout and dealing with the dirty grout was an issue we did not want to have to deal with.
• Marble, Limestone and soapstone countertops. All of these types of countertops have huge maintenance issues and need to be constantly sealed and protected from acidic foods and cleaning products. Some of the design choices for marble countertops were just mind blowing but having a stone countertop that needed to be constantly maintained and protected did not seem to make any sense.
• Granite countertops. Granite countertops are beautiful and the unique designs do set them apart from quartzite countertops. Granite countertops are also very resilient and can not be damaged by ordinary acidic foods or cleaning products. Also most granite countertops are extremely dense and do not really need to be sealed. The disadvantages of granite countertops is that they are a natural stone and can have imperfections that can drive people crazy. My wife is extremely particular about the slightest imperfections and I knew a granite countertop would drive her crazy. Also there was the issue of Radon in granite countertops. This cancer causing radiation source is still up for debate as to if granite countertops are truly dangerous. In the end the issue of Radon and the granite countertop stone imperfections was enough for us to choose a Hanstone quartzite countertop.
  

Hanstone countertops have a huge selection of design choices and many seemed truly original. Hanstone, Zodiaq and Cambria all manufacture the same type of Quartzite countertops using the same process. I am sure there are some differences in the manufacturing process there is no information detailing any manufacturing process differences. I am sure that they are all manufactured similarly and they all have similar warranties and claims of superiority over granite countertops. We were able to see samples of all the different types of Quartzite countertops at home shows and also at some design galleries. All of the quartzite counterops had similar textures and feels but we were drawn to the Hanstone countertops due to the design selection. The Hanstone countertops came as close to granite as seemed possible and my wife fell in love with one of the Hanstone countertop designs and after that there was no going back to the Zodiaq or the Cambria countertops.

Well I should say my wife chose this one and I agreed it looked good.   The Kahlua Brown also matched much of our kitchen decor and the darker color was sure to not show every little bit of dirt and food that came in contact with the countertop.   The countertop has lived up to its reputation as a durable, non porous, maintenance free type of countertop.   We have dual layers of the countertop and we have yet to have a blemish on either part of the countertop.  Cleaning the Hanstone countertop has been extremely easy using only a normal pH neutral cleaning product mixed with water.  Every time we clean the countertop it looks just as new as when it was installed.  We have only had the countertop for 18 months now so who knows what will happen down the road but for now we are extremely pleased with this Hanstone countertop.

We were given cleaning instructions and care and we follow them to a tee. Although it is easy to clean and maintain we always try to clean it totally at least once a day. Also while the Hanstone countertop is extremely resilient to heat we still try to not place hot pots and pans on the countertop surface. We have had some hot food products come in contact with the Hanstone countertop without any marring of the surface but we always place hot pots and pans on heat proof pads. We saw a demonstration of how you can place a hot pan on the countertop without damaging it at a home show but we are not willing to test it on our own countertop. The installation process was simple and it was installed in only two days. My wife did see a chip on the edge of the countertop that faced the backplash but this was easily covered when the installers caulked the area between the backsplash and the countertop. Overall we are extremely happy with our Hanstone countertop.