This blog post goes out to those people googling to see how the Bianco Carrara looks as a countertop. This will be boring to most, but, trust me, after having done the same search for months, I know there is someone out there who will appreciate it. And I hear all you people are somehow interested in all this crap, but I'll never believe that. Anyway, here goes:
Dear Google Searcher,
I know. It's tough. You're picking your countertops and you're stuck. You love the way marble bianco carrara looks, but you're concerned that it won't hold up like quartz. The Zodiaq Bianco Carrara seems like a great alternative. It looks arguably like marble and there are some great pictures of it on the internets.
The problem is that the sample you got doesn't look anything like that. It looks like a piece of plain white with black specks. At best, it's a disappointment.
You hope that the sample you got is a fluke or that it will look better in a larger slab, but you know that's not true. You ultimately can't pick it because its runs the risk of looking cheap. There's a reason they don't have samples of it at Home Depot.
We ultimately decided to go with the Silestone Bianco River, and we're thrilled with it. It goes great with our gray (or is it grey?) cabinets and was clearly the safer choice.
I know this isn't the result you were hoping for. If I'm wrong and the Bianco Carrara looks great, let me know, so that Nilda and I can continue, once again, enjoy agonizing over a choice that is now already made. Yours very truly,
The Most Important Blog In The Universe
P.S. You're welcome.
19 comments:
This may be my very favorite post of yours, B-Dub!
But my suggestion for the next time you decide to post home decorating porn (which I hope is soon!) is to take the pics using a real camera, rather than your iPhone, for the shots to truly convey what you're saying. Servicey!
Eh. Too much work. Kisses!
Man, that Bianco River looks amazing!! You totally should have gotten that one. Sucks to be you.
Hello helpful blogger,
I am a google searcher looking for Bianco River Silestone info. I realize this is an old post, but just in case... How is your counter doing? Also, how thick is it? We are debating getting a thinner slab. Yours looks great!
Wow, a real person commenting on this post! And there's not even any Russian or opportunities to buy drugs! Wow!
Our counter is doing great and we love it. It's about an inch thick and that works fine for us. It's pretty durable, too. I stained it with tomatoes, but a little tilex brought that right out. The only issue I've had is that I chipped the edge in two spots by knocking it with plates. But I think any counter would crack based on that.
Thank god our renovations are over. Every now and then I still have flashbacks. Good luck and let me know if I can help in any other way.
Thanks for the quick reply and review! I see you have a little guy now:) As the mom of a 2 year old boy, about to be mom to a second boy in June, I think you're brilliant for having done your renos pre kid. Thanks again!
Hello there, I am also in the search for the perfect worktop but with 2 small kids I am considering all my options so I came across your blog! You said the tomatoes came out easily, what about wine and lemon-orange juice? I read that they give you also a 10 year guarantee. TIA
Wow! Look! Another person has actually found this post! This is the greatest accomplishment this blog has ever achieved. You're welcome, world.
I don't know about juice, but we don't have any wine ring stains on the counter. Given my ability to leave a trail of wine behind me, I'd say that means the countertop is fairly resistant to wine. I don't know about the guarantee, but we're very happy with the countertop. Once again, I chipped the edge in two places, but there probably would have been more with a marble or granite countertop.
Who's next? Bring them on, internet.
Here's one more for you. Im at my deadline. I need to make a countertop decision by tomorrow and im stressed. I chose belgium chocolate cabinets in my galley kitchen upgrade so i feel i need white or light counters. Id really appreciate an email with a few real pics of your counter. I am liking zodiac or silestone. Whichever looks most like marble.
I'm in Philly for the weekend, so I can't take pictures, but the ones on the blog are as accurate as I can imagine getting. Neither the Silestone, which we have, nor the Zodiac look like marble. It's a hard truth that we had to accept. The Zodiac has a brighter white that I preferred, but the black specs made it look more like a cookies and cream, which I didnt like. The Silestone has a more muted white but the colors look much more natural than the Zodiac, which is why we picked it. Good luck!
Hi! I just came across your blog. I've been going crazy trying to decide on a quartz that looks most like marble for my kitchen. Did you ever consider Silestone's Lyra (I am among others)and if so, what were your thoughts? Thanks so much.
I don't remember looking at Lyra, I'm not sure it was around back then. If it was, then Nilda didn't find it. Bad Nilda! Or maybe it didn't come up on an internet search. Bad internet! The images on line look good, but I'd request a sample. The Bianco River looks somewhat like marble, but not really. But the Zodiaq didn't look at all like marble, just dirty white quartz. Maybe the Lyra is an improvement.
Hi again, Yes, it's quite possible Lyra is a newer quartz countertop. I've requested samples of it and Bianca River. I'm also considering Caesarstone's Organic White. It doesn't look a whole lot like marble, but it's clean looking and has a muted white look. A sample has been sitting on my counter for almost a month. This is too big a deal to make a mistake!The search goes on! Thanks for your input.
your blog is really eye catching and beautiful.and your design are such very creative. thanks for sharing...
Quartz worktops
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. As editor of www.CountertopResource.com, I get a lot of questions myself. And I have one for you. There are now many, many brands of quartz surfacing on the market. Did you check any others besides Zodiaq and Silestone? In addition to Caesarstone, which Anonymous mentioned, there is Radianz, Viatera, Hanstone, Empatico, Cambria, Technistone, Quarella, and the list goes on... Also, did you consider other options, such as solid surface? Thanks again for your insight.
Hello, countertopresource.com! I asked Nilda, since I have no idea how to answer that. She says that we saw some cheap versions at Home Depot, but did not come across many of the brands you mentioned. We briefly considered marble, but decided it was too delicate for us, so picked a quartz that looked relatively like marble. We did not considered formica, corian, soapstone, butcher block or any other options, since we wanted that marble look but more durable. Thanks for writing!
Thanks for your response. I guess the other material providers didn't do their job of letting you (the consumer) know of their products. And I agree that the big box stores probably aren't the best place to get guaranteed crafstmanship, although I'm sure some do a good job. If you are interested, you can read more about the other materials at our website www.CountertopResource.com. Cheers!
This blog is awesome! Damn little square samples! Who can commit thousands based upon that! I've decided against the bianco carrera based upon your post. I'm leaning toward Rain Cloud in Corian. It's pretty close to a Carrera Marble look for Corian.
blanco river looks really amazing. Thanks for posting.
Quartz Worktops
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