Yup, that’s a brand of quartz. I have Cambria (another quartz brand) in my kitchen, and it is super durable! I don’t have a habit of putting red-hot pots and pans on it, as those can damage quartz, but that would not be a problem in the bathroom.
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I googled reviews of vessel sinks and holy cow, a lot of people hate them! I agree that there are plenty that are beautiful but impractical.
I love an undermounted sink most of all, but this is the kind of “vessel” sink we were thinking. I am hoping this would be pretty easy to clean (not as easy as undermount, but close)
I can definitely look at quartz. I know there are all sorts of price points.
My neighbors who have done these all complain about the gunk that builds up in the seam. So it’s either a weekly ritual of a damp Q-tip and some disinfectant to go around the rim… or less frequent full on de-gunking.
That’s why I love my Corian! No seams, no places for mildew to hide.
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You can make the vanity a little taller and have an undermount sink at the same height as this sink. Agree about the gunk collecting around the perimeter.
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Also not a fan of vessel sinks. Cleaning nightmare. Under mounted all the way.
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Here are examples of what I am seeing advertised lately. Have you noticed all the “remodel your bath in a day” ads? I think they would be easy to keep clean.
I prefer quartzite. It’s as beautiful as other natural stones (marble, dolomite, granite) but is more durable than most. A honed finish has a soft appearance and feel, and doesn’t reflect or create glare like a shiny finish can. I like the look of many dolomites, but understand that it must be sealed to prevent etching.
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I was not impressed with leathered finish of almost black stone countertops at a fancy condo we once stayed. It developed a whitish haze that was impossible to get rid of. I suppose light colored material would mask it well.
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I wonder if that haze was from hard water or even powder residue. Whatever the cause, I wouldn’t like that either.
We have honed black granite in our pantry where we keep the coffee maker, water boiler, Breville and a host of other small appliances. It’s been impossible to damage, although H seems to frequently try. All of our quartzite is white or near white.
We are thinking about honed black granite in our kitchen–I know you just have yours in the pantry, but how do you feel about how dark it is? I find the darkness appealing but I’m not sure how it would be in real life.
I only lived there briefly… but when I did, the black countertops showed lint, dusty, minute bits of whatever and needed CONSTANT upkeep True, it doesn’t stain. But it also doesn’t look pristine for very long! I moved and got white Formica (so what- 1/20th of the price?) and was delighted with the change! I wouldn’t pick black if it were me…
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You guys have me convinced to abandon the vessel sink idea. Now to convince DH . . . he is not as fussy about cleaning as I am, but we both recall how much we hated the gorgeous farm house drop in sink we had in a prior house. I hated not being able to wipe the counters directly into the sink!
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I’m not who you asked, but we put soapstone in our kitchen and I LOVE it. It is very dark, with white veining. We have white cabinets and half of the room has windows so there is a bit of light. The floor is a dark wood - I would not change a thing!
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I like the smooth horizontal wipedown as well. But it’s the mushy goop along the edge that really bugs some people… plus behind the faucet- ugh.
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I think it looks great. We had a second home with granite that had a mix of taupe, gray and black throughout and I disliked that it was harder to notice crumbs and other stuff so it didn’t always get wiped down as often as it should. The one problem with our black granite, that has a little bit of white veins widely scattered, is that H’s frequent spills by his coffee maker do not show up so he rarely thinks about cleaning his mess. On the plus side, I never worry about stains.
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We are having to redo our tiled shower floor due to a leak, and have chosen a Swanstone shower pan. (Our tiled shower walls don’t need replacing, but Swanstone walls are also available.)
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We need to redo two bathrooms due to problems that will require probably all new everything. Both have tile countertops that I am always trying to convince myself are cool and vintage. They are 4x4-inch squares and then there are smaller curved tiles around the undermounted sinks and the gap that needs caulk is too wide to stay looking good for long. I am tempted to get something like the corian sink/countertop for ease of cleaning. But I don’t know if that will look great in a very traditional (like Tudor) house from the 1930s. I would say that tiled countertops are not easy to keep clean! Too much grout.
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Epoxy grout has been mentioned up the thread. I singlehandedly redid the grout in our large shower, replacing the regular kind with epoxy (had to work fast and keep room temp low to prevent premature hardening). Epoxy is impermeable and doesn’t need sealing. So this is something to consider if you want to keep tiled look.
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I had those countertops in my last house. Built in 1927. Mine were pink and black. Very stylish.
My current home is a study on 1990’s oak. It’s overwhelming but thankfully nothing to coordinate with as far as style.
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I think there is probably a lot of choice between vintage tiled counters and a modern Swedish spa look. I am sure you can find something that would work in your traditional 1930s house.
BRB, off to look for photos for @orangepurple !!
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