DIY kitchens and silestone / quartz

Beckyplans

I have finally made my kitchen purchase from DIY kitchens and now just have a decision to make about quartz / silestone. Does anyone have any experience of purchasing their quartz work top through DIY kitchens. Is the fitting good? Do they out source it? Also, I had thought I wanted a silestone work top but have notivedx that some if the colours on the DIY site are not actually silestone brand. Do you think that matters. The price isn't very different but will the quality be similar. Any experience of DIY kitchens work tops or non silestone quartz would be gratefully received. Thanks

cddc

I dont know for sure, but it is highly unlikely that DIY have their own stone fabrication factory. No one else does, so I think it highly likely that they do the same as everyone else and subcontract. What I don't know is who to? Someone else may be able to answer that and what experience they have had with them.

Personally would advise going with a local fabricator you can get some recommendations for.

Silestone is the only European manufactured quartz. Apart from Cisastone which comes from Israel (I think), pretty much all quartz is now manufactured in China. You generally pay a premium for Silestone as it is a "brand" product, and theoretically this should give you more comeback.

There is nothing generically wrong with most Chinese quartz (I have Chinese quartz in my kitchen) but there is some shoddy stuff out there so if it looks to cheap to be true, walk away.

redmalc

Hi Becky
I am not technical but we had a kitchen fitted approx 15 months ago and had Silestone fitted,we are very pleased with it and had no issues

ryder72

cddc - there is a lot of European made quartz about and a lot of it is very good and some pretty mediocre.

Compaq - made in portugal
Quartzforms-German
Diresco - Belgian
Beltrami/Stone Italiana/Quarella - Italian
cimstone-turkey

There is some good chinese quartz too but its generally not made from the Breton process which is widely acknowledged to be the best.

Beckyplans

Thanks. I have looked into it a little more and I think the quartz that diy kitchens sell that isn't silestone is iq quartz. It seems to be made my constantino (who make silestone) but does not have the same warrenty cover. The only place i can see it is at granite Britain. Redmalc, was yours a diy kitchen with the silestone bought thorough the same company?

ryder72

Cosentino sell their own unbranded quartz in colours very similar to their own Silestone colours but without the warranties etc. Product is as good or bad as Silestone but you need a good fabricator in case there are going to be problems with the material.

cddc

ryder72 wrote: »

cddc - there is a lot of European made quartz about and a lot of it is very good and some pretty mediocre.

Compaq - made in portugal
Quartzforms-German
Diresco - Belgian
Beltrami/Stone Italiana/Quarella - Italian
cimstone-turkey

There is some good chinese quartz too but its generally not made from the Breton process which is widely acknowledged to be the best.

Did not know Compaq and Quarella were still out there, ages since I have seen any of their stuff. Beltrami used to be agents rather than a manufacturer, do they manufacture their own quartz now?

ryder72

Compaq is still out there and its actually not a bad product at all. Just expensive but some unique colours. Quarella is out there but I havent really got on with them.

Beltrami I am told is sourced from Italy. Whether they make it themselves, I am not sure.