Experience with Neolith countertop?

Does anyone have any experience with Neolith as a countertop surface? I’m considering this material, and in particular the polished finish, for our counters (kitchen and bathroom). I understand it is durable but the polished finish perhaps less so than the silk finish, and that the polished finish is more susceptible to scratching. I’m interested in your experience with this, in either the polished or silk finish – how easily it scratches, whether it stains or did not withstand heat, etc. Also, if anyone can recommend a fabricator experienced in Neolith, I’d be grateful for any recommendations. Thanks.

jbberman

in General Discussion 8 years and 7 months ago

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jbberman | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks so much for the thorough and thoughtful response. This reinforces some of the things I was learning as I spent more time looking into it. I think I will wait . . .

jbberman | 8 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks so much for the thorough and thoughtful response. This reinforces some of the things I was learning as I spent more time looking into it. I think I will wait . . .

mrohrmann | 8 years and 7 months ago

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I would pass on Neolith (for now) and here is why based on my personal experience:

First we were looking for a good looking estatuario marble like material without all the issues of, well marble. If this is your starting thesis and do your homework Neolith generally is the best looking option that checks all of the boxes. That being said…

You run into a few problems:
1. Only the polished neolith looks good, the non-polished looks cheap and fake
2. Problem with the polished neolith is that its essentially covered with a resin like glass that is not as durable as the actual hardened porcelain below so it can scratch and get damaged, maybe a bit less so than marble, but its not bullet proof
3. Even the thickest version of the countertop grade still needs beveling/cornering and under ledge support (so additional work is needed to install say a breakfast bar). Given the additional edges needed for under mount sinks it wont look good after a couple years of use, especially around sink areas where water and grime will find its way in.
4. Trying to find a good fabricator in Brooklyn that has significant experience with the material is really hard because its so new and most say that the material chips too easily and they don’t want to work with it without paying significantly more money which kills a lot of the value proposition.
5. Even with the help of a very nice and helpful Neolith Employee who works directly for the company on their exterior and wall products we couldn’t get economically efficient numbers from a fabricator that we were comfortable working with and we do a lot of renovation work (way more than a typical end-user) so that should also tell you something.

Bottom line this product is really made for lobbies and exteriors and even though they shows displays of kitchens covered in it between the add’l costs and how it will look a couple years down the road hasn’t been proven or perfected so you have to take on an early adopter cost. Better off waiting a few years and just going with a practical marble if you need it now. Just my two cents after 6+ months of research, multi-state trips to see various new materials in person and countless interior design shows.

slopefarm | 8 years and 7 months ago

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I suppose a neolithic countertop would cause problems for anyone on a paleo diet (sorry).