Our kitchen suppliers recommended talostone to us for better price and in their opinion quality than caesarstone. We are getting 'French vanilla' but a quick look showed 'Marquina' to be similar to what you were after. We won't receive it for another 3 weeks so I can't give a personal opinion yet :(

Oh excellent, thank you, it looks lovely! I have been to many of the suppliers but QQ is too far away for me with a screaming baby in the car and they won't mail me samples! Once I choose a stone mason I will view them in person because I hear even with Quartz each slab can be a little different. I was thinking maybe Lexicon quarter...warmed up a bit...but I'm not sure. Thanks for the warning, I do have time on my side so I might go get some sample pots and see what actually looks ok with our lighting.

Looks like a difficult one, we have this issue sometimes with a tiling equivalent. If the works done before hand are not straight, flat etc, it can be very difficult and even damaging to try and install something flat over the top (benchtop, tiles etc). We see dodgy plastering jobs that get tiled onto, it is virtually impossible to do a good job if the base work is off. Smaller tiles will show obviously and larger ones will have a great risk of breaking with these small voids under. Therefor the tradie installing the 'aesthetic' aspect cops the brunt of mistakes made by the trades before hand. It can thus be difficult to blame them for this, as it doesn't necessarily indicate their poor workmanship. However, if you are paying a professional to do what it takes to complete the job in a high quality manner, then there is always a way to fix this ($$$). If it was going to be a foreseeable problem, and cost you more money, he could have asked you if you would like him to make more expensive changes to achieve the perfect finish, or continue as is at the risk of it being sub-par finish. That should have been your choice to make on consolidation. So it is a tricky one for sure! Are the cabinets below new or is it just a new benchtop?

The Marble Man - would like to share information for your consideration - Manmade, engineered stone is also known as agglomerate, manufactured stones or reconstituted stones. They are made from a combination of approximately 7% resins, cement, and coloured pigments and upwards of 93% natural stone chips such as quartz or marble. These materials are bound together to make a slab. Engineered stones are designed to emulate natural stones such as marble and granite and are an extremely popular alternative to natural stone in building today. Some of the engineered stone brands include Caesarstone, Essastone, Quantum Quartz, Silestone, Technistone, Smarstone and HanStone. These stones are similar in composition, varying only by a few percent in total quartz used. Their differences lie in the colours, patterns and applications offered. Some engineered stones are just made for benchtops whereas, others can be used for tiles. For you the home renovator, builder or owner the preference to choose engineered stone over natural stone is purely a personal one. Natural stone is attractive because of it’s unique inconsistencies in colour, texture and patterns. The Marble Man enjoys the qualities of all natural and manmade stone. When you view engineered stone for consideration for your home, you will see a more consistent colour and patterning in the stone. Take the time to view the full sheet of stone and consider the overall look and effect of the colour you choose for your interior. There are many reasons why engineered stones are being chosen over natural stone: Engineered stones are durable, scratch, stain and heat resistant * They come in a variety of colours and patterns Natural marble is susceptible to etching and staining, however a marble look can be created with the etch and stain resistant properties of granite, making it a good choice for high stress areas such as kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities The quartz used in the engineered stones is a similar hardness to granite and rates a 7 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness It is easy to clean and will require less long-term maintenance like granite if cared for according to manufacturers instructions. Please be sure to speak with the sales team about your uses of the benchtop, stone, surface and address how you plan to use the surface before finalising your choice. Manmade, reconstituted stone is only ‘resistant’ to scratching, staining and heat and therefore hot pots must not be left on for extended periods, cutting boards should still be used under hot pots, pans or dishes. Spills must be cleaned up immediately as in the case of any natural stone to prevent stains. It comes with a manufacturers seal therefore additional sealing is not usually necessary. * In our experience engineered stone kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities do chip and scorch, however we have developed processes to repair even large chips making them virtually undetectable, and to restore the factory finish to surfaces damaged by heat. Enjoy your home, enjoy the stone you choose for the benchtops in your home. The Marble Man is happy to assist with stone information, repairs, polishing and sealing all stone surfaces. We service Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Northern NSW, Sydney and Canberra for all stone repairs, polishing and sealing Stone surfaces - simply call 1300 627 626. Learn more on The Marble Man website - www.themarbleman.com.au