Caesarstone® Quarz 5143 White Attica ICON

The code 5143 marks White Attica as an ICON version with a particularly dramatic vein pattern. The design name “Attica” is a deliberate reference to the Greek region of Attica — the peninsula around Athens in which the famous marbles from Pentelikon (Pentelic marble) and from Hymettus have been quarried since antiquity. Pentelic marble is the material from which the Parthenon and many other classical Greek sacred buildings were erected — a cultural marble with a dense, rather fine vein pattern. White Attica ICON is Caesarstone's interpretation of this Greek-classical marble tradition in a modern form: a pure white ground tone run through by a dramatically branching, almost cracked vein pattern in dark anthracite grey to black.

The slab picture shows an almost crystalline, pure white as the ground tone — cooler and more brilliant than with many warm creamy white solid colours of the Classico line. Across this ground picture runs a branching network of dark grey to almost black veins — a very dense, almost organic vein structure that appears in varying strengths: fine hair veins alternate with more powerfully formed main branches that often flow horizontally or slightly diagonally across the slab. In places the veining looks fissured or broken — a modern, almost urban accent that makes White Attica look markedly more expressive than a classic Bianco Statuario marble with a calmer vein pattern. The high vein density is the defining characteristic of the ICON version.

Technically, Caesarstone is manufactured like all high-quality engineered quartz materials by the Bretonstone® vacuum vibro-compaction process: ground quartz aggregates of various grain sizes are mixed with unsaturated polyester binders and mineral pigments, filled into steel moulds and compacted under vacuum with simultaneous high-frequency vibration, then cured at around 90 °C. The result is an almost pore-free composite material with high strength and a consistently homogeneous look — with the ICON line, additionally with a particularly elaborately composed vein structure that produces a picture of its own in every slab.

For use this means: White Attica ICON is non-porous and needs no impregnation — the pore-free surface is stain-repellent ex works against most household substances. Mohs hardness 6–7, acid resistance markedly better than with carbonate marbles, low water absorption. That makes the stone the logical choice for kitchen worktops and applications in which the dramatic Statuario look is to be combined with everyday ease of care — with genuine Pentelic marble, Calacatta or Statuario one would have to accept acid sensitivity, the effort of impregnation and the risk of matting.

Two material limits are to be observed with every Caesarstone Quartz Surfaces product: first, the limited heat resistance — the polyester binder begins to decompose from around 150–160 °C, which is why hot pans, pots or irons may be set down only on trivets. Second, the absent UV stability: the material may strictly only be used indoors, because direct sunlight over several years can lead to discolouration and embrittlement of the binder. Caesarstone grants the “Caesarstone Forever” warranty on all Quartz Surfaces indoors: a lifetime material warranty for the original ownership situation, provided the application corresponds to the approved interior specifications.

At ROSSITTIS we currently carry White Attica as 22 stock slabs in 13 mm and 20 mm thickness with a polished surface. The 13 mm version is particularly suitable for wall claddings, vanity tops, furniture surfaces and visually delicate applications; 20 mm is the standard thickness for classic kitchen worktops and kitchen islands. On request we produce from them kitchen worktops, islands, vanity tops, bathroom wall claddings, table surfaces and project-specific bespoke cuts. The Caesarstone standard format of around 305 × 144 cm allows large-area applications with a controlled slab sequence.

For anyone comparing White Attica ICON with other materials: the stylistic model is genuine Pentelic marble, Bianco Statuario or Calacatta Statuario from the Apuan Alps — geologically authentic, but more expensive, acid-sensitive, with all the care requirements of natural stone. In the field of porcelain, Laminam Cristallo Marble, Lioli Porcelain Statuario, Florim Statuario, Atlas Concorde Marvel or Caesarstone's own Lioli Porcelain Supernatural line offer similar dramatic Statuario pictures with higher heat resistance in addition, but a different feel. In the field of engineered quartz there are competing Statuario looks from Silestone (Cosentino), Compac, Diresco and OptimumStone — mostly with somewhat less expressive vein branching than the Caesarstone ICON version.

Our honest assessment: Caesarstone 5143 White Attica ICON is a distinctly successful choice for projects that want to combine a dramatic, dense Statuario picture with the full ease of care of Caesarstone and the Forever warranty. Anyone looking for maximum heat resistance or genuine natural stone character should reach for porcelain or real marble. But anyone who wants the strikingly branched black-and-white marble look in an easy-care material quality gets, with White Attica ICON, one of the most expressive Caesarstone designs on the market.