Before you try anything: always speak to a professional before cleaning, treating or applying any product to your stone. Every slab is different, and the wrong product can cause permanent damage. Contact us or a qualified stone restorer first.
Quick answer
Fine grey lines on quartz and Caesarstone are usually metal marks from cookware and come off with a non-scratch cream cleaner. True scratches in quartz sit in the resin; a benchtop repairer can sometimes reduce them, but deep ones cannot be made invisible. Prevention matters more on quartz than on almost any other surface.
First, check what you are dealing with
- Grey line, smooth to the touch: metal mark.
- Pale or white line you can feel: a real scratch.
What you need
- Non-scratch cream cleaner
- Soft damp cloth
Step by step
Rule out metal marks
Rub the line with a non-scratch cream cleaner and a damp cloth. Grey lines from pots and cutlery often disappear completely.
Assess what remains
Dry and inspect in raking light. A remaining line you can feel is a true scratch.
Ask a repairer
A benchtop repairer can fix chips and some surface damage. Because Australia banned new engineered stone in 2024, repairs and protection are how existing tops are kept looking good.
What not to use on quartz
- Car polishes and cutting compounds.
- Sandpaper or scouring pads.
- Heat to "melt" scratches, which scorches the resin.
When to call a professional
A benchtop repairer can fix chips and some surface damage. Because Australia banned new engineered stone in 2024, repairs and protection are how existing tops are kept looking good.
Understanding scratches on quartz
The quartz is hard but the resin between the grains is softer, and matte quartz in particular shows grey metal marks from pots and cutlery.
On quartz, damage shows as surface stains, dull or cloudy patches from harsh chemicals, and yellow or brown scorch marks from heat.
A benchtop repairer can fix chips and some surface damage. Because Australia banned new engineered stone in 2024, repairs and protection are how existing tops are kept looking good.
Good to know
On matte and dark quartz, fine grey lines are usually metal marks from cookware sitting on the surface, and clean off.
Stop it happening again
Whether yours is Caesarstone, Essastone, Silestone, Smartstone and other engineered stone, repairing it fixes today's mark; protecting it stops the next one. Our clear Stone Protection Film sits over the surface, so marks stay on the film, not the surface, and its self-healing top layer shrugs off fine everyday marks. Choose Gloss for polished quartz or Matte/Satin for honed and matte finishes. The protection is identical. It is installed across Sydney with a 10-year written warranty.
How we protect quartz · Honed vs polished stone · Scratches on every surface