Reply to Countertops that are not quartz, marble, quartzite, wood, or stainless steel

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m surprised you don’t like quartzite. It’s beautiful and a natural stone, yet extremely durable.  Is it too expensive? Is there an ethical issue? Ours looks like new 5 years in. No cracks, stains or etching. I’d do it again. [/quote]

Everything I learned when replacing countertops a few years ago is that quartzite has all the weakness of marble and cant be repaired. It etches and it can't be buffed out. It will crack and shatter. The video above mislabels some of those surfaces as granite when they are quartzite. [/quote]

If you learned about countertops from anyone in the countertop industry, my experience is that they are mostly very ill-informed and do not even understand how quartzite, granite, and marble were formed. Marble and dolomite are formed from limestone, which is mostly made from the shells of scallops and other creatures, which contain a lot of calcium carbonate. Marble etches because the calcium carbonate dissolves when contacted by a strong acid. Dolomite etches because it is basically the same thing as marble except there was magnesium rich water around when the limestone was compressed, causing a lot of magnesium carbonate, which also dissolved when in contact with with a strong acid. Picture yourself squeezing a lemon slice over a tums tablet.

Quartzite doesn’t etch. It’s made from sandstone that has been compressed over millennia, and consists mostly of quartz. Quartz is another name for silicon dioxide, and unfortunately has the same name as the synthetic resin and ground up quartz product that also goes by Cambria, etc. Silicon dioxide is a very tough material, resistant to chemicals, high melting point, and is resistant to almost all strong acids and bases except HF acid (the one they used in breaking bad). Picture yourself squeezing a lemon slice over some sand.

Some quartzites are problematic because they are closer to the sandstone end of the spectrum, so they are very porous (mont Blanc) and will stain unless sealed assiduously. Some are brittle and will chip along fissures because they are closer to the pure quartz end of the spectrum (crystallo). I have one that is somewhere in the middle. No stains, no fissures, no chipping, and no etching. Red wine, lemon slices, blackberries can be left overnight on the counter with no stains.

Granites are made from magma, which is also made in a large part by quartz, which is why it is so tough. Most granites are not very porous, but the lighter granites can be somewhat porous, requiring sealing. Like quartzite, they contain no calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate, so they do not etch.

Choose wisely and test. Quartzites are not all the same. The porous ones are more likely to stain, but will not have fissure issues. The crystalline ones won’t stain, but can be brittle. [/quote]

amazing [/quote]

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