We have Taj Mahal quartzite in our kitchen (put in by previous owners and we have loved here 5 years), all around the appliances and on the island, and the butler pantry where the drinks are usually poured. No staining or etching, despite lots of coffee spills and a few red wine spills, vinegar, tumeric, etc. We typically use silicone trivet things to keep things from slipping, but I have placed hot items on the counter and no issue at all. I've never sealed it, and wipe it with water or method granite cleaner. It is extremely durable and timeless. Out kitchen is otherwise a very plain and simple white kitchen and we get complements on the counters all the time.

I just had Calacutta Milano quartz countertops installed in my home. I think they look real enough and I’m happy they are supposed to be very durable.

Something to think about is the fact that quartz manufacturing and installation is killing young men - apparently it’s much worse to inhale


https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/24/1189745247/silicosis-young-workers-kitchen-countertops-lung-damage-california#:~:text=That's%20because%20more%20and%20more,Others%20have%20needed%20lung%20transplants.

Anonymous wrote:I had quartzite in last kitchen and it etched. It was gorgeous but I wouldn’t get it again.

Same. But no staining.

I don't have quartzite, but I have Ceasarstone quartz and I love it. I doubt anyone looks at it and thinks it looks "fake." And we have never had any issues with it.

Previous owner installed granite kitchen counter tops. Any future kitchen also will have granite as it has been very study and low maintenance.

In bathrooms, our house came with Corian or Quartz countertops, per previous owners. In a bathroom setting, these have been fine.

there’s no such thing as soft quartzite. if it etches, it’s not quartzite. it’s mislabeled marble.

If you can find a slab of hard quartzite you like, get it . I like macuba quartzite in particular . It’s stronger and more durable than granite.

I loved a slab of soft quartzite which I ended up getting and it stains worst than marble. Super porous and finicky.

Just make sure you’re getting hard , not soft, quartzite .

We chose quartzite (Bianco Sup. from Gramaco) for our new kitchen, about a year ago. We love it. The look is soft and natural, but it is much more durable than marble. We are pretty religious about wiping spills, and have no stains or etching. A couple times a spill of red wine or tomato sauce leaves discoloration, but if we wipe it down and use mild dish soap, that is gone within a day or so. There is one tiny chip on an edge after a year.

Viewing the slabs, the “marbled” quartz seemed so fake. If you go with quartz I’d just do a plain tone, no veins or otherwise imitating marble.

This might sound silly but when I first got into researching kitchen renovations, I didn't understand what people meant by quartz looking fake. It had never occurred to me to think that someone would try to pass quartz off as real stone. If you don't think you're trying to make quartz look like marble or granite, it doesn't look fake, it just is what it is. If you are fine with the surface, you're fine with the surface.

I know people have an aversion to man-made materials, which is understandable, but quartz was just more practical for a dozen reasons (including availability) so we went with that in our bathroom. And after a ton of research, we are going with laminate in the kitchen.

Y’all know those chips of quartz are held together by resin, aka plastic, right? You cat put hot pans down on quartz counters because the plastic holding the quartz chips together may melt.

I really like natural materials for my counters over “quartz” counters because I don’t really want that much plastic in my kitchen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we built our house, I tested quartzite (Super White), because we are messy people. The builder had an off cut, so I poured red wine, spread ketchup, mustard, crayon, pen, marker, spaghetti sauce, etc. It both etched and stained. I had had quartz in my old kitchen and know it is so durable, that when the Martians land on Earth in 3 million year, it will be the only evidence of civilization remaining. So we went with quartz - Cambria - Ella:
https://www.cambriausa.com/quartz-colors/#!/design/Ella

Very happy with it already 4 years.

After how long did it stain and etch? Did you clean up the spills immediately? After 5 min? Longer? We are building now and really like quartzite but am concerned about durability, especially with young kids. We haven’t found a quartz we like.

I left them overnight - mimicking a good sloppy party or a dinner on a hectic night that didn’t quite get cleaned up alright. Oh, there was also lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil. It was a good spread. Looked atrocious afterwards, unfortunately. I still love the look of Super White but it is not for us.

Check out all the Cambria designs - there is a lot of variety. But not cheap.

Thanks. Overnight is a pretty long time! I can't really imagine ever leaving a significant (or insignificant) liquid spill on a countertop made of any material for that long.

np. You truly can't imagine that there could possibly be a spill on your counters that went uncleaned for 6-8 hours, or more?

Something like lemon juice or white vinegar etches even quicker, especially on a counter where the sealer is older. You have to be very quick and thorough to wipe up, which can be a challenge when cooking large holiday meal, for example.

Get your quartzite honed or leathered. Staining isn’t an issue if you keep things clean - etching is a problem and it happens fast with acid. But getting it sealed annually helps reduce the risk. Using cutting boards, pot holders, etc as surfaces is helpful.

I loved the quartzite and even with a bit of etching on the leathered surface it was amazing. Countertops were one of the things I miss about my old house.

Regret getting quartzite so much... Do your research beforehand! I sealed it, yet it still stained with a few drops of water. It is so high maintenance, it's stressing me out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we built our house, I tested quartzite (Super White), because we are messy people. The builder had an off cut, so I poured red wine, spread ketchup, mustard, crayon, pen, marker, spaghetti sauce, etc. It both etched and stained. I had had quartz in my old kitchen and know it is so durable, that when the Martians land on Earth in 3 million year, it will be the only evidence of civilization remaining. So we went with quartz - Cambria - Ella:
https://www.cambriausa.com/quartz-colors/#!/design/Ella

Very happy with it already 4 years.

After how long did it stain and etch? Did you clean up the spills immediately? After 5 min? Longer? We are building now and really like quartzite but am concerned about durability, especially with young kids. We haven’t found a quartz we like.

I left them overnight - mimicking a good sloppy party or a dinner on a hectic night that didn’t quite get cleaned up alright. Oh, there was also lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil. It was a good spread. Looked atrocious afterwards, unfortunately. I still love the look of Super White but it is not for us.

Check out all the Cambria designs - there is a lot of variety. But not cheap.

Thanks. Overnight is a pretty long time! I can't really imagine ever leaving a significant (or insignificant) liquid spill on a countertop made of any material for that long.

You should come to one of our parties. Come to think of it, you probably shouldn't...