Dear jdunnebeck,

The Super White can range in color from white to grey and in between. The White is not readily available in the quarry and is not as easy to process making it harder to find in the market. Super White is not a true Quartzite even though many sell it as that. It is classified as a hard marble, more durable than most marbles, but it can scratch.

I am having the same situation with my counters from Hellenic. Waiting to hear back from them now. Not feeling all warm and fuzzy though since reading your post Linzz612! Have you had any success since you last posted, in remedying the situation?

I had my Antartide countertop put in from Hellenic..I'm extremely careful with it but there are definitely etch marks..I constantly wipe water droplets from around the sink and keep cutting boards and mats on the counter to prepare food..I never leave a wet glass on there either. I don't have that much etching because I'm diligent but it really is annoying to have to baby the countertop. I banged the corner with a dish and it chipped off so quickly..I was able to file it smooth with a nail file! That's how soft it is..I would have still chosen this countertop even though it is more work..It simply is beautiful to look at even if there are places where there is etching. You have to look from the side to see them. I don't have any staining and I haven't sealed it in two years..I'm not sure if I will or not..I think mine was resined and it doesn't absorb any stains..I spilled a large glass of red wine on the counter..I almost had a heart attack but I cleaned it up without a problem. It also gets scratched pretty easily..

Forevermore- would you mind sharing more photos of your counters -overall view,, some semi close up and close ups of etching? I am between super white and antartide and based on this string (and other reviews of super white) it sounds like super white may be a bit more durable. But if it's not, I'll go with antartide. Also can you put grocery bags/unload groceries on it, kids so himework , spill milk and let it sit a bit? Am trying to think of everyday activities that are most likely our issues. If I spill wine, it's easy to clean up immediately- it's actually pretty rare (could always keep wine on a cutting board when we have guests, or perimeter which will be ceasar stone). I think the red sauce/lemons/coffee easier to control. The risk is what babysitters do, breakfast , unloading groceries etc. Thanks (I can send my email if easier to send pics directly). I need to make a decision next week- and my husband can't take much more of me going back and forth on our slabs on hold :). Will do all white cabinets, overall gray/white/light blue color scheme.

@sagusta; i'm going to jump in here also about the antartide etching problems. Forevermore & I both got our slabs from the same place. i have actually not seen hers in person but i have had mine now for about 2 years. i am the only one who sees the etching, its not the kind of thing that is noticeable unless someone points it out. its a very hard surface, harder than granite. i am very careful to wipe up all water & anything else that is a liquid, also i never put a pizza box on it or anything oily. grocery bags are fine & magazines, i have never seen any ink come off on it. seems to be its more of an etching caused by air, because mine is etching in many areas. very similar to marble etching, dull spots that you can see if you look at from certain angles or you can feel if you wipe your hand across. to some extend i wish i could have mine re-sealed & polished by a professional, even though mine is a high gloss finish, i feel like it could be a thicker finish, if that makes sense. i don't polish mine very frequently myself, which maybe would be a good idea. its still very beautiful stone & no one sees the etching, so its still very shiny & impressive. its to be cleaned with just soap & water, no chemical based cleaners. its such a rare stone that i never have seen it anywhere else to maybe compare. i am still happy with it as my kitchen is white & blue gray & i never saw a white/gray granite that i liked & marble was just too pricey. hope this helps! i could post pics but i don't think you would see the etching in the pics, its very subtle.

Kudos to Avanti Marble and Granite and big boo hiss to Stephanie Southwick - Antartide "Quartzite" is NOT quartzite at all but a dolomite/calcite. Granite and quartzite will scratch glass - Antartide will NOT. It is harder than marble, but softer than granite and quartzite.

It WILL etch and stain if not immediately cared for. In our opinion, the high maintenance is worth it - like a thoroughbred race horse versus a draft horse or a Ferrari versus a Prius.

You want the beauty ? You have to keep it clean - nothing stays on ours more than a few seconds, and I clean it every night before going to bed. But deal with a TRUTHFUL dealer - it is NOT quartzite.

We bought ours through Angelo's Marble and Granite in Philadelphia. Great family run business, terrific prices (1/2 of another quote we had) and with a supplier who told us Antartide was not quartzite while many others had. I questioned him until I did the glass test. Granite scratched it, Quartzite scratched it - Antartide did NOT. He was TRUTHFUL and honest.

What do u clean yours with? I use soap & water but would like a good polish. Thanks!

knewhart - We use Weiman's Granite and Stone Cleaner. I typically sponge it off with water and loosen any hard materials(rare), wipe dry with paper towel and then the Weiman's. Our kitchen is a galley kitchen in a townhome in Philadelphia. Not a spectacular and airy windowed kitchen like some here, Installing painted Tin backsplash over the next couple of weeks - Chelsea Tin out of Texas sells it. I have done it before and we love the look versus subway tile which everyone seems to have these days. Once done I'll post before and after pictures. :-)

Thank u for that info. Here is my countertops in my summer house, love them. Look forward to your pics!

knewhart - Oh yeah - if curious - White Shaker cabinets, Lucite and Chrome knobs on upper cabinets, chrome bar pulls on lower, Antartide counter tops, Samsung Stainless Steel (SS) 36" Soda Stream dispensing French door frig, Kitchen Aid Architect II SS dishwasher and Trash compactor, Bertazzoni SS 36" 6 burner Professional Dual Fuel Range and Hood, GE 12" deep Microwave, 12" off white ceramic tile floor, Miseno 32" under-mount sink, Pfister faucet,walls painted a light gray.

knewhart - Very pretty - you and my wife have similar tastes! Oh yeah - we had a brick barrel ceiling so it was difficult to come up with lighting - surprisinlgy we went with two 5 linear light fixtures from IKEA that are dimmable, and under cabinet LED lighting. Since there had been an old track lighting set up we did not have to tear the ceiling apart for new wiring and all that.

As is fairly common in old Philadelphia town homes, our kitchen is in the lower level, back - kind of an English basement with open staircase and windows in the front. Pictures of range and Bar area taken from dining area where we have an Arhaus Arvada 84" table with high back leather chairs. Parquet floors stained dark walnut. Brick arches are structural - we could not change the footprint of the Kitchen for that reason but expanded it into the previous kitchen area and into our "dining room".

Well..after doing research on the Antartide Quartzite countertop that Hellenic in West Chester installed..I realized that it is not a quartzite like I was told by them. It's a dolomite marble! No wonder we are having the etching! The one thing that's good is that mine doesn't stain because of the resin that was applied to mine at the quarry. It has chipped very easily around the sink and I have rings that you can only see from the side. It is a very soft stone. I am able to file a little chip with a nail file to smooth it out. I believe that it is more protective of etching than a carrera marble would be. You have a little time to wipe up spills and water spots. This counter has been a full time job although I love the way it looks so much. I'm getting a light granite in my next house.

mine is same as yours! how did you find this out? i thought right away it was more of a marble but the quartz crystals had me uncertain. my husband is a geologist & he never thought it was marble. my water marks are only seen from the side too...i just still don't know what to polish it with & have you sealed yours? thanks for this info!

Someone came over and mentioned it looked like a marble they saw somewhere..so I googled Antartide Marble and slabs of them are all over the internet. People were saying depending on how honest the store was they would say it wasn't quartzite but a Dolomite Marble. I blew it up and it was our countertop. Places all over the Internet are selling it as a marble with the Antartide name. It makes me so mad..We should have the choice to decide if we want this upkeep. My mother lives with us and I have to follow her around to make sure she doesn't slide a dish or leave drops of water around the sink.

I make a my own solution to clean it. I use an small spray bottle probably 12 to 16 ounces and put in 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol. I add water but leave room at the top to add a little bit of Fabuloso lavender cleaner to make it smell good and a little extra cleaning power. I've used this for two years and I love it. I heard commercial cleaners can strip the sealer off. I haven't applied a sealer since it was installed because it doesn't stain. I am thinking of doing it though just in case. I'm not sure it's really needed because our slabs were resined at the quarry but it won't hurt.

I ordered a marble cleaner that is supposed to remove etch marks. It got great reviews. I'm going to try it on one inconspicuous spot and see what happens. I also ordered an epoxy that can fill in chips. That also got great reviews. I'll let you know how it comes out.

Did you get a sample of the Antartide? There's a simple test to see if it's quartzite or marble but you would need the rough edge. If you take a glass bottle and rub it along that rough edge marble won't scratch the glass but quartzite and granite will. I threw mine out! I'm tempted to go to Hellenic and bring a bottle.

Forever house - we first saw antartide at Colonial Cava on Washington Avenue inPhilly where we were told it wad quartzite and loved it. But got a much better price at Angelo's. They sent us to their supplier who then told us it was NOT quartzite. We questioned him - but quartzite is supposed to be harder than granite. We went to a local liquor store and bought a small glass bottle and test it on the rough edged of definite granite and quartzite. Both scratched the glass. The antartide did not. You would think with all those "quartz" crystals it would have. Ahhhh...they are calcites crystals. So it is dolomite/calcite. Still beautiful but not as care free as granite or true quartzite. When you look across the surface at an angle you think you see etching. We do not - the shape corresponds to the surface shape of that particular crystal. Ours us sealed. Wish you the best of luck but you were misled. It is not quartzite.

@foreverhouse thank you for all that information. i have been cleaning mine with soapy water only, but will try your recipe next. will be very interested to see how the marble cleaner works. i always felt like mine didn't have a thick enough sealer on it from Hellenic but that's because i could feel rough spots when i run my hand across it. i have been very careful to immediately wipe up water spots & not set anything down on it but i still have numerous etching spots. live & learn i guess!!!

I knew about the surface of the Antartide not being as shiny as a granite with the imperfections before I bought it. The sealer doesn't give the counter any shine. I also signed off on a tiny rust stain that doesn't bother me. I'm just mad that I was told it was stronger than granite and no mention of etching when they clearly had people complain to them about it. They just plain out lied about it being harder than granite and omitting telling me it etches. You have to see how easily it chipped when I accidently bumped the corner edge with a plate. It didn't even hit it hard. The little chips around the sink were made by placing stove grates in the sink gently. Those are the ones I'm going to try fixing with the epoxy. I'll take before and after photos. I hope it works! I hate chips in everything even dishes. I'll throw out a cup or plate with a chip in it so this really bugs me. I bought my other house with a huge chip in the granite around the sink there. I'm going to try this epoxy fix there too. That countertop is black with copper flecks in it so not sure how the clear epoxy will look on that but will give it a try. I don't like that granite but can't really change out the countertop because some of the cabinets sit on the granite.

i'm building a new house in Colorado & debating on counter tops & island. probably just go with quartz this time or Corian, its still my favorite. oh & i'm still totally in love with my Quiet Moments paint color, thanks to you!

It's funny..I Thought of you today because I'm going to paint my master bathroom Quiet Moments. My bedroom is painted at 50%. The little sitting room next to it is painted Linen White. Its almost one room but has a small wall that juts out on both sides out about two feet to make it feel somewhat separate. I had the master bath also painted Linen White also because I had so many decisions to make when I moved in that I went safe. Now, after complaining that it so boring in there my son offered to paint it for me. I'm going to leave the sitting room Linen White because it breaks it up..but now I'm trying to decide if I should paint the bathroom 50% the same as the bedroom or do 75% lighter. What do you think? Did you paint yours full strength?

i did the 50% less in my whole house in Pa, i will never get tired of that color! would be interesting to see it at 75% less, that may be a great idea for your bathroom. i also wonder about it at full strength, have you used it like that yet? no matter what you do with that color its my favorite! i will be forever grateful you told me about it! my family teases me how quiet my house is! i used Valspar Wedding Bells color at 50% less for my ceilings & a hallway...that color goes well too with Quiet Moments. i have a heavy crown moulding at my ceiling so it separates the two colors.

Knewhart,

I did Wickham Gray in my kitchen and I think it may work out that Quiet Moments at 75% will look just like it. I don't see the gray in it because it's more of a green blue..maybe like sea glass. I guess it's grayed down so not bold. I'll take a picture of the color after my son paints it.

Knewhart, I just came back from the paint store to get a quart of the Quiet Moments as I still had almost a full gallon left over from the bedroom. It turns out they took out some components that were dangerous in their paints so the new paint will not mix with the two year old paint. I had to get a new gallon. I decided to stick with the 50% lighter color. When he showed me the color it looks lighter and more green. The original had definite green in it but had more blue. This one is more green. I hoped I like it! I wonder if your house is the older or newer version of the color. Do you have any pictures on Houzz that has that color?

@foreverhouse my paint is 3 years old now...i will upload a pic from my bedroom, it looks pale gray/blue to me but i know i would like what you have also even if its more green.

I love that door!!!!!Thanks for posting the photo. That's the exact color of my bedroom...It must be three years for me because I had it painted right before you did. My son is painting it tomorrow. I'll post a pic after its done and dry.

Knewhart,

I received my marble and granite chip repair kit today. I just used it and I'm amazed. I had chips around my sink and one on the island. It's a clear epoxy so it filled it in with minor sanding to smooth it out. I was careful to not sand the actual countertop. I had my mom come to look at it to see if she could find them and she couldn't. They weren't gigantic chips but they were bothering me. They were all around the sink and I kept rubbing my hands around the edge to feel them. The epoxy is clear so it blended in with all the crystals we have in the countertop. I don't think you have any but if you do I bought it on Amazon. I don't know if I can put the name on here. I'm waiting for the marble etch remover. If that works I'm a happy camper.

let us know how that works out please!

I definitely will. I can't imagine it working but it also got great reviews so I'm keeping an open mind.

yes i would like info on both products!!! plus i need to keep your cleansing recipe handy, want to try that too. my email is cleo4823@gmail.com if you want to send me the names of the products. yay!!!

Foreverhouse

i'm glad you like my barn door...i used those many places in my little house.....swinging doors took up too much space...my Amish workers were very good of course at building the doors for me & they used actual barn hardware to hang them, i just spray painted the hardware first before they hung them. here's a couple more pics of others i used. this one is my kitchen pantry.

Knewhart, Your door is gorgeous! I have lots of furniture made from the Amish. My husband wanted a large screen tv when we moved in but I didn't want it out in the open so I had an Amish man make me a large cabinet that looks like a step back cupboard to put it in.

Well....I just tried the marble and granite etch remover. I still can't believe it but it worked! I had three rings on the corner of my island from when I had friends over and didn't want to make a fuss about telling them to be careful. The next day I had three etch rings. There was another one on the other side of the counter too. I didn't do it like they suggested. I used a damp sponge on the rougher side with a small amount of the product which has the consistency of wet sand. I was initially afraid to use it but used a tiny amount scrubbing in a circular motion over the rings. I then wiped it again with a damp paper towel and then a dry one to check if I was making it etch more. It wasn't so I continued. They're gone! My counter has areas all over that look dull in splotches but that is from the crystals that don't have a shine. This product made it blend in where you didn't see the etch from the side any more. I only took a before and after picture of the one circular etch. I should have taken a picture of the worse one but didn't think to do it.

I'll send pics tomorrow.

Those marks you see are just crystals..not etching. You can see the ring is gone!

wow! so where did you get the miracle products?? I need to get it also. have you tried your new quiet moments paint yet?

I bought both items from Amazon:

Granite & Marble Chip & Nick Repair Kit-Clear LCA

It looks like a cheap little kit with a dorky light on a ring..but it worked great. I used the light in place for seven minutes to cure the little repair. Read the reviews. My chips were not huge...It was tricky to get the right amount of product on and then I cut two small pieces of the clear plastic provided on the top and side to mold it to the edge of the counter. Because my Antartide is very soft I made sure to try to sand only the area I fixed. I did have to sand little on the unaffected counter but it's unnoticeable because it's on the edges of the counter. I highly recommend this as you can't even see the chips anymore.

The second product that I used on the etchings is:

Marble Gloss Restorer (4 Oz)- By Marble Granite Care Products. It's $17.95

Read the reviews. Some people used an electric buffer and some used elbow grease and a soft cloth. I didn't...I used a kitchen sponge that has the scruffy side on one side a a sponge on the other. I dampened the sponge first and the put a tiny amount of this sand like product on the very tip and pressed hard in circles using the scruffy side. I did this less than a minute and then wiped it off with a damp paper towel and then buffed it with a dry one to check on the progress. It really took two minutes for each area. There was a little bit of dishwashing soap on the sponge which made it glide better. It's amazing because the rings are gone and the sheen is the same as the rest of the surface. My counter isn't a very high sheen counter because of all the crystals so I think this worked great because it made it blend in to the surface of this stone. It looks from the side just like all the splotches of crystals that don't have a sheen. From the top after the repair its just as shiny as the rest of the counter. It's amazing. I did notice that the first spot I tried I left it on the spot and it looked like it etched so I strarted scrubbing with the dobie pad and the spot disappeared. I took a gamble but I'm so glad I tried it. With the chips and etching gone I feel like it looks so nice now. I wonder if it's not the stone that etched but the sealer that's applied. I haven't sealed mine since it was installed over two years ago so wonder if it just removed some of the sealer. I'm going to reapply a sealer In a few weeks just in case removing the rings will make the area vulnerable to stains. My counter never stained to this point even without reapplying a sealer...so I will reapply one in the next two weeks. I really think the resin that was applied at the quarry is what keeps it stain free.

Knewhart, my son did my bathroom and the color looks beautiful. I did it at 50% because I love that color. It looks just like my bedroom color even though there's a new formula. My sitting room between the rooms breaks up the color because I have that painted BM Linen White. I put up some bird prints in the bathroom that I found at Homegoods. It looks great...very spa like.. I LOVE birds and have them all over the house! Lol

Thank you so much for all that info... I will order the stuff as well! I have the same problems. I've heard the best sealer is Dupont. Let us know if you seal it and what you use and how it turns out. I have the Antartide in my bathroom and I have a different quartzite in my kitchen. Although the kitchen is brown/green/gray (brown fantasy) it etches and chips just as easy as the white antartide in my bathroom. I love them both so much. I had no idea the kitchen was a quartzite.... they sold it as granite. That explains why I've never seen a granite in this pattern. I have no regrets.... I love them both so much! Thanks to you, Foreverhouse for helping me decide almost 3 years ago.
Thanks again!
Ari

@Ari....love your pics!!! your kitchen countertops are beautiful, totally something i have never seen before. love your bathroom too....all my favorite colors!

@Foreverhouse....is Amazon the only place to buy the Fabalousa lavender cleaner?

Knewhart, you can buy it everywhere. I buy my Fabuloso at either Giant supermarket or Walmart. It smells great and is cheap. I found out about it when I went to a schamsy hotel and the cleaning lady was cleaning the lobby restroom. She said they use it on all their marble because it's ph neutral and won't hurt it. I just added the alcohol and water for disinfecting and because I found out it won't hurt marble either. I even use it on my hardwood floors. Bona is just alcohol, water and cleaners. I checked and I use a 16 ounce bottle..add the quarter cup of rubbing alcohol..then add the water to an inch off the top and then add the Fabuloso..shake and you are ready to go. I feel like it sanitizes the counter too. I like the smell of rubbing alcohol but this adds a nice fragrance.

Ari..I keep forgetting to say I LOVE your kitchen and bathroom! Gorgeous!

Finally - our antartide counters and beveled subway backsplash.

Another photo

Part of a Philadelphia townhouse lower level kitchen

Another photo - galley kitchen

Gorgeous! Your kitchen is beautiful!

Thanks! Attaching before pictures. Bertazzoni range. Thank you for all the cleaning and msintenance tips!

@foreverhouse how is your counter tops looking now? yesterday i was canning peppers & after i brought the jars out of the boiling water i set them on my counter top, with a towel beneath, have done this every year....but one of the jars bottom separated so the brine from the peppers ran all over the towel. after the clean up about 2 hours later i noticed a large area of my countertop where this all happened is terribly etched now. don't know if it was the vinegar or the heat.....seems like the finish (polish) that was put on is what is etching, not the stone itself. i'm going to try the products you told me about & see if i can restore it. yikes!

Hi knewhart

It posted too quickly! Lol My counters keep getting little etches. I'm a fanatic about keeping those water spots off. I keep two plastic cutting boards on the counter which helps a lot. My son cut some oranges on the cutting board which I didn't see him do. It was juicy so it splattered and etched.

I recently changed out my island countertop in my other house to a Quartz by MSI Q Carrara Grigio. I love it but the slab I got has some white resin pooling which the fabricator said he will come out and look at. He said he will replace it as it shouldn't be there. That counter looks so much like marble it's unbelievable. I will redo that kitchen in probably five years when all my appliances die. I hated the Uba Tuba that was everywhere. I couldn't get new counters all around because the kitchen is older and will need to be replaced so kept the old cabinets and ugly perimeter counters. The new island countertop that I just had installed will be recut to use in a bathroom at that time so it's not being wasted. It's absolutely beautiful and easy to care for. I just can't put a hot pot on it but I wouldn't do anyway. I did test a large sample by putting a really hot pot on it for fifteen minutes and nothing happened to the sample. I told the fabricator about the etching on the Antartide and he says that the countertops can be rebuffed to remove the etching. My other house is in Maryland so his store is over there but said when I get ready to sell my house in five years in Pa he will come out to Pa and re polish the stone before I sell it. I'm hoping I can keep it looking decent until then. It's still really pretty but more and more etches can be seen from the side..mainly droplets. I buffed out the rings with the product I mentioned on here. I never sealed it since they have been installed because I don't get any staining. It's bulletproof in that sense.

I placed my comment about the MSI product after your earlier post. How is the MSI Carrara Grigio holding up? I am in Maryland and would appreciate knowing which store you used, and if you were pleased with the service?

@foreverhouse I just read your post about the MSI Carrara & am really intrigued. looks like its only available in certain areas of the country though. i love it! i would like to find someone who would rebuff my island, the area where my canning disaster happened is too large to do on my own. i did try to do some of it but i didn't see any improvement. i asked a local company who does a lot of counter top installs if they could rebuff but they acted like i was crazy. now that i know your man in Maryland says it can be done I will look harder for someone to do mine. Or else I am going to have the island top replaced with something that jives with the antartide, but i will not get it again. This MSI looks like a great option if i can figure out how to get it to my house.