Have you looked at Bianco Romano? It is a beautiful gray and white granite.

River white granite is really pretty. Or a real quartzite (macaubus, calacutta). But make sure it's really quartzite, not marble.

there is a vermont granite in white grey....very subtle

Kashmir White is similar to River White. Mostly white and gray with some garnet flecks.

I think the trick is to find some slabs you like and take samples home to abuse. Different places name slabs differently so you never know for sure how the stone will be in terms of staining, etching, etc unless you test it yourself.

there's also wicked white (i believe it's also known as supreme white, white fantasy, super white).....that's what i'm getting installed on my island tomorrow. wicked white is a quartzite. i'm doing white shaker cabs and honed absolute black on the perimeter. white subway tile backsplash. black and white tiled floor on the diagonal. and stainless appliances.
i have more photos, but i don't know how to post more than one to a message....

here's the slab

There is a series of 5 threads on the issue of picking stone that covers a lot of the white/gray issue, as so many of those stones are marketed as Quartzite or granite but are, in fact marble and much less durable.

Here's a link to one of the threads. The entire thing is fascinating reading and it gives great advice on testing for etching before buying.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stone thread

just a heads up - the kashmire white, while it is lovely- does have a little bit of a gray tone to it. We just looked at it last week so it's fresh on my mind. I think the fantasy white would be a great choice! From what i can tell it looks just like marble, so you would have the look you want but in a much more durable material! :) good luck!

We are having granite installed soon. I, too, wanted a grey/white plus a bit of black. We chose Piracema White. It's got great movement, but not overwhelming. Here's a pic of our slab. I've read it's porosity is on par with the darker granites, making it very stain resistant.

I love my Taj Mahal quartzite. No etching or staining at all and we do not baby it and my young kids eat at it for most meals often right off it. It is definitely a true quartzite not marble. You could also try a quartz product they have some to mimic marble.

Taj Mahal
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This post was edited by ratrem on Thu, May 1, 14 at 21:31

I am happy with the River White slabs that we will have installed soon. They actually are granite (geologically gneiss) - with good specs for stain resistance and hardness. Cream with grey movement - very soft and flowy. Green/gold undertones, and purple spots. Definitely no marble lookalike, but lovely in its own right.

Much less blue than shown in photo below.

(Ratrem, your kitchen is SO lovely)

We are going with a quartzite called Branco Pirana. It has very subtle gray going through it but is super durable since it is a true quartzite. That is what I need with 5 kids! Good luck!

I have river white granite in my bathroom, on the counters and the shelves for the shower niches. It's very pretty and seems to complement both warm and cool colors. I did have a problem with water stains until I sealed it several times though. Doesn't seem to be a problem now.

I have Iceberg quartzite in my (not quite finished) kitchen.

Elizabeth714. Your Quartzite slab of wicked white is gorgeous! I had no idea it was also known as supreme white, white fantasy, and super white. I can't wait to see your finished kitchen as it sounds beautiful!

Quick question for ratrem: can you tell me what your tile backsplash is and whether you're happy with it? We're trying to find something to install behind Taj Mahal as well. Thanks!

We just had White Ice granite installed on Friday. I absolutely love it, although our cabinets are more cream than white.

Madre perla quartzite is another option -

Hi Ratrem, I know you posted a long time ago on Gardenweb, but I just came across your post as I'm seriously considering the Taj Mahal countertop for my kitchen. My only hesitation is with some visible little holes that I saw in the slabs that I looked at. The owner of the slab yard claims that this is normal for quartzite and that they usually fill the holes up during fabrication. However, if they are very small (about 1-2 millimeters in diameter), they usually just let them be without filling them up. This has me very concerned because things will inadvertently spill and I can't imagine cleaning stuff up that seeps into those tiny cracks. Do you have any visible holes in your Taj Mahal countertops, however small?

elizabeth714: White Fantasy or super white IS NOT a quartize, it has properties of a marble meaning it crumbles like it. Do the scratch test- true granite or quartize will scratch glass, marble and similar stones won't.

I had a sample and it felt and acted like marble- etching staining etc.

In fact when i asked for it at two different stone yards they both said it's not quartize but a type of marble.

That is what I thought when I looked at the photo. But that stone is so beautiful! I hope that Elizabeth714 will return and tell us how it is holding up.