Assuming it is a real quartzite it will not etch at all. It could stain, but most people here with quartzite have it sealed (like you do with marble). I've had my quartzite in the kitchen for several months, no stains at all.

Sochi, if you don't mind my asking, how careful are you with the quartzite? Do you quickly clean up spills? Within seconds? Minutes? Hours? I absolutely love your countertops. We can get a little messy cooking in my house, and I'm not certain if we would be too harsh on quartzite. Thanks!

This is one of my bathrooms with the white quartzite. It's my 9 year old son' bathroom. I pretty don't baby the counters at all. Have no idea how long soap, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, etc have been sitting on the counter when I go in there.

Here's the other bathroom--my 12 year old daughter's bathroom. Her bathroom is inside her bedroom, so I almost never go in here. I am sure lotion, potions and various other makeups sit on these counters for days. I try not to go in her bedroom area--she is a messy gal which totally distresses me.

Both of these bathroom counters were made from the remnant pieces from my kitchen. Have had NO problems with red wine, balsamic vinegar, oil, lemons, or anything on my kitchen counters. We LOVE the honed white quartzite!! I am not careful and couldn't be if I tried--we have already had a few large parties involving teenagers or drinking adults or young boys....so no careful groups here!

Thanks for the replies!

firsthouse, I was hoping you'd chime in. I knew you'd used it for your kitchen but I didn't realize you'd used it for your bath as well. Your house is so beautiful!!! (And a similar style to what we're doing in our own 50's ranch...)

I did test the sample we got with lipstick, eyeliner, nail polish, polish remover, eye makeup remover, as well as vinegar, oil and ketchup. There was no etching whatsoever, and only miminal staining from the liquid eyeliner that I suspect would not have happened were the stone sealed. So we are going to go for it!!!

Thank you!

Firsthouse, I love, love, love your beautiful kitchen. Is it a quartzite or a granite? Do you know if it goes by any other name? Thanks!

staceyneil - I forgot to mention that I have remnants of my quartzite as well, I will be using it in our children's bathroom, no concerns at all.

prickelypearcactus - I'm not very careful at all - average at best. I don't baby it at all. Generally I try to clean up every evening, but I'm sure at least once per week I leave something horrible on the counter. When I prepare to clean it the next day fear ripples through me - will this be the thing that finally stains it???? Not a hint of a stain yet.

Thank you so much for sharing your usage of the quartzite. That is very encouraging to know that without babying the stone it holds up well as long as it is sealed.

firsthouse_mp, what is the name of your stone?

I absolutely love this quartzite! I would like to use it in my bathrooms and my kitchen as well. Do you think it would look good paired with a carrera marble tile on the floor?

Also, does anyone know a good source for it in the Los Angeles area?

Hi everyone,

I guess the conundrum is that some white quartzite (Quartzite Bianca aka Luce de luna) etches, while others do not. They are, by appearance, the same material and I've been told all of this comes from just one quarry in Brazil.. so why are some etching and others do not, even when abused?

Curious if some could answer a few questions to see if we can get to the bottom of this:

1. If your white quartzite has etched, what material etched it? (acid/oil)
2. What sealer (product name) did your installer use and how many coats? (although this should have no effect on etching since sealing is just about stains, but I'm curious :))
3. Have you ever left food on the countertops overnight? (I've been told quartzite can etch but it typically takes food overnight)
4. Have you been able to 'cut' your quartzite with a stainless steel knife (or Swiss Army knife)? If you have a sample of your slab, can you cut glass?

Thanks very much!! We absolutely love Quartzite Bianca and seeing Sochi's kitchen photos sealed the deal, but we are now worried because of all the varied posts about this material etching.

Where did you purchase quartzite? How thick is the slab? Thanks

Sochi who has no staining or etching on her quartzite has HONED quartzite -- that makes all the difference in the etching (maybe the staining too). Honed will not etch because it has no polish to etch off

I have badly oil stained macauba quartzite. No etching or color staining at all. See my pics here. Also someone in the same post named heidia posted her macauba oil stains also. Seems macauba is prone to it.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2692150/countertop-geology-part-six-lets-talk-about-rocks-some-more?n=361