There are a few of us discussing this right now.

One is eeeek my new quartzite etched & check the newest thread under kitchens. I was discussing it with a few others.basically it comes down to weather or not it's real quartzite. Seems everyone with real quartzite loves it.

Quartz substitute for marble link it has 45 replies

I'm researching this and following threads as well. I plan on doing a leathered granite perimeter countertop (white cabs). I don't like shiny (had shiny black in last home) and don't want fingerprints (which I read you can have even on honed). For my island I want to do something different, subtle but kind of a centerpiece. My island will be a workhorse and I know the marble will look terrible in short time. As I speak my children just poured lemonade, with some puddles sitting on my (currently formica) counter, I can only imagine if it was marble the heart attack I'd have. My problem with quartz is the shiny aspect. My problem with Corian is the scratching aspect. Therefore I'm leaning toward a true quartzite as well. DH doesn't like gray (!) so I have to have a counter that doesn't read gray which I'm finding hard with quartzite. I've seen the Taj Mahal but I'm not sure with the black perimeters if it looks too tan.

happyallison if you like gray and your husband likes other then look in to 'fantasy brown'….it's a very nice neutral but with a little bit of gray (not enough for my likes!) and it's pretty close up - I brought a sample home on the weekend and we tested it with balsamic vinegar, wine, tomato sauce for various periods of time …longer than I would leave since I am a 'clean up as I go' cook… didn't etch or stain after wiping down - what did etch was white vinegar after being left for a short time …I was almost sold on it until this happened and I thought I couldn't cope with etching on a polished surface - but I guess how often do you pour vinegar on to your countertop? (well my kids are still only 4 so maybe this will happen…my ds smashed a glass xmas decoration from the tree to 'see what would happen' recently and since he is usually well behaved I believe him when he said he wanted to see what would happen - kids are curious)

What do people think of vermont danby marble honed? Apparently it is not as porous and etching/staining can be 'scrubbed out' ….would love to hear from anybody who has it and their experience with scratching as well as the etching/staining? Is it a more durable marble i.e. resists scratches etc???

All marble etches period. There is no way around it without using an etchproof cover which costs as much per sq.ft as marble. True quartzite is bullet proof but the ones that look most like marble also act most like marble and etch and scratch. Let go of your marble dreams if you do not like etching and find something altogether different that you appreciate for itself or you will never be satisfied. I have 9 year old marble in my kitchen and I adore it etches and scratches, it does not stain, and all but if you can not appreciate that it will not look like it did on day one even on day two than let the dream go and find something else for there really is nothing else that truly substitutes it so do not even try.

Thanks Pippin I will do that

Pippin, how do you thank someone for their comment?

lily spider there is a remark at bottom saying 'say thank you'

Pippin, three cheers for your fabricator telling you the straight scoop on Super White and other marbles, that's great that you got the correct explanation right up front. You are ahead of a lot of consumers in that regard!

There definitely are real quartzites out there, and there are even some that look like marble (such as the cross cut version of White Macaubus) but it takes patience and a little bit of skill to find them. You'll have to test every candidate because they all look alike, and many salespeople have them mixed up as well. Look for White Macaubus, Madre Pearla, Sea Pearl, and Taj Mahal for starters. Good luck!

2littlefishes has Danby, I think. I'm obsessed with her kitchen. I'll try to figure out how to link to it.

thanks slk7e7 that would be great - would love to hear about her experience

Is there such thing as 'white princess' granite i.e. being a real granite?

I found 2littlefishies reveal (part 1), but all of the photos were gone :-( I tried to copy one from "Part Deux"; let's see if that works.

Nope. (still having issues with trying to post photos from a Mac.)

So here's a link (maybe) to Part Deux, where you can find some pics if you scroll down:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2496394/2littlefishies-yellow-kitchen-reveal-part

We have decided to go with a honed absolute black granite countertop…with marble backsplash… still classic but without the hassles!

I love the look, seems like a beautiful and safe choice!

Make sure you have a sample that you can test...Honed absolute black may not be as maintenance free as you want...I wanted honed absolute black but my fabricator warned me that oil and greasy fingerprints would stain it. Gave me a sample and that was definately the case...I think because it is honed oils can penetrate the surface:-( Ended up with soapstone instead, which I love.

HappyValleyHome did you have yours applied with an 'enhancer'?

Since several of you are looking for countertops, I thought I'd let you know that karin_mt who answered a post above is our resident geologist. Please look for her posts as slk7e7 recommended. You will learn what you need to know to shop and own stone. Thank you for sharing your knowledge Karin.

BTW, I have Monclair, romy718 has Imperial, and huango has Mt. White, all Vermont Danby marble. You can search for our Danby threads for pics and lots of info. Hopefully, the threads still exist.

Pippen....the sample had the sealer that our fabricator usually applies...can't remember what it is called now. Might want to look at soapstone if you love the look of marbles and don't mind black...mine has veining that looks very similar to marble with the colors reversed. Looks great with a carrera backsplash. It doesn't stain, wipes up easily, feels great and the occasional scratch is easily wiped away with mineral oil...and if you were to get a deeper one, it can be easily removed with a little sandpaper.

Thanks HappyValleyHome…I have been told that an 'enhancer' will make the black granite much user friendly when it comes to fingermarks etc and makes it a deeper black so I will get that applied…I had soapstone once on a bathroom vanity and hated it…it was scratched easily and a contractor left a deep one which always bothered me - I also found that unless I wiped it up constantly it never looked good (then had to leave it to dry which took a long time)… In the kitchen I am constantly wiping down my counters - I guess I don't like crumbs etc left for very long (I also vacuum and wash my heavy traffic floor areas almost daily too because I hate the feeling of dirt under my feet and we are a shoeless household) so I don't find that kind of maintenance a problem…I kind of don't understand the people who only have to wipe their counters down once a day? But I have 2 small children and am constantly making food and cooking so it depends on how you use your kitchen… I had a granite countertop in our last home with a lot of movement and the plus was that you could never see dirt/crumbs or anything on it but that was also a negative if you want a clean countertop - so long as the honed black granite will look clean after I wipe it down I will be happy…if the fingermarks etc stay there and I can't wipe down that will bother me but I hope that's what the enhancer's job is

Also meant to add that my island is Iceberg quartzite. It passesd the scratch test and was hard like a quartzite but it does etch:-( it is so beautiful that it doesn't faze me, and you can only see the marks when you look at it on a particular angle but I am definately glad that the soapstone in next to my messy cooking zone, not the quartzite

Roahra, could you post a photo of your etched marble counters? I love marble & have been following the threads as well. I think I can deal with etching. I know staining would bug me. Thx!

Pippin, I just got a quote of $220 per sf for Vermont Danby...waaaayyyy over my budget, but gorgeous!

So far, I really have been enjoying my brown fantasy countertops. My sample testing showed that they etch with extended exposure to acids (several hours, rather than several minutes). I have been living with them for 4 months and have hosted several large gatherings and subjected them to 2 kids and their friends. So far, no scratches or etch marks. They have a bit of color and texture variation that will hide many imperfections down the line. It doesn't look exactly like carrara or calacatta, but it gives the same soft look to the space. I would recommend it!

Wow Lily Spider!! I was given a quote of just over the honed black granite for the danby marble (maybe in the next house I will use it) - frankly I was surprised it was that low so maybe the fabricator got it wrong…I also asked for a quote on the white princess granite (surely that must be the best of all worlds if it's a real granite and looks like marble) but it was triple the price so off the radar!

annaship1 we almost went with the fantasy brown since it stood up to most things we put on our sample except etched like you say with acid (though with white vinegar it etched within a very short time maybe 15 mins)…. I just know with the polished stone and etching that would invariably happen at some point (a casual bbq and a guest pours a dressing on the salad to take outside and spills some - I can control myself but can't control the world!!) it would kill me…etching maybe on honed but I couldn't deal with it on polished - interestingly enough on the weekend we saw a fantasy brown that had been 'leathered' i.e. like a honed surface (for the reasons noted above) and I quite liked the look!

It seem crazy high. I am still waiting on 2 more quotes. Interesting to see where this one falls in. I got a sample of the LG minuet & I do like it with my cabinets, and I love that it's easy maintenance. I am heading out next week to look at more marble & white fantasy & if they don't work I am going with the minuet. Here's a pic

Annaship1 I saw old posts with your counter, your fantasy brown is beautiful. I am researching many options but I'm not sure if I will be OK with etching or not. I might be able to live with it. Do you have it on an island as well? My kids do art projects and help cook at my island so I'm not sure how durable a marble will be for me.

Pippin, I too have seen the leathered brown fantasy and really liked it! I didn't think I would. Great option. Colors didn't work for me tho.

Same for me Lily Spider…. my husband loved it but I really wanted a 'marble palette' of greys and so the brown didn't work for me either - I think I will be happy with the very classic look of honed black granite/white cabs/polished nickel and marble backsplash (the backsplash is where i will get my tiny bit of the dream lol!)

btw Lily Spider I saw a slab of the minuet on the weekend when I was looking and it looked really good - just too much 'brown' in it for me rather than grey but that's being extremely picky since the brown shade is just a hint

Agreed! It will be classic. Can't wait to see pics!

Funny. I noticed the brown today. Kinda surprised me cuz I didn't notice it before. I don't need to see a slab because my friend has it in her kitchen so I know what it looks like, however, where did you see a slab? I haven't been to a yard yet that has a slab of Quartz.

happyallison, I don't have an island, just a peninsula. It is where the kids eat breakfast, I set up buffets, mix cocktails, and do the majority of my prep. It is also the landing station for loading groceries into the fridge and pantry. I am pretty good about cleaning as I go, but during parties, things don't get cleaned up until the end of the night. So far, it has held up beautifully. I draw the line at art projects though, :-).

Lily Spider - Metcabinets in MA - they have a small slab showroom and the fabricator took us out the back to where he was doing some projects and showed us various quartz to get an idea of what they look like in larger form since the samples make it so hard to judge… Marble and Granite in MA have the Danby marble :

http://www.marbleandgranite.com/stone-slabs/natural-slabs/marble-slabs/eureka-marble-slab-honed-3cm

PS How does your friend like the minuet ? Handy that she has it to see it in a kitchen….that's the hard bit for me - imagining what a quartz will look like in the kitchen - if I saw one of the 'marble lookalikes' in a kitchen and liked it I could possibly run with it since it would be so easy to use every day

Actually the reason I went to her house was to see her reno project since I was just starting mine. Her kitchen is beautiful (inspired by a houzz photo of course). She has an enourmous island where all 4 of her kids eat. I saw the minuet and said "did you get marble?" I am no expert on materials & for sure had I been more savy I wouldn't have been fooled but to me. I really thought it was beautiful. She said it cleans up like a dream, sharpies, nail polish etc. I thought that's perfect for us. Like others have said my island is where it all happens. Buffets, prepping, school projects, art projects, and of course eating. So that's why I am back to thinking it's the way to go for my family. I only started considering quartzite after I saw a gorgeous piece at a stone yard. Here is a pic of part of her island.

Here's another. I guess I love on soft on the eyes it is.

Wow that does look good - thanks for sharing… similar cabinetry to what I am getting too…. we will have a peninsula which will be used in the same way (twin 3 year olds who are almost 4) to eat at, draw etc while I'm prepping dinner…another one to consider is Cirrus - I think LG make that too

Oh no I'm second guessing the honed black granite now for the Silestone Lagoon or minuet…

Are you using a photo for inspiration? If so, go back to that photo & revisit what you love about that kitchen. Is it the whiteness/brightness? The contrast of dark counters with white cabs? That might help you decide. I was second guessing all of my decisions a couple of days ago, so I did two things. I stopped looking at photos of kitchens :) and I looked at my inspiration photo & remembered what I loved about it. If you don't have an inspiration photo look at photos of kitchens you love and see if the same elements keep drawing you in.

Thanks Lily Spider :) My inspiration photos all have marble counters lol!!! butI think I'm back on track again - I love classic and I wanted real stone so I think thats why I went the black granite route (though I guess this seems strange after considering marble!)… I've always liked honed black granite and I need to be somewhat practical re the kids - one of the reasons for the kitchen reno (besides the fact that we moved here a year ago and the current kitchen is awful) is to provide space for the kids to be able to 'eat in kitchen' at the peninsula during the younger years while they are still messy (i.e. dropping food everywhere) and to provide a place for them to color/hang out etc while I'm cooking…I don't want to be on top of them the whole time which is why I ruled out the stones that etched/stained/scratched - I think the black granite is a good compromise for me and usability for them and will work in well with the other components of the kitchen…thanks for getting me back on track Lily Spider (my husband almost had a heart attack when I said I was second guessing lol)

It sounds like you got back to where/why you want honed black. It's very easy to get off track when you see/hear other people's ideas & photos. So many beautiful choices out there!

For whoever likes a marble but wants a quartz I had totally forgot till I saw this quote that I had been at a slab yard and they had a quartz called Calcutta statuario we didn't go with it because. I did not want quartz but it really looked like marble. I saw a bunch of pictures on google of it and I can tell you we saw it at both ciot and perfect marble in michigan

The brand is quartz masters I just called and asked