Sea Pearl Quartzite Question!

10 years ago

My wife and I have chosen two large Sea Pearl Quarzites for our kitchen remodel and are torn between a polished vs. honed appearance.

To me, I really liked the polished Sea Pearl (see pic below --- honed vs. polished)

That being said, we are nervous about etching and staining although my understanding is that Sea Pearl is a 'hard' quartzite. It also looks like from Houzz that most people have it polished. Our kitchen designer has really pushed us to go toward a honed look because of the concern of etching with quartzite --- I know she wants to make sure that I don't get disappointed if etching occurs.

I was hoping to get input from people who have had a polished Sea Pearl installed and/or from fabricators or designers in terms of their experience. Thanks in advance!

Featured Answer

karin_mt

10 years ago

Interesting question josephhou, there is no such thing as hard/soft quartzite. The reality is there is quartzite and there is marble. People sell marble as "soft quartzite" and that is wrong on many levels. If I were in your position I would use a few very simple tests to definitively determine if you have quartzite or not. It's easy to do.

Then, if you have quartzite, you can polish or hone it as you please. If you do not have quartzite, then you can punt from there. But there's no need to hedge your bets when you can know the exact answer.

All the info you need is here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2692150/countertop-geology-part-six-lets-talk-about-rocks-some-more

Please also direct your KD to this info, because he/she should also know the best way to deal with this question. Hope this helps!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

rantontoo
10 years ago
That slab is gorgeous! Is it honed or polished? Ask if the honed slab is more susceptible to staining than the polished finish. Can you get small pieces with both finishes to test?
Related Professionals
Springfield Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Myrtle Beach Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Marquette Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Edison Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Palm Bay Kitchen Remodelers · San Marcos Kitchen Remodelers · Beatrice Kitchen Remodelers · Hudson Kitchen Remodelers · Washington Custom Countertops · Effingham Custom Countertops · Indianapolis Custom Countertops · Vincennes Custom Countertops · Nashua Custom Countertops · Westerly Custom Countertops · Salem Custom Countertops
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
10 years ago
First I am very jealous because Sea Pearl was my hearts desire. And your slabs show exactly why. Gorgeous. I found instead slabs of Fantasy Brown quartzite that did make my heart flutter and that's what I picked. It's going in next week hopefully. I have worried about the etching possibility too. But I have decided if marble has existed in Italy on statues and buildings for many generations surely it can live in my kitchen and I can love it's aging process. After all I doubt there will be pigeons doing their business on my countertops nor acid rain and look how beautiful and timeless those structures have endured. Best of luck to you with your beautiful Sea Pearl.
PRO
Econ Granite
8 years ago
Wow! That sea pearl is beautiful, we work with this material often I might have some helpful feedback. Sea Pearl is a very hard quartzite, similar to white macaubus. We use diamond blades to cut this material at our shop, regular day to day activity won't harm the polish. Unless you're intentionally trying to scratch the stone, you shouldn't have an issue. I personally prefer the polish, it gives this stone a depth of color, dimension, and an unmatched luster. With honed you'll get a softer, earthier feel/look. Hope this helps you!
lauraburditt
6 years ago
jh98 - I'm curious how your sea pearl countertop has held up the last couple years. We recently installed sea pearl in a new build. I tested a piece the fabricators gave us and red wine, when left overnight, left a stain. I'm wondering if this is typical. Olive Oil also left a darker spot where it had sat overnight.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
Typical? Yes.
jh98
Original Author
6 years ago
Lauraburditt: we have had Sea Pearl in our kitchen for 4 years now. No significant staining that we’ve noticed. We were meticulous in the beginning making sure to wipe the counters clean frequently but over time less so but we keep things clean. I suspect that there may be staining issues with oil as there are some darker spots closer to our range but frankly it’s hard for me to know what is a stain vs normal variations in the stone. I think should have it re-sealed but overall we have been really happy with the choice and its overall durability. No issues with red wine but we don’t leave it sitting overnight if we can avoid it.
Neil Gupta
4 years ago
is sea perl always black/grey? the one in our designers showroom has some warmth to it.