Thanks, Laura!

Hi, I'm looking at Aurea Paragon and Lincoln based on discussions here praising it for it's likeness to marble. I'm waiting to find out if the company can send samples (it's not in any kitchen showrooms in my area yet) -- in the meantime, has anyone compared these two colors and if so, how do they differ? They look so similar in the photos on the company web site. Phideas looks similar to those two as well, but maybe the veins have a little bit more brown? Thanks for any insights.

Hi Polly, Paragon and Lincoln are our two top selling colors. Phidias is very similar to Paragon minus the pencil veins. That's what I've noticed the most about it. If you can tell me where you're located, I may be able to put you in touch with someone that has the slabs you can look at. : )

Thank you so much, Laura! I'm in NYC.

Polly, OHM covers New York with the exception of NYC. Here is the link to the company that covers NYC so you can contact them about seeing full slabs of these : ) http://www.everestmarble.com/

Terrific. Many thanks, Laura.

You're welcome. : )

We are building a new home. The realtor who is selling our present home suggested we put in quartz countertops over granite in the new construction. She said younger buyers want low maintenance and would be best for resale.

I realize this thread is discussing granite and quartzite, but any thoughts on quartz over granite??

Will you be living in this home? If so, do you plan to move out soon? Otherwise, I don't know why someone would be advising you about resale when you haven't even moved in yet. If you don't plan to move out for another 10 years or more, new buyers may replace the countertops, and other things, anyway. If you are going to live there, install whatever makes you happy.

We plan to live in this new home for a good 10 years. I am struggling with choosing my countertop in the kitchen. I presently have Ubatuba granite with maple cabinets. I want something in a lighter color this time around.. white cabinets with a lighter countertop.

I like both quartz and granite. I asked my realtor for guidance on which material would they suggest based on resale when the time comes.

I am now leaning toward Taj Mahal quartzite in a polished finish. Will I need to protect this surface from hot pots from the stove? I believe I read in this looking at this long post that sealing prevents staining and not etching. Is etching an issue with polished Taj Mahal??

I've been living with polished Taj Mahal quartzite for 2 years. I definitely had it sealed. I have found juice spills and spaghetti sauce splatters that were left overnight. They wiped right up, no etching. However, I don't tempt fate. If I see anything, even water, I wipe it up right away. It's easy enough to do. As for hot pots and pans, I prefer not to place anything hot on the counter top because stone is cold! I don't want to cool off my food and I don't want to chance having the Pyrex oven dish crack from the extreme temperature change. I hear that the stone will not be damaged.

I purchased what was called Hurricane Blue Quartzite from Marble.com in Jersey. Anyone know if this a true quartzite? This is the desk area, still under renovations.

That looks like what we call Sequoia Brown which is a super soft quartzite - scratches very easy. We actually classify it as a marble because of it's soft nature but it is a quartzite, just not a hard one like Taj Mahal or White Macaubas. It's very pretty though and that edge looks fantastic on it!

Ugggg so I guess we have to be very careful, not what I wanted to hear :(

Funny because I had originally wanted something more white but this called to me at the yard while passing by on a fork lift. LOL!

When I Google Sequoia Brown, it looks nothing like what I have.

Is this what you saw on google? https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=854&ei=MhInWrzMF8Wpggef2ZfQBw&q=sequoia+brown+slab&oq=sequoia+brown+slab&gs_l=img.3...1302.3549.0.6700.20.15.0.0.0.0.340.2120.0j5j4j1.10.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..10.8.1753.0..0j35i39k1j0i8i30k1j0i5i30k1j0i24k1.0.armR2tP_2E0

Yes mine looks more like this

http://www.isqstones.com/vPopLot1.aspx?ID=819&q=Hurricane%20Blue%203%20cm^SLAB

It's difficult because they don't give you any info on it but it looks like the same type of stone in the picture, just slightly different colors?

This what the slabs looked like when templating

And how would you recommend I can for it?

meant to say care for it

Your fabricator should be able to make the best recommendation for you. Have you spoken to them about a long term sealer as well?

They suggest purchasing

https://mrstone.com/products/agm-daily-granite-and-marble-cleaner-3-pack?variant=1186763121

which of course is their product, or just mild soap and water to clean

I would say as long as they are willing to stand behind their product it should be just fine. And we also recommend just mild soap/water to clean - that's always the safest. : )

Thanks to all who have helped answer questions. We are finally rebuilding our condo-we own it my daughter rents it- after hurricane Harvey flood. My daughter and I both like fantasy brown. Is it a hard marble? Will it be ok in the kitchen and master bath? We hope to get this slab.

It's absolutely beautiful! And although I have A LOT of customers putting this in their kitchens and baths, you much understand that at some point, it is likely it's going to get scratched and it can also etch. As long as you are ok with that, you're good to go. It's a marble and quartzite mix so it does have moderate durability and it is definitely harder than a regular marble. Having your fabricator put a good long term sealer on it and only using cleaners approved for natural stone will help preserve it. Just remember that sealers do not stop etching if this has a polished finish and even acidic tap water can etch a stone. I tell people to, the more you pick up, mover over and set down and not drag anything across the top, the less likely you are to scratch it. Feedback that I've gotten from past customers is by following some of these methods, they have had little to no scratching and etching and have been really happy with their stone. It's really just a matter of knowing what you have and how to take care of it. ; ) Enjoy!

Laura Bolen, today we chose Taj Mahal quartzite for our kitchen remodel. It is available at more than one place here in Asheville, North Carolina. I believe I read earlier in this thread that there are differences in quality in quartzites that have the same name. How do I know which place has or can get the better slabs? Also, can you tell me which places in Asheville deal with OHM? I'm thinking that if one here uses your company, it is probably the one I want to deal with.

Things you want to look for are places on the stone where the factory filled in holes with a somewhat clear fill. Or fissures that run through the stone that can cause the stone to split open when the fabricator cuts into it. The more solid the stone appears the better. If you have any in question, you can always take photos of the material you are interested in to your fabricator and ask them about the quality and 9 times out of 10 they won't steer you wrong because they don't want to risk having to buy an extra slab if something happens at his shop. We do have a location in Charlotte that I believe would be the closest to Asheville and I would recommend that you call them and ask them if they delivery to Asheville. If they do, then ask them about the Taj Mahal they have in stock and it may be worth taking a trip to Charlotte and seeing it in person. And as far as cost goes. Pricing the same slabs with various fabricators usually gets you a variety of prices. Definitely spend time with a fabricator to make sure that doing business with them feels right. I hope this helps.

Thanks for your helpful and prompt response. Because of commitments, we can't get into Charlotte. That's why I wondered if you have stone here or deal with a place here that displays your stone. Given your advice, we will definitely carefully the actual slabs and talk with the fabricator we choose.

Because I'm in Nashville, TN, I don't know but if you call Charlotte, NC they should be able to help you with that. : )

Like others, I've just spent several hours reading through this thread -- and I'm so thankful I did as I feel like I am more educated and can avoid some of these negative experiences. A question for the professionals that have been kind of enough to answer -- now that we are in 2018 (I think this thread started in 2011 or 2012) -- is the industry more educated on Quartzite? I just had two different builders insist that Quartz and Quartzite are the same thing! (I know they aren't) I'd really love to get a quartzite that mostly gray and white, maybe the Calacutta quartzite? But, I'm nervous that it won't actually be quartzite. Also, I'm wondering if you've seen the price come down on quartzite at all as more quarries have opened?

Sorry, an additional question - any recommendations of reputable distributors in the Boston area?

It's a great thread, isn't it, Helena? Lots of colleges near you. Can you get your hands on a geologist? As you've experienced, lots of industry people don't know about quartzite. If only we could clone Laura Bolen.

Oh my goodness! Thank you! That's quite a compliment! <3 And there are plenty of days I wish I could clone myself too. One to work the warehouse, one to work the Houzz questions, one to clean my apartment, one to take care of all the new stone coming in and one to go have fun while the others are working, LOL

We deciding btwn a honed Quartzsite called Crystallized OR

a edge on butcher block on an island w No sink or stove.

The quartzite looks like Taj Mahal with more Veining.... see photo

No kids but we like to entertain and are wondering on the amount of maintenance & long term beauty of each ?

And if this particular Quartzsite is a harder more stain resistant quartzite

Considering Avenue white quartz white subway tile on the Perimeter

Many people are referring to quartz not quartzite. Please do your research. Quartzite is a high end material and is not man made.

I haven't seen anyone mention blue marine quartzite yet. We selected it for our island (at enormous expense). It looks like it has a similar structure to some of the "true" quartzites that have been mentioned so I'm hopeful that it will be durable. Does anyone here have experience with this stone?

Matt, that's beautiful. We carry it here as Fusion Quartzite. It's not quite as hard as a quartzite like Taj Mahal but it is still a quartzite and yes, it's quite expensive because it's more rare and not as abundant as other quartzites. You may find this stone to scratch a little bit easier than a regular quartzite so if you do more of "lift, mover over, set down" instead of dragging heavy/rough things across the counter it's a lot less likely to get scratched. But otherwise a fantastic quartzite. Enjoy it!

What an educational thread! We purchased a slab of fountain blue quartzite, sources from Brazil. Wondering if anyone has installed this? Cannot find a lot of information about it. Thanks!

Wow! That's absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately we don't have that at our location but I did send your photo to one of my contacts with Brazil to see if I can get some info for you.

Laura wondering if you ever heard anything back. The company came to template for it today - so excited!

I haven't heard back yet but I just got back from vaca today and the person that orders materials is out of the office. I will check back with her once I see her again though. What state are you in? I'm wondering if there is an OHM located near you?

Laura we are in Idaho

Ok. I am located in Nashville, TN. If we do happen to get slabs in at our location which, if they were just ordered, will not be in for 90 days, then we could look into transport to your area. However, it sounds like you will be needing material much sooner than that so you would have to choose something local to you. You may need to ask your fabrication shop that did your template happen to give you a list of distribution warehouses to choose from.

Thanks Laura, we have already purchased the slab - it was templated for our kitchen yesterday. I am just seeking information about this particular quartzite, i.e. if anyone has experience with it with hardness, staining, etc, etc. Our fabricator hasn't worked with this particular type of quartzite so far.

Ok. If we had the material here, I would be able to tell you more but due to us not having this in our inventory, I don't have any information on it as we have never carried it before. ;)

If you don't know much about your stone then ask your fabricator for a sample so you can test it out with lemon, ketchup, vinegar, scratch, drag, heat and so on. Natural stones and Quartz/man-made is a new product so test it out. As far as granite is concern, there is only a handful that would need to be resealed many times the first time and then every year. Example, Kashmir White, sometimes we have to seal it 3-4 times after we install because we keep seeing wet spots. If you see that then tell your fabricator, it is time to reseal it. BTW, the reason quartzite is expensive, aside from its beauty, it is because it takes a long time to cut, it is a HARD stone. A slab of granite can be cut in 1 hour, some quartzite will take a whole day to cut.

The sample test has been mentioned several times on this thread already. The problem is that lots of places do not provide sample pieces. They won't cut into a slab if you're not buying it.

So, wouldn't tile be much easier? I've had mine for 38 years!!