No quartzite is HARDER. Marble is softer.

Yesterday I went on a kitchen tour fund raiser for a local arts center. One house had Super White that was leathered. The kitchen designer that was there insisted it was quartzite. Yes, we all know to question that statement. What I was drawn to were the raised veins in the stone. I couldn't take my hands off of it! I was told the fabricator has used wire brushes to achieve the effect. The lighter parts that are less dense were lower than the darker veins. I have polished SW, which I do believe is quartzite. Love mine, but this blew me away. I can only describe it as earthy. In my previous kitchen we had leathered granite, but nothing as tactile as this.

Either finish is durable especially with quartzite. Taj Majal is not a busy stone so the polished would bring out its beauty. Leather would make it feel very tactile but would not be eye catching as the leathered finish make colors more muted. That doesn't really matter in Taj Majal since it's a muted stone.

Love Taj Majal. Leathered looks nice but polished to me is prettier. What would bother me about the leathered surface is not having a smooth surface if I was writing on paper. I had a leathered sample piece and could not write a note on it without it looking bumpy and knew that would drive me crazy.

Both would be pretty! If you like fancy and maybe more formal I would say polish. If the thought of marble appeals to you (that intrinsic beauty with a patina marble), I would say leathered. Leathered is cool and different. Polished is beautiful and more formal. I guess it depends on your overall style BUT either would/will be beautiful!

We just finished building our new home and while the building was going on our Super White Quartzite was ruined. They are replacing it and now we are needing to decide on polished or leathered. We currently have polished and noticed it shows water spots/etching. Does anyone have problems with their stone with etching on polished or leathered?

jmorawiec, lovely, lovely finish on your countertops!

Personally I can't speak on durability as I currently have neither, but if you prefer one over the other, I'd go the route that makes you happiest. I have read that leathered tends to be more forgiving if you've a busy, well-used kitchen and don't always wipe up crumbs. I've also read it can hide some stains and/or etching, but not sure about that. We plan to go with leathered for the reasons I just mentioned. OTOH, polished is always attractive, and it only takes a swipe to clean crumbs.

" We currently have polished and noticed it shows water spots/etching."

If it's etching, it's not quartzite. Test, please.

Super White is dolomitic marble, not quartzite., per our unofficial resident geologist karin_mt. Please have a read: The lowdown on Super White.

Sorry, bubbab09, but polished vs leathered will not prevent your stone from etching.

ETA: Etching will be less apparent on a leathered surface than on a polished (think mirror-smooth), but the stone itself will still etch.

We installed leathered Taj Mahal that we purchased from Walker Zanger. It is gorgeous and tactile. It doesn’t etch, stain or scratch. I believe it’s as hard or harder than the granite we replaced. The leather is whiter than the polished version. The polished goes more beige. We are goimy to order the same for master.

would love to see more photos of leathered Taj Mahal in kitchens

As a six-year employee of Kitchen Doctors, I have designed many beautiful kitchens while patiently awaiting the day when we could remodel our own. The raised panel white cabinets are in place, and my gorgeous leathered Taj Mahal stone will be installed next week. Abrase03, stay tuned... :)

Kitchen Doctors did you go with shiny or dull backsplash with leathered Taj Mahal? I have it on hold for install once cabinets are installed.

Same question!

Sorry for the delayed response! We chose a glossy tile, but we did not add under cabinet lighting so, although I can see the shine in person, it does not always photograph with the light reflecting off it. These photos look a little darker right now than the kitchen normally does in person. I'll post again another day. Maybe once we take care of a few decorative details...