Would you mind posting some photos, please? We've had the crosscut version of WM in for a couple of years, and we've not experienced any chipping. Is it possible your stone isn't MW?

megsi99:

I'm betting your sink has the notorious "pencil edge".

I've pulled faucets, dropped sinks, re-profiled sink edges to more round, and polished and reassembled everything on site to minimize this problem in the future.

Here's a before and after of a grind-'n-polish without re-profiling:

I doubt your stone is quartzite either. The stoners knew they could never sell that stuff for what it really is so they make up names and let people fall in love.

Can you post a photo?

Thank you, here's a few!

That looks like the shadow storm I brought home to test. It stained and etched, and was easily scratched. Was definitely a marble. We are going with White Macaubus and it passed the scratch and etch testing, but it definitely has more of a linear pattern that what you have shown. Looks like you definitely have a marble.

megsi99: That doesn't look like any of the images of MW quartzite I've seen all over the internet, but it IS very pretty. As kalenangel mentioned, MW tends to have more defined, dark veins running through what is generally a light grey stone. Hopefully you feel better that you didn't end up with the one quartzite countertop on the planet that chips -- I'm hoping you didn't pay quartzite prices, though.

I also don't think your stone is white macabaus. I installed white macabaus in November and it looks totally different :/

That said, I do have a chip due to negligence on my fabricators part and I have yet to figure out how exactly I want to handle it. He filled it with.... something.... but it didn't last.

GL- I really feel for you! This doesn't sound like a fun road, especially if you find out your stone is indeed not white macabaus and not quartzite.

Also I really wish I would have known about the pencil edge. I most likely would have chosen a different profile.

Keep us updated!

I have white macabaus and i just chipped the edge. So disappointed. Hit it with a small stoneware pan.

Pictures, please.

Ronda:

That can be repaired inconspicuously, especially if you have the pieces.

When your “supposed” quartzite chips, does it literally feel like gritty sand underneath that can be easily picked away at with your fingernail? I am highly suspicious that my “quartzite “ is actually real. It has massive etching due to an insanely quick exposure to lime juice and is also very easily chipped with what feels like just sand underneath

Kelly there are two ways to check if it's real quartzite.

1. You found out with the lemon juice etching the surface.

2. If you have a sample of the quartzite with a sharp edge on it, can you scratch a piece of glass with it? If so, then it's most likely quartzite. If not, then it's not quartzite and probably marble.

Or if you don't have a sample, can you take a knife and scratch the surface? On my quartzite a knife will not mar the surface.

Here’s a pic of our wm. No problems w/ staining, etching or chipping, thank goodness! Good luck.

Joe, good to know about the "pencil edge".

What is your suggestion for a simple edge?

Get as rounded an edge as you can stand please, especially at sinks.

We just had "white king quartzite" counters installed and when they came to install there were indentations in the slabs from the equipment they used to transport them and the installers kept calling it marble and saying, you picked the most fragile material. I kept asking the stone supplier if this was actually quartzite and he kept saying yes, yes and then during one of our phone calls, he even called it marble! It is very fragile and I love how it looks but it is not ideal in a kitchen. I still do not know what it truly is but feel very betrayed and

We are having the same issue with our Quartzite (Cristallo). Chipping around the sink and by the dishwasher as I think my husband is a little too rough when unloading it. We’ve only had our counter for 2.5yrs and they were so expensive. Can anything be done?

Get some medium body super glue and accelerator from the local hobby shop. Rub the chipped area with acetone. Mask off a 6" area around the chip. Stick a piece of tape on the edge with a slight bulge at the chip.

Fill the chip half full of super glue, then spritz it with the accelerator. The mask will keep the accelerator off the stone. Fill the chip to over-full and spritz again.

Pul the mask and using an angled razor blade, scrape the excess glue to flush. Polish the super glue to match the shine.

For a more permanent repair, have your edges re-profiled to more round please.

We just got our quartzite installed a couple of months ago. We have had nothing but trouble with the company we bought them from. There’s a huge chip in the sink from my daughter putting her glass plate in the sink and nicking it (but it didn’t hurt the plate hmm). They came to fill it and did an awful job, it looks like a huge blemish. The very same evening we got another chip on the bar. Now, they won’t return my calls. It’s so beautiful and I’m so disappointed.

I saw a comment on here to where the chipped piece turned to sand. That’s what ours did as well. Is this real quartzite? I don’t have a sample to test on.

They aren't getting rid of the "bruising", the white discoloration, before performing the repair. If a Sharpie doesn't do the trick, the white has got to be ground away. A fill with a stone remnant will look better than an adhesive fill, but that's more work.

The very best repair is replacing the sink with an apron style and reprofiling the sink edge to more rounded to reduce the risk of a repeat.

I work with granite and all kinds of stones daily and just by the 1st photo I can say that's marble

Does anyone know how to get your stone tested to confirm if it is marble or quartzite? Is there a company that will do an assessment with a piece of reman at stone?

Google around for tests please.

Do a scratch test before you buy. If the stove yard refuses to let your scratch with keys, squirt with lemon juice, etc. I’d say that’s a pretty good sign they know the stone is soft marble and won’t hold up to actual use.

There are different levels of quartzite. We just installed quartzite. From my research, the hardest and sturdiest is Taj Mahal. Some others with color are softer and more susceptible to chipping.

My Taj Mahal is chipping and ive only had it 2 days!!!

We are also having major issues with our Taj Mahal chipping. My fabricator has been back at my home multiple times to correct. I am frustrated and sad because we paid so much money for these counters. Had I known this would be the case I certainly would have picked something else.

Jill:

Have your edges reprofiled and polished to more round. Materials and fabricators can't take the blame for design decisions.

Joseph - While I appreciate your response, the edges had already been reprofiled and polished. This is a fabrication problem. Plus the fabricator was actually involved in the design decision, so again while I appreciate your comments in this case it is not because of the design. We selected Taj Mahal quartzite because of its supposed durability. We should not have splits, chips, cracks, rough edges etc in multiple places after only 6 months!

Jill:

Please post pictures of your reprofiled and polished edge.

I found this thread and wanted to add some preventative solutions for future use. quartzite is dense but also brittle. Its something they dont advertize. This means around the sink you can dent it if the edge is sharp.

i have this issue so to further prevent it getting worse, i applied this gel tape which is optically clear and water proof. it has a squishy underside and a firmer top side and is removable.

The tape reduces the impact from pots and pans (its about 1-2mm thick).

I had to do this since so many different people are using it over the year… in laws, cleaning lady, etc. so I’m sure they are banging on the corner with metal pots.

Just to note, this happened to my old Quartz counters as well and Granite before it. Don’t make the sink edges sharp.