There are a lot of options to quartz these days, so it’s worth looking at Corian, porcelain, Formica, granite, and soapstone.

@Marjorie Armand did you know you can have radiant heating installed under countertops? Then you can hug them every morning instead of flinching. 😍

Plenty of websites attest to the "alive" sound of real granite; hence my experience w/ the "deadened" sound of the synthetic quartz slabs at the stone warehouse vs the "singing" sound in the granite section:

"Did you know you can tell the quality of the slab by simply tapping on it? When you are in the countertop store, simply give the countertop a tap and listen to the sound. A natural, good-quality granite should give a ringing sound when tapped, while a cheap, manufactured granite, won’t give the ringing sound. The poor quality granite ["quartz"] won’t make the unique sound because it’s made from resins and quartz crystals that are non-porous, and due to this, the sound produced will be muted or dull." https://www.flintstonetops.com/how-can-you-tell-quality-of-granite/ (One example of many)

Not everyone can sense this difference. And even if you can, it's up to you whether you care.

I live in a 125-year-old renovated farmhouse with old, exposed wood, stone, brick, etc. The "dull" effect of quartz just wouldn't feel right. Literally. YMMV.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I DETEST quartz / granite / quartzite, and all the other "natural stone" materials that ALL look alike! You have 500 shades of white, black, gray, one more boring and drab than the next. And yet, everywhere you go in your search for new countertops, that's what they'll shove in your face. How about some nice brass, zinc, pewter, copper for a change?

What only a few designers mention about granite countertops is the fact that they are RADIOACTIVE - emitting both radon gas and beta particles! Pick your poison.

With all that radiation I save on electricity as my countertops glow in the dark, and since my cat has taken to sleeping on the countertop I no longer need a nightlight because she glows too!

Common building products such as brick, cement, granite, and glazed tiles may contain radioactive materials. Nearly all rocks, stone, soils, and minerals contain trace concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials such as radium, thorium, and uranium.

Food contains small amounts of naturally occurring radioactive materials. Topping the list are Brazil nuts, which contain high levels of radium-226 and potassium-40. Bananas containing enough radioactive potassium-40 have occasionally set off alarms at border crossings and ports. Other common foods that contain small amounts of radioactivity include root crops such as carrots, potatoes, and peanut butter. Beer, red meat, and lima beans also make the list. Low-sodium and no-sodium salt substitutes often contain enough potassium-40 to double the background count rate of a survey meter.

@Joe Maxwell thank you for making me aware that countertops and sinks are available in metals. I knew about ceiling and wall tiles and was unaware of contemporary styles they are available in now. I enjoyed googling and am exploring where I might use copper especially. I love the blue green it becomes!

Quartz is an imitation of the natural stone, but a bad imitation that I believe will go out of "fashion" soon. In Europe and Asia, they call it Artificial Stone. In the USA they call it Quartz. I have a countertop shop and most of our walk in customers think that "Quartz" is a natural stone, the name is purposely deceiving. The Quartz industry made a good job of marketing via TV, internet, architects etc. They said Quartz is the best thing in the world and natural stone is bad. This is just a lie. Quartz stain, etch, burn the surface, and if a tip breaks, repairs will look really bad. Quartz also become yellow with time. It is much worse to repair than natural stones. In my opinion, It is ok to promote a product, but it is NOT ok to lie to the public when promoting your product. Also, can you guys make any search online for the illness that is being caused by Quartz to the workers? Please make any google search with "silicosis Quartz" or "Osha Quartz" and look at the results that are reliable and you will realize how unhealthy this product is.

Anything unhealthy about soapstone?

@ Roland Feiertag

I think you may be confused. Silica is found in the mineral "Quartz". Not just in Quartz countertops. It is in Quartz countertops and Quartzite and Sandstone and Granite. . . .

"Workers involved in manufacturing, finishing, and installing natural and manufactured stone countertops are at risk for significant crystalline silica exposure. Crystalline silica commonly occurs in nature as the mineral quartz, and is found in granite, sandstone, quartzite, various other rocks, and sand. Workers who inhale very small crystalline silica particles are at risk for silicosis — an incurable, progressively disabling and sometimes fatal lung disease."

"Finished natural and manufactured stone products, including finished countertops, do not present a health hazard themselves. However, cutting, grinding, chipping, sanding, drilling, and polishing natural and manufactured stone products can release hazardous levels of very small, crystalline silica dust particles into the air that workers breathe."

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3768.pdf

The mining of any of the natural slabs are often done by indentured workers or child workers and is a huge human rights issue in many parts of the world.

I would not buy an engineered stone or natural stone not mined or manufactured in the United States.

I think you may be confused, Jennifer.

"When the synthetic quartz is cut, ground and polished, lung-damaging dust is released into the air, leading to a disease called silicosis. The disease has plagued miners and cutters of natural stone for centuries, but the engineered stone is far more dangerous due to its high concentration of silica, a natural product in sandstone, and the harmful polymer resins and dyes that are added to the engineered product."

https://medconnection.ucsfhealth.org/news/deadly-dust-engineered-stone-is-making-california-workers-sick

@ Diana Bier Interiors, LLC I am not going to argue with you. There is something to be said about the working conditions when the entire study is based on undocumented Latino immigrants in Southern California. Wet sanding and respiratory masks would have prevented this and it is a shame that some greedy employer let these people become fatally ill because they were too cheep to buy protective equipment.

Silica comes from Quartz, but it is only dangerous if it is in the form of dust. Kind of like asbestos. It isn't dangerous to have a quartz countertop in your home unless you are planning on grinding it and creating dust.

Like many other claims that things are incredibly dangerous and we shouldn't have them in our homes, the fear that your quartz countertop is going to give you lung cancer is simply unfounded.

Your not dying from the silica in Quartz, your not dying from the radioactive materials in Granite, your not dying from the asbestos in Soapstone. Your going to die from something, but you would need to live in a conditioned bubble to keep yourself from being exposed to something dangerous.

One of the most common injuries working with stone slabs is back injury.

Hints:

don't grind or sand your countertop with power tools that can turn stone to dust,

don't use a chisel on your countertops as flying chips could cause eye injury,

don't lift your countertop as this can cause back injury

don't drop your countertop on your feet as this can cause foot injury.

I have a 3 year old quartz counter top. Looks kind of like soapstone. I like the look from a distance but it is so hard to take care of. Water rings are hard to remove. I thought it would be easier to take care of than my old beige Formica counter tops. For 38 years The Formica was easier to take care of. And I could just spray scrubbing bubbles on rings and they would be gone. The new counters not worth the price.

I hear what you're saying about laminate being easier to care for, Susan. Even some granites can get water rings and marks. No counter top material is perfect; all of them are work surfaces. If they become marked, so be it. Unless they are totally trashed, which most of them aren't, it isn't worth agonizing over imperfections.

Make the best decision for you. Whatever it may be. From butcher block to stainless steel to soapstone to granite to Formica to Corian to ceramic tile and grout scrubbing, to quartz to quartzite to marble, to porcelain and whatever.

Each and every single one will have a property that you, and only you will determine to be a pro or con, based on whatever is very important to you.

I have a client with a lake house. Thirty odd years ago, in a refresh of an oddball tiny kitchen, we did cobalt blue ceramic tile on her counters and splash. She loved it then and still will NOT let me change it. Every party clean up is a pain - the simple wipe up is a pain of something stuck on the grout in her version of " they're so charming and I adore that blue" . I curse, I beg. Answer ? "No, I love them , and it's the LAKE. !!" Thus followed by my eye roll and " got any more Bar Keepers Friend down there?"

Have what you like. It's a somewhat free country in that regard.

Everyone who enters my kitchen loves our Quartz counters, as do I. I have granite in another kitchen of ours and I can’t tell any difference in overall look, feel, function…Or singing. Much of the discussion here sounds like that of wine experts extolling the wonders of the “complexity and hint of oakiness” in their favorite high priced wine…only here it is a countertop. I love a beautiful stone as much as the next person but also see some beautiful quartz. I think many are drawn to the idea of having something that is exclusive and expensive to set themselves or their space apart from the “masses”. Come to think of it, the analogy with wine is not that great because the grape is equivalent to the quartzite and the wine to the quartz because the quartz is a man made concoction using the natural quartzite in the recipe just like wine is the man made concoction using the natural grape…..

Every time I see the discussion between quartz and granite countertops, I think of the debate with flooring. Some swear by hardwood, but some like the LVP/laminate. I think they are both nice, but it just depends on the person. I, for one, like the real products - granite and hardwood. I wonder if, in a few years, people will be saying the quartz and LVP look dated.

I wonder who notices what other people have. I am not talking about designers - They make a living noticing this stuff.

If you think about the last home you visited - a neighbor or friends house. Not one that you visit every week or two, but somewhere you only go to occasionally. Do you remember what countertop they had? Do you remember what flooring they had? How about their knobs and pulls? What was important enough for you to remember. What judgement did it invoke?

I went to my ex-sister-in-laws home with my niece a few months ago. She has some great MCM furnishings and things including a pair of Laurel brushed metal Mushoom lamps. Those I noticed. I can't tell you what color her walls are painted, what is on her floors or what her kitchen looks like. I do remember her last kitchen cabinets - they were painted bright sunshine yellow. The house she had before that had bright red kitchen cabinets. I also noticed her silver ware. It is the same set that I have that I inherited from my mom. Purchased through Dansk in the late 1960s. My mom bought a set for her and my brother the same time as she bought her own set.

My sister has different knobs and pulls on all of her kitchen cabinets. Found hand made knobs and pulls made by an artist that are beautiful painted insects, animals, flowers. Very few people even notice these quite unusual knobs and pulls.

Who do we think will notice if we use brushed chrome at the sink and shiny chrome in the shower or if we have granite in the kitchen and quartz in the bathroom?

@bkind37

Think back to the 60s and 70s when everyone covered the outdated hardwood floors with shag carpet and sheet vinyl.

Nothing is timeless, everything at some point looks dated or falls out of favor. Will that happen with LVT and Quartz? Probably. But it may come back into favor a few years later.

You are so right, Jennifer, about not noticing the details. When we are in the midst of a project, we can agonize over every. little. thing. Then when it's completed, all we want to do is enjoy the space with family and friends. When someone asks me which white is on the wall, I can't even remember, even though at the time I made sure that I considered every single white known to man!

And yes, as a designer I notice everything in anyone's home. (I probably always did, but I'm big on details, which is probably why I'm a designer and an accountant :) But I don't judge or comment unless asked. AND if asked, I try to be as diplomatic as possible, and always preface my comments in terms of budget.

I see it all, and it will stick like glue. That said? None of my business unless asked, or I can say, ....your home is just drop dead FABULOUS! !

I think a lot of this is the like the ugly baby thing - someone loves that baby, heart and soul. You can either say "Oh! Hello Sweetheart , mommy has you all bundled up for your ride, and I just loooove your HAT!!!!" ........or you can ooh and ahh "oh HOW ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! she is! Right?: ) lol

Singing aside (ahem), my first priority in countertops--having at one time paid my bills by being a housecleaner; and this being a heavy-use farm kitchen in use all day long--was upkeep and daily grime. I chose a granite that looks like someone spilled black pepper and cinnamon all over it. Plus pizza, maybe. If it were clean and smooth lovely light quartz, like my bathrooms, or the stunning black recommended by various pros involved w/ the kitchen install, I'd be wiping up every inconsequential spot ALL DAY LONG. Total OCD. So, indeed--I went with earthy and random, vs the perfection of quartz (even the installer said he preferred working w/ granite because the artificial design in quartz "repeats and is boring"). For the same reason, though, I nearly chose quartz for its cleanability. As in the bathrooms.

There are two wood butcher-block countertops in my kitchen as well, one at a lower level solely for kneading bread; the other is our coffee/tea counter. No regrets there either. It all "sings" to me. May yours do the same for you.

I don't like quartz either. I know marble stains, but I prefer. Just look at old marble in Europe.

Original poster here…hello everyone!

For what it’s worth, I went with marble (kitchen and all bathrooms…I do have a large island in the kitchen which is walnut, but the rest of the counters are bianco avion marble). It’s been over 5 years since our build, and I have zero regrets. Love the warmth of it and honestly there has been zero maintenance…no exaggeration!

Also regarding people noticing what’s in my home, every single person who has come through here for the first time notices and comments on everything! It’s really weird. For me though, when I visit someone else’s home, I really don’t notice the specifics much.

KL - Brass countertops rank among the most beautiful you can find anywhere, and they're extremely durable. The only problem is that no one knows about them in the US and they are a bit pricey. The only "stone" I'd ever opt for in lieu of brass or copper is architectural soapstone, but that's very hard to find and doesn't come in longer pieces.

Choose brass - it's gorgeous.

Glad to see you back, nidnay! I agree with you about marble not being particularly high maintenance. You clean it, done. If you're going to try to sand out the etches every time you see one, then yes, it's a lot of work. But, 1. it doesn't really work, and 2. trying to make marble do what it can't do is a fool's errand. And mine is honed white Olympian Danby marble--no stains, just etches and chips. Oh well, life is waaaaayyyy too short to spend time worrying about counter tops.

We went with Taj Mahal; if we hadn’t, I would have used a marble, etching be damned. It holds up and is just so pretty….a living finish. As to heavily speckled slabs vs something cleaner-looking: I’d much rather be able to see “dirt” on my tops than leave it hidden between all the speckles! My son and DIL’s house came with heavily speckled granite tops, and they hate them….they’re a pain to clean.

"Nothing is timeless, everything at some point looks dated or falls out of favor."

I don't know when subway tile, Glacier White Corian, or apron front sinks have been out. Motzart has been dead for several hundred years, but his music is just as relevant today.

Yeah, but Mozart was an artistic genius. Just sayin' :)

Let's be honest. As with anything else it is not what you use but HOW you use it. The context matters!

You don't put marble in a 1970 kitchen with brown "turdish" 8" square ceramic tile floors, and a Formica table.

That's how you turn a beautiful thing to WHAT the heck?

When your grandson is attempting a Mozart at age seven?? Try not to yell "hey Wolfgang, take a break, okay?"

I'm not sure if it's the colour only or the quartz, but I'm finding my mostly black quartz countertop to be impossible to keep clean. Everywhere it says to just wipe and they stay beautiful, but I go though a three product wiping and polishing process just to get rid of cup rings or water marks. So, I might as well do the occasional sealing that comes with granite.

I'm not sure if it's the colour only or the quartz, but I'm finding my mostly black quartz countertop to be impossible to keep clean. Everywhere it says to just wipe and they stay beautiful, but I go though a three product wiping and polishing process just to get rid of cup rings or water marks. So, I might as well do the occasional sealing that comes with granite.

I'm not sure if it's the colour only or the quartz, but I'm finding my mostly black quartz countertop to be impossible to keep clean. Everywhere it says to just wipe and they stay beautiful, but I go though a three product wiping and polishing process just to get rid of cup rings or water marks. So, I might as well do the occasional sealing that comes with granite.

That is odd. I use only a damp microfiber and it comes out beautiful.

The quilted-looking ”Swedish” dish cloths work very well. I use the ”checkered” side, leaves no ”clouds” etc. As far as detergent I use a homemade mixture of mostly water, maybe 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol and a couple of drops of Castile soap. This works well on granite or quartzite, as well. (Got this from an article about good and safe cleaning products here on Houzz a few years ago.)

I hate it. It’s so fake looking!

Laminite is still my favorite--so easy to keep clean!

I do miss laminate. Easy, warm and quiet.

You need not "miss laminate", Readily available, everywhere. As is granite, quartzite, marble, Corian, quartz, butcher block, soapstone, and others.

Get what you like! What works for you! The darn thread is what needs to die : )

And quartz can get damaged if something hot is put on it.

I decided on a beautiful quartzite, Blanco Superiore, following months of looking at quartz to go with rift cut white oak kitchen cabinets in walnut color stain. None of the quartz patterns seemed interesting and the only ones that coordinated with the cabinets seemed flat with no sense of dimension in coloration. Two years later, I love my choice. I like some of the quartz though if you are looking for a consistent color throughout (without pattern).

"And quartz can get damaged if something hot is put on it."

As can many natural stones; the Natural Stone Institute recommends trivet use as does the manufacturers of engineered stone, solid surface, and plastic laminate.

Nixon/ Khrushchev Kitchen Debate 1959:

Nixon: This exhibit was not designed to astound but to interest. Diversity, the right to choose, the fact that we have 1,000 builders building 1,000 different houses is the most important thing. We don’t have one decision made at the top by one government official. This is the difference.

Jan Moyer appears to pride herself on spewing forth one little sarcastic, nasty quip after the next. Intolerance abounds on this forum, with some clearly producing more than others. If you're not immediately affected by queries and comments, please just keep your nastiness to yourself or plague your significant other with it.

I don’t think what Jan said was nasty at all. Sure, she speaks her mind, but I saw her comment more as ”ok, to each his own, this thread is just going round and round”….

I think Quartz looks fake and screams “Oh, you must’ve built in the early 20’s during the painted white brick craze.” I’m in the middle of a new build right now and see it everywhere but decided to go with a higher end granite throughout. Granite is classic and will never be out of style. Had it in my last house and held up like a champ.

I USE quartz, when a client wants it, when it is appropriate. It SUGGESTS marble, it is not meant to fool you. Accept it as that, and enjoy.

That's the "no snark" comment, other than the horse has been beaten to death on this six year old thread.

If you think it looks fake, looks like plastic, screams offensive to you? Then you would not use it, or I have certainly lost all my "marbles".

There are plenty of materials; E stone, granite, marble, butcher block, soap stone, quartzite, Corian..... even stainless steel , to consider.

Use what YOU like. Lord.....................help me lol

We are thinking of using Mont Siachen Natural Quartz for kitchen island & counters Has anyone used this material ?

Good to start your own thread. What matters is hour home, your cabinetry, your flooring.......with any top you use. Post a link to the material as well as the other materials in your kitchen plan