If you are looking for cheap, there is a selection of Chinese quartz makers that many people have no issues with. TCE stone comes to mind for me (But I am canadian). Sometimes large shops will also bring in their own name brand stone that is chinese made.

Why can't you use the black granite for the tub surround?

Be aware that white quartz from different manufacturers varies in whiteness. I looked at many samples of white quartz and found that Caesarstone pure white was the whitest. If you want white quartz you should check to see how it would look with your marble.

I think using the same black granite as your vanity countertop would look better.

Brad - ah, that explains the "store brand" quartz that one of the stone yards carries in addition to Caesarstone. I was wondering where that came from.

cpartist and Carolae - We're definitely open to the idea of using the black granite as the tub surround. I tried to find images of that yesterday and couldn't find much, so I thought perhaps it wasn't done because it looks too heavy? That would be my one concern.

“Store brand” probably refers to the brand(s) of quartz a particular store stocks. They can sell it at a lower price than other quartz brands which they order for each customer (“special order”).

The stone yard I went to stocks MSI and the price for their white would have been less than for Caesarstone pure white.

Will there be other black items in the bathroom? It might look nice to repeat the black somewhere. What will your flooring be?

Our windows, the vanity counters, and door hardware will be black. Originally we were going with white for the counters, but I wanted to repeat the black from the window another place. The floors, shower, and backsplash will all be a Carrara look porcelain tile. The master bath tub sits directly under the large window.

I agree that a black granite tub surround would be too much black then. What color are your vanities? If they are white, a white quartz that is very similar to the white of your vanities could look nice, or you could continue the marble-look tile from the floor up the sides of the tub onto the deck surround.

I’m not a pro, though. Did you use a bathroom designer who could weigh in on this decision?

OK, here is another suggestion. Have you considered doing black vanities with white quartz vanity countertops and white quartz tub surround? (Or perhaps you have already ordered your vanities.)

I love black and white bathrooms, by the way. Just about any combination of black and white will look nice. I just suggest that if you go with white quartz you pick it carefully, as some are not so white. I was considering a white countertop for my kitchen (I decided on granite instead) and got many samples of different brands of white quartz as well as Corian. I think the prettiest whites are Caesarstone Pure White and Glacier White Corian.

We haven’t ordered the vanities, but I really love the warmth of the white oak, so we’ll probably stick with that.

Our interior designer did the big picture concepts (beautifully) for us, and then she sort of vanished. We’re not quite sure what happened, other than it seems she scaled her business back considerably. None of the tradespeople who normally work with her have heard from her lately, either. But as a result we’re working through the details on our own now.

I’m going to try to drop in and compare quartz to tile today and see if there’s a reasonable coordinate.

I got to see a couple of options today. Daltile QuartzOne Morning Frost is probably the best power cost alternative, but it might be too white. (Ignore the speckle black and gray background - that’s just the table at the showroom).

Pental Cascade White also might be a good option.

Same thing I'm doing with a client. I would love some good information on why to pay more for the name brand quartzes aside from color.

Talk to your fabricator for suggestions and resources. Its likely they have samples and direct sources.

My client settled on the Pentel Thasos for baths/utility. It was more than MSI but the particular white worked better with their selections. I think there were at least a dozen different "whites" on site including most of the name brands and several house brands.

Looking at your post. As a builder, I would look at effective costs and also price continuing the leathered granite slab for the tub. It might be less than higher end quartz.

That was the word I was looking for in a previous thread... Definitely go with the Breton process if you do quartz. The other stuff you will regret, cheap knock-offs. Usually costs a bit more but worth investigating.

My last house had Cambria, concrete and cheap Chinese in the bathrooms. We were not able to tell the difference with the exception of the Chinese was 1/3 of the price of Cambria. It was much more simple though.

I don't think you need something indestructible in the bathroom and Chinese quartz might be fine for that use. I wouldn't put it in my kitchen though.

I certainly understand the philosophical reasons for sticking with licensed Breton manufacturers on the principle of protecting patented technology.

Beyond that, are there any practical difference in the case of such a limited use? As others have said, I can see it making a big difference for kitchen counters and such, but this will be a very limited use that won't be subjected to any difficult conditions.

Buy from a big company like MSI who are willing to put their name on a Chinese quartz product and will stand behind it.