White counters are in; therefore; quartz is in. I haven’t come across any white granite slabs in my hunt. I prefer Granite as a material over quartz but the sacrifice is color. Go for what you love if you plan on staying in your home as ”what’s in” will change in 5 years anyway.

Your requirement for white doesn’t fit a lot of what Mother Nature has manufactured. Unless you can love Luna Pearl, or other actual granite looking granites. Because the other non granite looking granites, aren’t granite. Those pretty flowy non granite stones, like marble, and quartzite, are high priced and problematic. Your want does fit man made products. Many of them. Which are generally less expensive, even at $130 a square, and far more available.

The guy probably didn't recommend quartzite because he most likely lacks the equipment and skill to fabricate the much harder quartzite slabs. Do your research and then ask him, put him on the spot!

@chispa Thank you, I will definitely read the threads. The first few places we asked about quartzite said they weren't exactly sure what it even was, which surprised me to say the least. They immediately followed that with saying they "didnt recommend it, though". I wanted to say, "how so, given your unfamiliarity with it as a whole?", but instead quietly decided they probably weren't the best fit for us and looked up another countertop installer.

I love my quartzite!

Quartz is not my cup of tea. I find it in fashion now, through a great deal of hype and overselling. I like marble, soapstone, absolute black granite or Virginia Mist, followed by Glacier White Corian. I would have plain Formica sooner than ersatz quartz. There are gorgeous quartzites as well. Do not be persuaded by people who have a buck to make on these expensive furnishings. Choose what you like, what suits your taste and your budget.

Cpartist, everybody loves your quartzite ;-)

I wanted to like quartz, and there are some that I did like but overall, I still love granite/quartzite. It took me a while to get it straight about quartzite and quartz- btw.

We put granite in our last house (about 10 years before we sold) and I really did think that it was all that- plus gorgeous.

We are remodeling the kitchen where we moved to now, (basic builder kitchen from 1990's with formica- actually pretty sturdy kitchen) and I looked at everything and ultimately decided on a quartzite (but easily could have gone with granite) due to the design, and knowing that it will be durable.

So, in summary, I am surprised to hear someone say granite is no longer in demand. I still love it and it looks like many of us do too.

If you like marble, get marble. I did over five years ago - no regrets. Yes, it ages gracefully. They've been using it in Italy for hundreds of years. I have an antique French vanity with a marble top.

My brother got quartzite, and it's also wonderful. Very white with nice movement.

Quartz looks fake because it is fake. Practical, but not natural stone.

It's 66% natural stone.

Stay away from Kashmir White or anything that looks like it but called by another name! It will stain and darken horribly.

PRO

Patricia Colwell Consulting

IMO natures stones are still superior to quartz and I always recommend them to my clients, the only other counter top I like for the price is Abet Laminati Stratificato. IMO if I am going fake it is an awesome product and the bonus a good wood worker can do the fabrication on site and install . Comes in 100s of color with metal layer if you want then self supporting for overhangs and I am always surprised how few people know about them. The counter in this pic was less than 2K for 2 large slabs we did the kitchen and doubled it up for a new mantel on a large fireplace. My son actually did the template, fabrication and install all in one day on site with good quality wood working tools and the saw blade that is recommened. They sent the matching filler for the joints so they are virtually invisible. If you notice in the picture these clients have a B&B and they use a pices of the remnants as cutting board.

Granite is definitely still quite popular but finding a granite with grey / white veining is not a common occurrence. White wave / viscon white would likely be the closest. Depending on your lifestyle, VT Danby Marble could be a option with a 15 year sealer like bulletproof. Vermont marble is harder than Italian marble but it is still a soft stone. Quartzite comes in a wide array of colors and is very hard and durable, you just want to make sure what you are buying is actually quartzite and not a dolomite. Porcelain is also a material you may want to look into as it can have a marble look and is durable, however labor costs are higher as it is tricky to fabricate. Whatever you choose, good luck, and we hope your fabricator presents all the options available.

Your fabricator may be a little behind the curve on trends. Granite had fallen out of favor with the interior design trend setters but has been experiencing a resurgence as of late 2019 as the prices of quartz are increasing due to tarrifs on goods made in China, which the majority of quartz brands are with the exception of Cambria. Granite isn't necessarily a problem-free surface as you will find with your hopefully upcoming research as others have suggested already that you pursue. The darker granites tend to be more dense and less prone to color changes and other problems than lighter granites, which is why if you want a light-colored countertop, most designers would point you toward quartz, Corian, or the much more expensive quartzite. Beware that not all quartzite labeled as such is actually quartzite and may by mineral composition more resemble marble which can be a delicate substance as far as staining and etching in reaction to food acids and even acidic tap water typicallly seen in a working kitchen. True quartzite like Taj Mahal, for instance, is non-etching but is subject to special fabrication and installation requirements, so you should only use a fabricator who is experienced with quartzite, uses a lot of water during the cutting process, and has the equipment needed to transport and install the quartzite with zero cracking.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting I saw your recommendation for Abet Laminati Stratificato about a year ago and looked into it extensively. I know you're based in Canada, and I'm in the far Southern United States, and I just simply could not find a supplier of this material down here. One of the questionable items is whether or not Stratificato can be successfully used with an undermount sink given that it is essentially a thick laminate. After looking at the data sheets and testing results, it seems that the verdict is rather divided on this. The material can take a certain amount of moisture at the edges and is even shown in some advertising material to be used with undermount sinks, but I don't believe this is recommended for heavy usage. The Stratificato is so rigid that it can be used for creating walls and architectural structures. It sounds like a fabulous surface with all the abrasion durability of a laminate, but it doesn't seem to be easily available in my region. Perhaps it will become more so in time. It reminds me in some ways of the diner tabletops popular in the 1950s with the metal layers.

“We've spoken to a few different countertop companies“

What does “countertop companies” mean? Showrooms that sell Quartz? Solid surface manufacturers’ customer service numbers? Certainly not fabricators who have been fabricating stone counters for years.

“After the first few conversations, the message was clear: quartz is King.”

No. It’s not. It is popular, but so are quartzite, granite, marble, Corian, soapstone, and butcher block. I dislike sweeping statements. They never bode well for people’s kitchen renos. As Chispa said you need to educate yourself. This is an expensive purchase!

Viscon White granite is lovely. As you were advised, it varies from slab to slab. So do a lot of granites. That is why people visit several stoneyards to pick the slab they like most, whether Viscon White or something else. It’s fun and interesting to do that. It’s part of the process. You pick your slab from the infinite beauties that Mother Nature provides.

Here is a link to a long thread about Viscon White (aka Viscount White) with a ton of photos showing how varied it is. Me, I love the ones with black chunks. So cool. People pay more for those. You can find many slabs without those chunks; it’s personal taste.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2690316/do-you-like-your-viscont-white-granite-counters

@M Miller By countertop companies, yes, I meant showrooms as it was my understanding we needed to first select an installer to receive a referral or what they called a "pass" to visit the slab yards. At least that is what we were told. Is this not the case? Should we be going about it differently?

None of them were quartz-exclusive but nearly all seemed to only want to discuss or quote quartz and were quickly dismissive when we inquired about granite or quartzite. That is what I meant by "quartz is King"- not that I personally felt that way as my post was an effort to both educate myself and pursue options in granite and quartzite, as I do not personally like quartz from what we've seen thus far.

Thanks for the thread link, I'll check it out!

“we needed to first select an installer to receive a referral or what they called a "pass" to visit the slab yards... this not the case?”

That was not the case for me with 2 different kitchens. But it could be regional practices differ, idk. I went to 3 or 4 stoneyards before making my choice. I didn’t need any kind of pass. After I chose my slab, then I found a fabricator. It is always a good idea to call a stoneyard first before visiting it. Most want to have someone accompany you in the yard - it’s somewhat dangerous with slabs being lifted all around, lots of tripping hazards, etc. and they want to keep an eye on you.

ETA: When you go to a stoneyard, bring a cabinet sample (an entire door is a good idea) and a floor sample with you. Make sure to take photos of the slabs you like.

So I've never liked granite because most of them are speckly, shiny and too busy for my tastes. A good friend of mine was very surprised when I told her I'd rather have white laminate than granite any day!

That being said, of course everyone is different, and products and tastes change. When I renovated my kitchen a few years ago, I selected honed white Danby marble for the main areas, and honed black Virginia Mist granite for the beverage bar. I LOVE the black granite--it's not shiny, and the pattern is very subtle white swirls on the black background.

However, all stone is very unforgiving if you drop something on it, so there's something to be said for laminate and solid surfacing (Corian, etc.) as being more practical in a work room.

California has an actual distributor that is where I get it from. My clients in the picture have had an undermount sink for almost 7 yrs with no issue. It is absolutely nothing like table tops from the 70s you can contact them they will send you samples IMO if you don’t want quartz and maybe not granite it is a perfect material. I am actually going to replace my counters with it in the next few months. It is very different than laminate and you should continue to check it out. I also find the company very helpful

@Patricia Colwell Consulting I wish I'd been able to find out more about Abet Laminati Stratificato earlier on because my countertop decision has already been made. I cannot remember what avenues I attempted, seems like I may have emailed the company about a year ago for distributor information or attempted to call a United States contact, but I was unable to locate a distributor to my Southern United States area whatsoever at that time. Perhaps the distributor options will increase in the future. The material data sheets didn't seem to be clear on the edge moisture resistance for undermount sink installation given testing, so I'm glad you've had good experiences. It would be great if the company could put out a direct statement regarding this issue because the material does experience some edge moisture reactions if you'll look at testing data on the company's website. I understand this material is different from the vintage table tops; what I intended was that the appearance reminds me of it in some of the company's advertising photos with the options of all the layers with metal that you can have added in to your order. Abet Laminati Stratificato is an HPL which is a high-pressure laminate, but it is thicker and structurally stronger than the Formica and Wilsonart to which we are all so accustomed. It does not require a subtop for installation.

I'll bet you could undermount a Karran 540 to the ALS.

I wouldn’t go with a material you don’t love. For one thing according to Houzz discussions there have been problems with Quartz yellowing. It would be pretty annoying to choose something that didn’t wow you and then also have a problem. Sadly there is no perfect countertop choice - they all have some downside. But if quartz looks fake to you ( yep, me too) then try and stick with natural stones. I went with soapstone - which isn’t for everyone, but it made me happy the minute I saw it. You pay a lot for your choice - it _should_ actively please you. Don’t give up, even if it’s discouraging .

Are you looking at stone yards or kitchen design showrooms? The KD showrooms tend to have a few selections they push, and from what I’ve read you can’t see manufactured quartz in slab form until the fabricator receives it. You choose from a small sample instead. I didn’t go with quartz, so my experience was different.

In my state (California) yards that stock natural stone (marble, granite etc) may want you to make an appointment, and they do accompany you through the yard for safety but you get to see the actual slabs and choose from them. You need to give them a kitchen layout with measurements so they can provide an estimate of price based on how many slabs are needed, but you can line up the fabricator after you’ve picked what you want.

I have Taj Mahal on island and absolutely love it. No reason I know if not to look at Stone yards. Every yard has different slabs. Takes some hunting but then getting fabricator that’s has proper equipment to finish and install is key. I have fabulous fabricator who also has stone and quartz. I have had granite, laminate, quartz and wood. I love the quartzite Taj Mahal the best by far.