I prefer the look of any quartz over granite, but it's a personal choice.

Quartz as a backsplash behind a gas stove is not recommended, but if you are also including a heat shield, it's okay. Is the plan to run the material as a countertop and the backsplash?

what about an electric stove top?

i’m not a granite fan at all

i need help with what to put here i’m taking the island down to counter but keeping the brown

The choice of quartz or granite depends on the look you want and what specific granite or quartz you are considering. I think a lot of quartz patterns look just like speckly granite which I've never liked. The only granite I like is Jet Mist or Costa Esmeralda. But that's just me. I'm not a fan of any quartz that tries to look like marble, it always looks fake, especially the ones with the big fat veining. But I'd take some plain quartz over speckly granite any day of the week.

In the end it depends on what you like. Some quartz costs more than some granite, and vice versa. Granite is much more durable as it tolerates heat better than quartz. And no matter what they tell you, quartz is not bullet proof--it can chip and stain like any counter top material. And there have been many posts here that show what can happen when using quartz as a backsplash over a stove.

From the photos you posted, there's a clash between the wood island/tile flooring and the white cabinets/gray walls. They just don't go together. So before you make your decision, decide what kind of look you want for your kitchen. Gather some photos, make an Ideabook, and you'll have a better idea of what to choose. We will have a better idea of what to suggest to you as well.

Even if you replace the granite that’s there now, you’re still stuck with those floors, and they are going to limit your color options whether the material is granite, quartz, or something else. You’ll end up with something that is either white to match your cabinets (I wouldn’t recommend this), or approximately the same color beige you have now. Also, that cool toned wall paint is not your friend.

Consider keeping the granite and changing your backsplash. You will ”see” it less if there’s less of it on the vertical wall surfaces. An absolutely beautiful backsplash can transform that space. This is Fireclay Tile in Sand Dune in a Wave shape.

Quartz by volume is 36% resin or plastic. That's why heat can melt or scorch it.

You just bought the house? These are screen shots and You Won't Die with an elevated breakfast bar for six months or a year.

The rush to slap a band aid on a kitchen without so much as unpacking a salt shaker makes me crazy and it turns up here daily. Screen shots are THE worst.

There is nothing wrong with Cambria on an island, nothing wrong with a solid granite that picks up something in the perimeter I doubt you truly love. Nothing wrong with Corian which allows a million solid shades and is invisible seaming.

It's, to me, not a decision you need, right now.

Granite coutertops will never scorch, melt or be damaged by heat.

yes we just bought the place 4 months ago. i’m too short for bar height and I am not a fan of granite. I want to replace it all with quart or quartzite. cabinets are cream. and yes i can live with it for a year. I am not going to rush into it any suggestions

also walls are getting changed to greek villa

Before you do anything, make sure that the layout works for you. The last thing you want to do is to spend money on a kitchen that you later find out doesn't have a good layout.

Wall color last choice always. IMO fake plastic stone has no place in a kitchen . You can find many granites that are priced very close to the fake junk not neccessary to go crazy expensive in a 2nd home IMO. There are beautiful white granites why do you not like granite ?

Post REAL jpegs, the ones you take: ) all angles etc and adjacent rooms.

A screen shot can only be finger enlarged on a phone. Most Pros are on at least an Ipad, more often a lap top or desk top.

"Granite coutertops will never scorch, melt or be damaged by heat."

Never say never. They are definitely more durable and less likely to do the above but never say never.

The stone industry has taught us that countertops need to be a focal point of a kitchen. I disagree.

Get corian to match your cabinets, paint your wall color to match .your Corian and cabinets. This will create a smooth monochrome canvass on which to add interest with your stools, backsplash, light fixtures and other elements.

I was done with marble, am not a granite fan, and I hate quartz. Just couldn't force myself to buy it. So I was very surprised when I ended up with Corian. It too is just plastic. But I like it so much more than quartz because it is a solid color and wonderfully smooth to the touch. I matched my Corian, cabinets, and walls. I love how vast and calm the room is without counters breaking things up. My light fixtures, hardware, and spectacular view from my kitchen window are focus enough.

Something tells me you have a nice view too with palm trees and blue sky!

"Granite coutertops will never scorch, melt or be damaged by heat."

Sure they will; it's just less likely than with some other surfaces. There is a reason that the Natural Stone Institute, the 70-year-old trade association of the industry, specifies the use of trivets for all stone countertops.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6203030/why-you-use-trivets-on-stone

wow I have shopped. I want quartzite all day long over granite.

Have you gone to a good stone yard and actually seen the myriad choices of granite that are available? I just scratch my head sometimes wondering how people make such absolute declarations. Now, if you said "I don't like speckled granite" or "I don't like this granite or that granite" -- that I understand. Or there is some physical property associated with it that you just don't like. If you can't be specific, then go shopping.

There are advantages and disadvantages to everything, including all countertop materials. I'd choose stone over quartz most of the time, but not always. For example, I have some sort of no-name white quartz prefab in my bathroom and I quite like it, it fits its intended purpose, was inexpensive, and is holding up beautifully. But, I don't like quartzes that are trying to imitate something else (marble looks, in particular) or try to be too artsy-fartsy. If you want drama you go with real stone IMO.

I had a solid surface countertop in my last house, IDK if it was actually Corian or another brand, but it was solid white and served me well for the 17 years I lived there. So don't sneeze at Corian, either.

GO SHOPPING, note what you like and what you don't like across all the different categories of countertop materials and then start narrowing things down based on what will look good in your kitchen.

.corian maybe for a bathroom but i would never do that in a high end kitchen

You know what you want. You want Taj Mahal,\. so make the rest of the kitchen work with Taj Mahall and I can't see that your flooring does that. I can't seeeeeee period, as these are screen shots. Post the adjacent room, ask yourself what is the dream kitchen?

If you're 5' 2" and can's sit at the breakfast bar? You can't!

At some point it all will be a useless hand wring, unless you adore quartz, and accept that it is a solid surface, and NOT really a stone, in the natural sense of the word.

Yo are WAY underestimating the benefits of Corian , so there is that too as it is the ORIGINAL SOLID SURFACE of favor UNTIL speckly granite and yogurt swirl granite in brown , invaded every grocery store and lavatory.

Think only about what you want long term. Wait for it. A crowd source isn't necessary when you know the answer.

I think you were originally asking about quartz. If you’re thinking about quartzite, bringing Taj into this space, I think that’s a great choice. I‘m also glad you’re changing the paint and I really like Greek Villa, but you might want to wait as other surfaces get installed, and see what the light in that space does to that color.

It seems like you’ve made your decisions and you’re not really enjoying the feedback, so there’s probably not a lot more I can add. Best of luck with the new space.

" .corian maybe for a bathroom but i would never do that in a high end kitchen "

But yet you ask about quartz? Corian is a more bulletproof than either honestly and it is repairable.

You've mentioned a high-end kitchen and quartzite will work as the counter and as a slab backsplash. Work out your task and ambient lighting design and color temperature before you paint.

Taj is the best! I have had it in two homes and absolutely adored it. Just find the slabs you like. And go for it. Timeless choice too. I avoid quartz (faux stone with great marketing) like the plague. Lol

i don’t want both houses looking the same even though i love my taj what other ones are good that are not too busy but incorporate beige and brown

iI have very little wall space in the kitchen. I’m painting to get rid of the gray but not opposed to going back over it

I have had many clients thta told me they do not like granite but after seeing some other than brown speckled they went with grante and some actually with marble. I agree there are many things I do not like but that is my opinion no one has to listen

"I want quartzite all day long over granite."

" i love my taj what other ones are good that are not too busy but incorporate beige and brown"

You are dead-set on quartzite but don't want another go at Taj. Okaaaay.... You do realize that Taj is one of the bullet-proof quartzites, right? And that most quartzites are prone to chipping and staining, right?

i do love Taj. I was not sure about both houses but now i might consider leathered taj ?

I prefer polished Taj but personal choice. I just like to see a clean finish. Leather kind of looks like a final cleaning is needed. Just me but think about what you like. Taj quartzite is so much superior in look and feel. Very durable too.

What difference does it make one kitchen to another? You can not be in both at the same time! What was the f.l.o.o.r in the "other" kitchen? The cabinetry? Where are the pictures from the "other" kitchen?: )

Counter tops are but one element in a kitchen, they are not the whole.

You haven't spent a day in here, correct?. What demise will happen to you or the kitchen until you decide the WHOLE look of the kitchen to include the convenient or not layout and all the finishes within?........and yes, the floor. It matters. All of it matters.