In addition to what @chispa wrote, wait until the kitchen is finished before choosing a backsplash. You wouldn’t believe how different things will look when all materials are on their proper planes. I.E., the slab is in its horizontal place, the cabinets are hung, and wall color on the walls…and, of course the all important floors are installed.

Also don’t forget wall color and floor finish- those are a key consideration when finalizing backsplash. Your counter selection will demand a cooler palette.

Gosh that’s a little concerning about scamming customers. If it stains or etches I don’t want it. Part of
reason I chose it was because it was a quartzite. I need a hard durable stone in my kitchen. Here is a pic of my kitchen. I plan to change out the hardware, remove the decorative piece above the sink, put an undermount sink. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks

Picture didnt post. Try again

Whoops here it is.

Not all quartzites are hard and durable. The only one that comes close to being bulletproof is Taj Mahal quartzite.

Look up those Geology threads and go test your slab ... before it is too late and you are stuck with it.

You can also search the many threads titled something like "help, my new quartzite is staining".

I just googled your slab name. It is a dolomitic marble. Definitely not hard and durable!

https://www.marbleexpo.com/product/cristalita-blue/

A quote from that web page:

"Key Characteristics:

Appearance: Cristalita Blue features a mesmerizing blue base color with a mix of gray, darker blue, and white veins and speckles. The high concentration of crystals in the stone gives it a brilliant, sparkling quality.

Origin: It is quarried in Brazil.

Composition: The stone is mineralogically composed of a high percentage of carbonate (85%), with smaller amounts of muscovite and diopside.

Durability and Maintenance: As a marble, Cristalita Blue is a durable stone but is not as scratch-resistant as other natural stones like granite or quartzite. It is porous and, therefore, needs to be sealed regularly (2-3 times per year) to prevent staining and etching from acidic substances. While it can be used for various applications, its use in high-traffic areas is not typically recommended."

Ahhh! thats not good. I need something very durable for my large family. I'm concerned I will have to pay a restocking fee as I have put down most of the cost already. Can i ask them to

give me a sample of the stone to test out before I purchase it? Also they told me it was a quartzite is this a false sale?

@Chispa pointed you in the right direction. Go to the karin_mt threads. I doubt the stone yard will knock off a corner for you, but you can bring lemons or tomatoes or a cotton ball of red wine and test the edges. Thanks to the folks here, I did and 8 years later I am still happy with my quartzite.

Like I said, some slab yards are clueless and/or liars. Customers will also pay more for "quartzites". The slab yards just hope you fall in love with a slab and buy it, whatever they named it. It could still be a hard stone like quartzite, but porous like marble, so it would need regular sealing.

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. That is, the stoneyard is probably just wrong /not scamming you. Few stoneyard workers are geologists and really know what they're selling -- they get a truck load of stones and are told, "These are ___", and they sell them as such. The information you just heard from other posters is probably WAY MORE than the average consumer has.

You sound unhappy with your choice now -- that I can't help you with -- but you say you're concerned about a re-stocking fee. Perhaps they'd waive any re-stocking fee, if you buy another stone from them?

Assuming you stick with this stone, let's get to your original question: Backsplash. Thoughts:

- You say this is going with white cabinets? That'll be a good mix -- all-white (or mostly-white) can be hard to do. This'll give some depth, and that'll work.

- What I would not do with these choices is run the countertop material up the wall for a backsplash. It'd be "too much".

- Don't be so concerned about a backsplash. Honestly, it's optional. The "need" to protect your wall has really only surfaced in the last two decades. You work on the forward 12" or so of the countertops -- it's rare for something to "splash on the back walls". When I was a kid, people had either paint or wallpaper on their backsplashes, and that was for LOOKS! Except for behind the stove, I've literally never made a mess on my kitchen walls. So go ahead with the rest of your kitchen and come back to your backsplash later. Live with your other choices first, then add the final touch in your backsplash.

- If I had to suggest something for your backsplash today, it'd be something simple /calm /that will blend with your countertop rather than stand out from it. If you're going with tile, consider a white but not subway (too over-done). Depending upon the style you're creating, don't overlook white beadboard.

Yes they labeled it as quartzite on the invoice. I’m going to go back and do some testing on it to see how it holds up. . As for backsplash I was not going to go with the same material as it’s not enough anyway. But I definitely want a backsplash behind my stove.

I'm glad you're going back to try to test it. If they won't give you a sample, this article (written by the same person who wrote the Countertop Geology threads referenced above) gives some tips for testing on site. Link.

I hope you either get satisfactory test results or can apply the deposit to something else. FWIW I helped a friend pick out a granite slab for an outdoor patio island. It's not the same as the beautiful slab you show above, but it has some very pretty blue tones... and it's outside and still looks new! (It was just installed this spring, but since then we've had crazy hail and rain storms. And plenty of parties using that slab.)

Her slab is called Monte Cristo. It's polished. It might be called something else at a different yard because they sometimes make up names. But if you like it, that might be an option to look for. Pic below.

I’ll check out my options. If it is indeed a marble or dolomite I’ll have to go a different route. I ve checked many options like granite etc but am thinking about maybe going with Taj Mahal since it’s available everywhere. I want something timeless and I know it’s so popular, iIs it too trendy right now?

I put Taj Mahal in two kitchens, 4 years apart. One with stained wood cabinets and the other with white cabinets. I wouldn't say it is trendy, but definitely a popular choice for the last 15 years, if you want a neutral and very durable slab.

It goes with white, off white, taupe, green, blue, gray and many tones of stained wood, so it is also a versatile material if someone wanted to change the color of the kitchen cabinets down the road.

Wait until the tops are installed.

Ok so I went to the stone yard and got samples one sealed one not and they both etched even after just 30 seconds of lemon juice on it. I asked for a refund and now they are ignoring my calls and texts. Any advice what to do here

You can ask to apply the money towards different slabs from the same place. If they don’t have slabs that meet your requirements you may have to play hard ball/ask for a refund.

i’d go in person - calls and texts are easy to ignore

a credit toward a different slab will likely be more palatable to them - is that a possibility?

sometimes a really good local fabricator can be a help at the yards as they will do repeat business with them whereas a homeowner will not

I didn’t see anything I would exchange it for and they are being difficult with me so I don’t want to do business with them anymore

They labeled it quartzite but on my last visit acknowledged that it was indeed dolomite.

The following is for informational purposes only and is not being provided as legal advice.

I would try to go there in person to discuss with the owner/manager of the stone yard. If they don't agree to return your deposit, I would contact the consumer protection agency in your state.

Every U.S. state has a consumer protection statute specifically designed to shield buyers from false advertising, fraud, and misleading product descriptions. These statutes explicitly outline what constitutes a deceptive act. For instance, under a typical state consumer protection act, it is a violation to make representations that a product has characteristics/ingredients/uses/benefits that they do not have.

Unlike a legal action brought under traditional common-law fraud which requires proof of an intent to deceive (a court may treat proof of extreme recklessness, or that a statement was made without caring if it was true or false, as the legal equivalent of knowing intent), many state consumer protection laws allow a business to be held liable simply because the labeling was objectively misleading to a reasonable consumer, regardless of whether the business meant to lie/intentionally deceive.

Hopefully, you won't need the above information - however, if you aren't able to resolve this issue, I wanted to point you in the right direction.

^good advice, also if you paid with a credit card they can sometimes help as well

Yes I received an email back stating their supplier labeled it as cristalina blue quartzite so what I was sold was accurately represented and sold to me correctly. Very infuriating because true quartzite should not etch and this did!