I would advise engineered quartz: less porous and more resistant. Never put real marble in a kitchen. Caesarstone makes a faux marble which is very nice.

My daughter is a materials science engineer who has studied crystal structure and so I quizzed both her and her geologist friend about quartzite since we too are considering it. Her response, after research, is that while quartzite itself is a durable, hard material the matrix it forms in may not be so. There are quartzites from around the world, and obviously different matrix they geologically form within. That probably accounts for so many responses where some love their counters, some not so much. Bottom line, put a sample through extensive testing. You might even search out the quarry and determine the geological structure of the matrix, then do research on that. Plus, don't let a designer or salesperson talk you into it unless you are completely assured.

Our counter surface is color ado quartzite. It is white with grey streaking and is gorgeous. Unfortunately, two weeks old and is facing thanksgiving preparations by me, who loves to cook all day.

With the many already water marks, I'm going to try and feel optimistic.

We are thinking of Brazilian Arabescato quartzite for our kitchen countertop (Leather for the Island and Hone for the back countertop). There is so much conflicting information around. And manufacturers not having different names for each quartzite product. Does anything have any experience with Brazilian Arabescato?

http://www.visionlearning.com/blog/2013/12/12/geology-kitchen-mystery-super-white/

Our Colorado quartzite which is beautiful is waaaaaay too sensitive. It belongs in a kitchen where dinner reservations are made and champagne before dinner is served on coasters.

Hate to be a wet towel but if your "quartzite" is showing water spots or etching, it's dolomitic marble, not quartzite. If you paid quartzite prices, I'd demand some money back.

So now I'm confused. I thought quartz didn't had those problems like marble. I was also planning on getting quartz for my counter top but now I dont know if that's a good choice. I want a quart that looks like marble. I wanted white macaubas since on the picture it says its a quartz but when I went to the place where they had it. they guy told me it was a marble not quartz.

It is confusing. I am currently in the process of replacing a beautiful super white quarzite(natural stone not man made like Quartz) that was installed in July 2015, which starting showing scratches chipping around the sink, water rings, oil rings. I was not told that this stone "sometimes does this", like you I thought it was as good as granite but had the look of marble. apparently the lighter the stone the more likely you are to experience these problems. My builder has stood with me and they are paying half the expense to remove and replace the counter. We selected a gray quartz product from Silestone, which while not as beautiful as the natural quartzite will hold up to staining and scratching.

Quartz = man made. Quartzite = natural stone. NOT the same and don't have the same properties. Consumers need to make more effort to understand the product being purchased - the differences and the properties. The consumer alone makes the ultimate decision and should be accountable for their decisions.

Chattygirl-

The reason why your stone is/was having those problems is because you have dolomitic marble, not quartzite. Quartzite will not etch, will not chip and will not scratch. I think you have a right to all of your money back if they told you it was quartzite. The truth is always there when they go to fabricate because it takes much much longer than marble so if they thought it was quartzite, they would've known that it wasn't when they started your fabrication. As in, on the first cut.

If you're in love with that look instead of Quartz, just get real Quartzite. It's really simple to find out what's what. Read this link--this woman is fantastic and there's a thread a mile long where you can learn a lot but it's all summarized here: http://www.visionlearning.com/blog/2013/12/12/geology-kitchen-mystery-super-white/

Glad Snap Girl clarified the difference. I have used both in a recent renovation. I installed white quartz in two bathrooms, a laundry, an office, a second kitchen. I chose white macaubus quartzite for my kitchen and butler's pantry. If I had it to do over again, I would probably design using the quartz product rather than the natural quartzite. The quartzite is beautiful and it's authentic, so it doesn't etch with acid (so far), but despite a high end sealer, it has had some oil stains that required poulticing, and I worry that since it absorbs moisture (although it dries) , it will absorb some mineral deposits from water and change color in the longer term. So, practically, I might advise going with a high quality quartz (it can also be warrantied). Best of luck!

You can tell a customer 100x's that a product is not what they should be using and they will buy it on looks alone regardless of what you say. People see pretty picts of showcases on sites like this not realizing it isn't being used in a real world application.

They then call installer and complain because yes they were told it wouldn't work but not how bad it wouldn't work. Somehow it is now the installers fault? If you are even asking the question you know your answer. It is a natural stone and it will act like a natural stone. Just like putting marble in your shower it looks great but it will act like stone when wet.

I love when people say they HAVE to have granite and then when they see a product they love ask, is this granite??

We have both quartz and quartzite (mother of pearl) in our kitchen. This particular quartzite is excellent. Lots of red wine, pasta sauce and greasy kid food with zero problems.

I've had super white quartzite on my kitchen counters and island for three years and I love it. Still looks beautiful. It is tough and harder than marble. Get polished and have it sealed.

I would never recommend marble for a kitchen however quartzite is a godsend.

We installed a BEAUTIFUL super white quartzite (polished) in our home and it was also sealed. Several months later we are noticing severe etching and water marks. We haven't even used our countertops much since we're undergoing a renovation so I can't imagine how much worse the counters are going to look when we use them more. We paid so much for them and were under the impression that super white quartzite was durable. We spoke to the installers and they have received complaints from other customers regarding the super white quartzite. It's fairly new to the market compared to granite so they're now just finding out about the disadvantages of having and maintaining this stone. They have given us two options to fix the etching problem: repolishing the affected areas or honing the entire countertop. Thankfully, they are doing this free of charge. We're not sure what we want to do. The polished look is so beautiful but polishing the affected areas is only a temporary fix. We will have to be extra careful with using the countertop because they're not going to come out and polish every time we have etching! The honing option seems to make the most sense because any future etching won't be as noticeable but the downside is it won't have a shiny look anymore. We're torn on what we should do. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance!

Sorry, for your problems.... and can empathize. I have to wonder if this was truly quartzite because it should not etch, but can get stains. There are a lot of white stones being sold as quartzite. I have the white macaubus as mentioned above, and wasn't aware when I purchased it that even with sealing it can stain with oil. Unfortunately, honing will not prevent etching or staining. Consideriing the cost, you may want to look into whether you received what you paid for. If not, the vendor should replace it for free with real quartzite or another material. Their offer to hone it for you might be made in lieu of having to do that, which would be the right thing. There's information on the web about how to test whether it is truly quartzite. Acid should not etch it.

We had shadow storm quatzite installed a few months ago and certain areas of it etch. After discussions with all sorts of "experts" it seems that many of these white quartzites, and some of the white granites actually have significant carbonate content (ie like marble) which etch. Lemon juice will etch in 5 minutes - and special coatings do little to improve things. One of the experts said to look carefully at the slab you are buying. If it has a really high polish it will probably be good - if it is dull in areas it probably indicates a high carbonate content. Beautiful looking stone but risky. Sounds like engineered quartz - which still cant replicate a natural stone - is the safe bet.

Engineered quartz can etch also. I have Caesarstone "Raven" (dark grey) quartz in the kitchen and it has water marks around the sink. Cannot be removed. Beware--this stuff is NOT as perfect as everyone says.

Thank you . My material is destroyed everywhere. Watermarks and chipping. Quite the mess!!

Just as an FYI, an experienced stone countertop guy I have worked with says there is a new product that adheres on the surface like a protective sheet and is shiny. I think it might be heat activated. He's a stone purist, so didn't recommend it to me for my brand new stone. But, if you are stuck with the stone you have, it might offer some protection and aesthetic relief. I'll see if I can get more info.

Thank you so much. I would love that information.

boniweinstein, if you have a picture of your white and grey stone please share; by your narrative I am very confident it is a translucent marble (labeled as quartzite);

jamierutledge and kats888 Friends, Super White is a marble, reason it stains and etches; it has nothing to do with quartzite;

Donna, very beautiful quartzite from the Taj Mahal/Ice Flakes/Victoria Falls family, perfect!

nancyc87, Brazilian Arabescato is a marble

Ricardo Garcia, White Macaubas and Luce di Luna are quartzites, ~ 84% natural quartz, super strong and durable.

I have just had Super white quartzite installed in my kitchen and it has been a nightmare from day one. The fabricator (Danbury Granite in Danbury, CT) couldn't even seam it properly. All the edges came in chipped, the main seam looked like a craggy road. When I held back final payment, they finally agreed to try to repair. It didn't work and I am learning to live with a very visible seam. Then the fun started, the water stains are abysmal and no amount of polishing, sealing, etc. helps. The fabricator was not willing to do anything to maintain customer service. I paid a premium for this stone and was never told that it was porous and would stain. Is this really quartzite? or marble? Was it properly sealed? Who knows. Company was not willing to do anything to accommodate or remediate the problems.

A thought for those of you who, like me, have problems with their quartzite countertops staining: I just removed another group of oil stains (my husband is a sloppy toast butterer) from my white macaubus. I have purchased a bunch of the translucent flexible cutting boards/mats in various sizes (found some up to 20"x30", and keep them handy to use wherever I am preparing food or drinks, just in case. I place them next to the range to catch splatters etc. They aren't terribly visible due to the white translucence. They can be cut to conform to a space if necessary.

Just to reiterate what Snap girl has said Super white is a dolomite, most definately not a Natural Quartz or Quartzite, unfortunately, this material has entered the market wearing many disguises , it has been a matter of marketing, while in the main , it can be a ok looking stone, if it had been labelled Marble from day one, then there is no way it would have had the success it has had and to be fair there are many similar looking cheap marbles from around the world,once a product has the label of Quartzite the prices go through the roof . Am I suggesting some one somewhere is being deceitful?.It is now being requested here in the UK, however, we would not stock as to sell we would have to be honest and label as a dolomite and if compared to other dolomites and marbles available it doesnt compare and in terms of price, its way too expensive for what it is, it should be realisitically priced at less than half what the current market price demands.

If this material had been sold under the correct category, there would be no forum asking will Super white etch / Stain.

We had white macaubus quartzite in our kitchen just under a year ago. At around 6 months we noticed a dark grey staining around the edges where cuts of the stone where made. The fabricator said they have never seen this before. they have tried poultices, heating which cracked one piece with no luck. They said it is natural stone so no guarantee. No refund at this point. very disappointed. Ottawa August 2016

nancyhello, so sorry to hear that. Are the grey stains at the seams? or on all the cut edges? or where there is water? Curious. I'll be watching for that on mine. Do you know what it was sealed with?

I was sold marble under the "guise" of quartzite. I just made this discovery when I submitted a review on Yelp for Custom Marble Design in Skokie, IL. and the owner responded admitting that he sold me Marble. He quickly removed his response once he realized what he said. Not much I can do about it after 3 years.

I had Luce di Luna quartzite installed 4 years ago in my kitchen and the edges where it was cut have become darker in color, especially around the sink. I dropped a pyrex bowl on anedge and it chipped. The installer came back and put something on mystery stains and they sort of disappeared. They said had never seen such a thing before, but they didn't charge me, which I thought was strange. It is still beautiful, but after reading all the comments, I wish I had chosen something else.

Try LG Viatera in Minuet color. Everyone thinks it's marble but I know it's not because it is not stained, etched or scratched.

I know I'm super late but I would try dekton or dekton xgloss.....

Stain on my less than year old quartz countertop. I suspect it's coconut oil. What can I do??? I thought this stuff was indestructible!!!

I am not sure if you are talking

I am not sure if you are talking about man made quartz or natural quartzite. On oil and grease stains on my white macaubus quartzite counters, I have had great success with Stonetech oil stain remover. You apply it to the entire stain at least 1/4" thick and keep it on until it dries --completely--. That has been up to 3-4 days or more. It pulled out my oil stains completely. You can repeat for stubborn stains. I think aquamix has a poultice too. I found it online. Prices varied for same thing. Good luck!

Nothing is indestructible. Some materials resist stains more than others. There are threads here on Houzz where quartz (man made material) and quartzite (natural stone) have stained. Do some searching here on Houzz for some of those previous threads and read through them.

I agree with Brickwood. Why is it that sales people tell you a product is indestructible? Quartz is NOT a perfect surface. My quartz countertop installed 5 years ago in a bathroom that does not get direct sunlight, no hair products sprayed etc and has only been cleaned as the manufacturer suggests has yellowed! According to the folks that I have met with at Cesarstone and Silestone main offices, they can not guarantee against discoloration from direct sunlight, also some quartz are more liable to stain than others. I am going with a quartzite for my countertop in my kitchen, but even then, I've had a lot of questions regarding different stones we've looked at and different answers to those questions depending on the stone. So no matter what stone you choose, like anything else it pays to do your homework.

Quartzite is natural and in my opinion more beautiful for those reasons. I have also used Stonetech stain remover with great results on natural quartzite. You apply it to the entire stain at least 1/4" thick and keep it on until it dries for a few days.

I was about to do more research on the poultice route for removing my stain when I saw an article put up by This Old House that suggested to always try just regular soap and water first. And that's what I did and it WORKED! it took a lot of elbow grease too, but the ring is gone. On second thought it may have been a tea stain. I'm glad the soap worked but now I'm scared of my beautiful countertops.

I’ve had my super white quartzite installed now for about one and a half years in my new home. No issues with staining, no etching and no problems. Only thing I have noticed is tiny little scratches which make the High polished look slightly duller but honestly I’m very picky and most people would never notice.

Hi guys, going to post in a few places because I’m feeling a little confused/unsure. I got 2 samples of super white quartzite and tried testing them. The one that was sealed etched like crazy and the one that was unsealed looks totally fine. Is it just that they are different slabs? Or is it possible that it’s the sealer that got etched? Is that even a thing? Did any stone fabricators allow you to get a sample of your specific slab to test it before you 100% committing to it? Not sure where to go from here.

We just installed Mont Blanc in our kitchen. It will not etch or scratch but is quite porous which seems to be a hallmark of a lot of some of the true quartzites. We just use coasters and oil covers when cooking to avoid. Water marks just evaporate on their own. Has anyone else had this strange darkening issue months after Installation?? Saw several threads on this, hoping it’s not something that could pop up down the road.

I’m having Galactic White Quartzite I stalled in a few weeks in my kitchen. The stone warehouse let me do my own testing on the actual stone before I purchased. I brought a glass tile and a lemon to the warehouse. I used both items to test and it seemed to pass (I let the lemon juice sit on the stone for 15 minutes and it did not etch...I know I should prob have given it 30 min but I tried this test on a stone labeled as quartzite at another stone warehouse and it etched immediately which tells me it was actually dolomite...so I thought 15 min would do as I don’t leave anything on counters past that time anyhow). My friend has the same “color” in her house and says “sitting water from sweaty water bottles” does leave dark marks where they were but they disappear after a few hours. I was not told prior to my purchase that it was as porous as it seems to be....only after I called the stone warehouse to ask what would be the best sealer because of what my friend was experiencing. I guess the only homework I really did was to do the “tests” to see if it was “real quartzite” Now I’m freaking out that I’m going to have dark marks everywhere around my sink (it’s in the island) and oil marks all around my stove! Really thinking I should have just gone with granite again but I wanted the light and airy look! ♀️.

I have super white quartzite on every counter in my house including the kitchen, the large island, all bathrooms and love it!! The house is 2 years old and there are no stains whatsoever. I occasionally spill red wine, beet juice even- no problem.

My country home is on the ocean, on one of the Gulf Islands. My exterior kitchen counter, located under the eaves on my oceanfront deck also has super white quartzite which still looks brand new. It is exposed to the weather over the winter.

I plan to use the same quartzite in a new city home.

I have had Taj Majal in two different houses without any problems.

N. Butterfield, Edy and Belinda- Is your Super White polished, honed or leathered? Trying to decide which direction to go...

I have polished quartzite I searched 6 different reputable stone facilities all over the area up to 3 hours away educated myself did the lemon juice and glass tests at the warehouses and no matter what they say, my quartzite has areas that will resist staining and areas that have “etched” . When I had it professionally sealed, the person advised me that some areas were more “porous=more sealant went into those areas” than others, my island seemed to be the “hardest” which is great because that’s where most guest gather. However, in an area behind my island is where I do a lot of my prep work and certain oils etc WILL etch it!!!! But I have to say that the expensive granite I had in my last house for nearly 13 years didn’t look at polished and beautiful as this from day one and after all those years of use...it didnt look perfect either. I use rejuvenata spray polish that has a bit of sealer for everyday cleaning once a week and Meyers clean day spray for everyday cleaning. I don’t mind that some “marks” pop up In my most used prep area. If I don’t point them out, you can’t really notice so it doesNt bother me now. I too now use clear plastic prep mats and also use either glass cutting boards by the stove to protect from oil splatter or the best thing I have found to alleviate that is this silicone pan insert called FRYWALL (Amazon!!) which is amazing at keeping splatters at bay and now I have zero issues or worry by my stovetop areA!! If it’s beautiful and you love it...you will take care of it . If you are OCD and can’t stand even the tiniest thing showing, you may want to go with something darker or man made quartz (I have quartz in all my bathrooms and although very durable and still pretty...it does NOT have the same wow factor)

Mine is polished. Just make sure you get it sealed regularily and you'll have no issues!

Belinda Kelly Interior Design what do you use to seal yours? Were you able to do any tests to confirm if it was quartzite vs dolomitic marble?

trgirard1 Thanks for your suggestions for sealers/cleaners and the frywall.

I recently purchased & installed Donatello Quartzite (Hopefully), after reading some posts I say hopefully. I have countertop & Island Top. We use it everyday & so far so good but I am sceptical as to what cleaner I should use. Ive heard Clorox (no bleach) wipes. anybody ever hear of Donatello? Any cleaning suggestions?