Countertops

Parent Cafe
1

The last thread I found on this subject was in 2011-13. Forgive me if there is something more recent.

We are about to begin a remodel in our newly purchased home. The prior owners did a kitchen gut and put in a Bulthaup kitchen, which is a pricey modern German kitchen. I had never heard of that brand, and wouldn’t have chosen something quite so modern, but it’s not in the budget to replace the whole kitchen. I can certainly live with them.

I do not like the current countertops (and I have no idea what they are except that they are not granite), so we are going to replace them.

I have had granite countertops in my last two homes. They have been fine-they are durable, I never had to re-seal them, and my current ones are really lovely (some kind of mix of blue, gray, and black).

I was hoping to go with something different though. I have no interest in marble-I don’t want to have to baby them, and seeing rings, dings, and etching would drive me crazy.

So I thought quartz was the answer. I’ve come to find out that quartz is man-made, and it is quartzite that is natural. But apparently many outlets represent soft varieties of quartz mixes that are actually not really quartzite as the real thing, and these counters experience etching and chipping. If they have calcite or dolemite or other soft stones in them, you will experience problems from the get go.

True “hard” quartzite is apparently the ticket and is durable, not vulnerable to heat or acid, etc.

Any experience with this and how to make sure you are getting what you THINK you are getting?

This kind of makes me want to stay with old faithful, but I really was hoping for something different.

First World problem, I know, but it is a problem that has to be addressed nevertheless.

2

I like the look of granite but I grew up in The Granite State (NH) and there were always tons of issues with radon. I wasn’t aware that granite countertops emit radon into your home until I was researching for a kitchen remodel myself. Having an expansive island made me wary of the excess radiation so we went with Cambria, a quartz product. I cook a lot and we haven’t had any issues with chips, cracks or any signs of wear actually, and it’s approaching 2 years. I just have to make sure to use a cleaning product from their list of approved cleaners but they are easy to find. It looks great, wears great, and we’re really happy.

3

We looked at quartz and granite. We liked the variation in the granite better than the quartz which was pretty uniform. So we went with granite. Like you, we have not needed to reseal, but every couple of years I do it anyway.

One of the most fun days we had was going to the granite place and looking at all the choices. The variety was incredible.

We have friends with both marble and quartz and they love their choices as well.

My advice…get what you want. If the next owners don’t like it, they can make a change!

4

I expect that the next owners would change out, just like I’m doing.

I don’t like high maintenance, so marble is out for sure. I’m just on the fence as to quartz vs quartzite vs granite.

I will have to do some reading about the radon emissions.

5

We have quartzite counters in our new home and LOVE them. They’ve been in for over a year and have had all kinds of things spilled on them that didn’t get wiped up right away and no issues.

You are correct though that you need to be careful about which kind of quartzite to get. Go to a reputable granite dealer and ask for the specifics of the composition. You can also get a sample and then do your best to try to scratch and stain it. We couldn’t scratch ours even with a screwdriver. We also got a type that the granite company had been using on their own coffee bar for over a decade and was still lovely.

6

@momofsenior1, a video I just watched says quartzite must be re-sealed twice a year! Is that your experience?

7

Our counter people said once every 10 years!

8

The counter we have used to be categorized as granite up until a year or two ago. So far it is wearing like true granite and that’s what we heard with the reviews too.

9

I have soapstone counters and love them. I don’t do anything to them. Oiled them once with mineral oil. I don’t like granite. It’s business bothers me. I have a very restful soapstone with very little veining. I do have Snow White Zodiaq (now called Corian Quartz) in one of my bathrooms. Installed in 2013 - no issues with it. I certainly have never sealed it.

10

I agree that you should just pick what you like and also depends upon your taste and style. My husband and I just built our retirement home and went with granite throughout. The granite fits our Tuscan Farmhouse style and the granite I selected is so varied that we used the same granite type in the kitchen, baths and laundry but it looks different in each room. As long as you are happy with your choice, it should not matter.

11

We have had quartz now for a little over 10 years and I don’t think I’ll ever have anything else. Although the granite we had before was beautiful, it was more maintenance than I wanted to hassle with.

We are HARD on countertops. We cook at least 2 meals a day 6-7 days a week plus do various family projects on them. And the things we cook and drink tend - for some reason - to be staining. Our whole family drinks tea like it’s going out of style so that’s always around, splashing, creating rings on mugs. That’s of course when we’re not drinking red wine - equally staining. Our favorite foods use hot chilis, turmeric, curry, beets and all sorts of other staining ingredients. And don’t forget the projects - from repairing something with glue, to sanding down a cast iron pan to a quick welding project.

All that and the quartz always looks like it did the day it was installed. If I feel carefully, there is one tiny void near the sink about the size of a lentil bean. Possibly a chip or where something dissolved? No idea, but I would struggle to point it out and a stranger wouldn’t notice it in a million years.

It has been such a blessing on everybody not to have to worry about staining, scratching or otherwise ruining the countertops. My boys and I can just relax, cook and enjoy the time together rather than constantly worrying about who splashed what where and if that red wine on the rim of the glass is going to stain or etch a ring.

Oh, and in the 10+ years we’ve had them we’ve done zero maintenance to them other than wipe and wash them. No sealing, no sanding, no scrubbing. Wipe and go. This is my kind of material. :slight_smile:

12

We have quartz in our master bath. I would agree that it seems indestructible. Any stain come right out with soft scrub. I put quartz in the bath because I color my own hair in between salon appointments and had issues in our old house with some staining. It’s mostly white but it has some grey veining to mimic marble. I do like it very much.

As for the kitchen quartzite - I’m a cook. We make over 95% of our meals at home from scratch, and I’m baking a ton. I’m also a tea drinker, H is a coffee fiend, and we love our red wine. We do use placemats but when stuff does spill, even stuff we didn’t notice, it’s come right up. Honestly my first granite was softer and more prone to staining than this quartzite (entry grade santa clarita or something like that that even a class of water would leave rings on the counter).

13

@mile30, just to clarify, your countertops are quartz (man made) vs. quartzite (natural)?

I was thinking of going with a quartzite on the big island to infuse a little veining, and quartz on the perimeter counters to keep it mostly solid color.

Did you use a particular brand in your kitchen?

Also, you speak of maintenance of your granite countertops. I’ve had granite for 23 years in two different houses and never had to do anything at all for maintenance. What maintenance are you referring to?

14

We have Cambria, idk if it’s quartz or quartzite. It has held up beautifully for seven years so far. If it requires some kind of maintenance I am unaware of what that might be.

15

Yes, they are quartz - manmade. They have a grainlike pattern similar to granite, but since they do not have the lovely random streaks and swirls that granite does, I wouldn’t really say they look exactly like granite. I don’t remember if it was a particular brand name.

When we had granite in our previous house, the dark granite especially was prone to etching. So if you left something acidic on it, there would be a very obvious mark where the acidic material (wine, tea, drops of the hard water from the tap, whatever) was. Those areas periodically had to be re-sanded if you wanted to remove the marks. The dark was nice in that it didn’t stain, but because of the etching, it felt like a constant hassle of worrying and wiping. Unlike the lighter granite we had, which didn’t show etching but boy would it stain if it weren’t periodically re-sealed. Again, constant hassle of worrying, wiping and periodically re-sealing.

Compare that to quartz. Real life example. Right now I’m taking a break from making fresh kimchi and sauerkraut. There are bit and dabs of red chili oil, fresh turmeric and beets everywhere. Just sitting on my counter while I type this. They will leave stains on my mandoline, my cutting board and of course any hand towels they touch, but I could leave that stuff on my counter all day and at the end of the day just wipe it off… no worries. Had I been using any of those ingredients on my granite counters, I would have been working as fast as possible, wiping periodically then frantically and anally cleaning midway through and as soon as humanly possible when done, hoping nothing etched or stained. Not relaxing at all.

16

We put new countertops in our kitchen a couple years ago and picked quartzite. Absolutely love it. Before I purchased, I asked for a sample. I took it home and put red wine, basalmic vinegar and lemon juice on it…maybe tomato sauce too, can’t quite remember. I left them on overnight. They all wiped right up the next day with no residue. Every day I walk into my kitchen and smile. It’s white with some gray veining and the counter edge is 3".

About 10 years ago we updated two bathrooms and used quartz products. I think they’re caesarstone. Our guest bath, not used as often, looks great. The master bath counter has several dings around one of the sinks. TBH, I think many of the quartz options have a plastic-y look to them.

With regard to maintenance of natural stones, it does seem confusing that some granites and quartzites stain and others don’t and, at least anecdotally, I don’t get the sense that resealing necessarily changes that. I have long wondered if it relates to how well the place you purchase the stone (or the fabricators?) treat or seal it initially? No one’s asked about this but I find Granite Gold as a daily cleaner works really well.

So, back to the original question, I didn’t know about the issues with quartzite. I guess I’d ask for a sample and do my best to chip/mar it and also do a stain test. I’ve never heard of anyone thinking they’re purchasing quartzite (natural) when they’re really purchasing quartz (contains polymers/other manmade materials of about 10%).

17

We built 4 years ago and I spent a long time selecting the kitchen counters. I’m just like the OP in that etching/rings drive me crazy. Our former house had granite that was totally indestructible and I never had to reseal. For this house I wanted a different kind of natural stone (with a much quieter pattern) that was equally carefree. I did select quartz for the laundry room but that was ruled out for the kitchen because I wanted natural movement in the stone.

I found a beautiful stone at a large local stoneyard and was told each time I went that it was quartzite. I did all the research on quartzite and was comfortable that it would suit my needs. The big mistake I made was not getting a sample and testing at home. Turns out it is really limestone and requires a lot of care. I had 2 rounds of GraniteShield applied at installation and had to have another round of sealing done this year. The counters still look great, but I have been vigilant and learned some great tricks for getting oil and wine out.

So my advice is to consult with a top-notch fabricator. I found that the fabricator’s knowledge of the different stones exceeds any information I got at the stoneyard. Then test the stone yourself to see if it is porous. That’s the problem with my limestone. It soaks up everything really easily. Good sealing helps a lot but stuff left for a few hours will still find a way in. So far I’ve been able to get out any spots or rings and the fabricator assured me he can fix just about anything because the sealant is still working deeper in the stone.

For anyone else who has this problem, the best trick I learned is to cover a stain with baking soda and then cover with saran wrap. The baking soda works as a poultice and draws the stain out. I usually get good results in 6-8 hours, but have had to leave it for a day or 2 for particularly deep stains.

18

OP - We have natural marble in the shower and floors and quartz on the counters in the bathroom. They go fine but honestly I’m not sure I would combine the two in a kitchen for counters unless there was a really big contrast in color. It only works in our bathroom because there is separation between the counters and the floors and shower walls.

19

@Nrdsb4 Thank you for following this thread. I am in remodel right now and counter tops are on the horizon and I must pick. I will be following all of the advice you get! I have solid surface in my kitchen (not a commercial brand) that will be replaced next summer and 2 bathrooms I am doing right now, replacing cultured marble. Looking at quartz also. Need durable and low maintenance.

20

We did quartz on our last kitchen remodel and couldn’t be happier. We went higher end and it has good color and looks very close to granite. But as others have said it is virtually indestructible. We clean it with windex which was one of the recommendations. No staining. It goes great with the porcelain tile that looks like stone that we have on the walls.