I use wet and forget often in my humid climate- steps, planter pots, exposed aggregate walls and patio etc
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There’s a new house in our development. It’s the first house to be built in a while.
We’ve become friendly with the owners, they invited us over. The house is beautifully done and decorated. Now I want to renovate my entire downstairs!
One thing she said is that she is not a fan of quartzite. Says that it’s manufactured in a way that is detrimental to the workers. The workers are getting lung cancer from the fine dust.
She has a gorgeous slab of granite in a matte finish on her kitchen island. I didn’t know you could get granite in a matte finish. She got the granite in town so I can ask them about the finish.
Any opinions about quartzite? Are you a granite or quartzite person?
I’m a granite person. I can put very hot right out of the oven things on my counters without worry. Also, the quartzite I’ve seen is a little too uniform for my tastes. I wanted something with some variation in it.
I would suggest going to a granite place and seeing what they have, and if you like it.
@VeryHappy i used Gemini (a Google AI tool) to do what @deb922 did above.
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I like the look of the manufactured products, but only use granite in our home and other properties we build. I think it’s because on a gut level I think of it as the real thing.
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I thought it was quartz (the synthetic stones) that caused more issues in manufacturing because of the high % of silica?
Quartzite is a naturally occurring stone, like granite.
I’ve had both granite and quartzite in various homes. They both were the same in terms of hardiness, easy of cleaning, and being able to put hot things on them (although I tend to not put hot pans on them because of the finish).
IME my granite and quartzite were interchangeable and it came down to appearance for me. My current home has quartzite and looks like natural marble but without the staining and softness problem.
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Thanks for clarifying that. I was confused.
Yes to natural stone. No to man made surfaces. Sounds good!
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Yes, you are correct about quartz manufacturing, it’s an engineered stone. Quartzite is a natural stone.
we have a matte/leathered black granite on a dry bar area that I really like and often get compliments on.
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Quartz. It is mainly an employer’s issue. Not training or providing proper PPE to your employees. 
As a chemist, I’ve handled buckets and buckets and buckets of pure silica gel. Always working in a hood and wearing PPE. And my mentors constantly reminded us about safety.
As installed, quartz does not generate any silica dust, so the countertops are perfectly fine.
Matte granite. There is a type that is called “leathered” granite. I like the look but the dark ones can trap dirt in the uneven surface and require more cleaning.
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We built our house 20-some years ago and decided to use honed slate for the kitchen counters. Slate is natural stone and very durable. It’s heat resistant (you can put a hot pan down on it without a problem). It doesn’t really need to be sealed. Scratches (unless they are deep) rub out easily. The designer who worked with our builder insisted that we use Vermont slate. She felt it was sturdier than slate from Brazil or other countries. We actually went to the quarry and picked out the slabs. Here’s a photo of the kitchen counter.
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We have leathered granite in a bare area too. It’s a fun texture.
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We’re installing a matte granite countertop in our cabin kitchen next week. I’ll post pics after the install, but I showed a Chat rendering in a previous post.
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Anyone here have an RO filter? If you do, what brand do you have and are you happy with it? We are looking to get one and have quotes from two different places, each one offering to install a different brand.
We have an RO in both our house (Frizzlife) and cabin (APEC). DH ordered both on Amazon and installed them himself, never had a problem with either. He says always install a tankless so you always have supply and not the bother of keeping a tank filled.
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About a month ago my city had scattered severe hail damage. My 100 year old house, with almuniumn siding was dented, quite badly, and insurance is paying for new siding. Those with even new vinyl siding have holes in their siding, and I am thankful for the protective aluminum. I don’t want vinyl, given increasing severe weather events. However, the offered upgrade (which I have to supplement with my own funds) is one of the newer siding materials, James Hardie plank or LP SmartSide. I have bids from 3 companies. Each touts their product. Do any of you have opinions or experience with these products?
I also want foam board insulation under that siding, and my 3 bidders have varied approaches. Tear off the wood siding, leave the old wood siding, etc. Experiences? Cautions?
This is our second house with Hardie siding. The stuff beats wood and vinyl by a large margin. Looks like wood but doesn’t warp or rot, and unlike vinyl, can be painted. The paint job on our previous house looked great even after 18 years. So when we moved to our current house, we did not think twice about what to use to replace the rotting siding. Hardieplank came pre-primed, so it was easy to paint it.
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We have smart side, one of our neighbors has hardy board, one has smart side. They all look great. Ours looks like new after 10 years. The contractor they hired had to redo our neighbors’ because there were gaps between each board that developed as the temperature changed and showed a sliver of white underneath and between each plank. All agreed it was the contractors inexperience and error so it was redone at contractors expense and is right now. (Maybe something to ask about) We also have smart side house trim.
Ours and our neighbors’ smart side came pre-painted (or pre-coated). Very durable. They are different colors, one tan, one dark blue.
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At the time when we were looking for a siding installer, I picked three from a list of certified contractors on Hardie website. The contractor we selected was great and definitely knew what they were doing.
Middle of the gut/redo inside and out, before new siding. New siding covers the foundation bricks. Garage to the left has no insulation. House has insulation over wood. Then smart side. Experienced builders did work and siding.
Another vote for Hardy siding. We had it in our last house and it seemed indestructible. I would also do whatever you can to maximize the insulation since you’re in an older house.
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Hardie and Smart Side are fundamentally different products. Hardi is made from cement; Smart Side is an engineered wood product. Either would be much better than aluminum or vinyl.
I’d go with Hardi because, unlike SS, there’s no risk of future moisture issues.
It’s durable, paintable, and looks like wood.
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