White Quartzite mark/stain/flaw???

11 years ago

We are on the tail end of a master bath renovation of our 1950's home. The quartzite countertops were installed last week. I do not know what the quartzite is called, but it's white with light gray veins. It's beautiful. Here is my question/problem: There is a small black mark that is driving me nuts. I originally thought it was maybe a wax pencil mark (thought maybe they used it to mark the stone before cutting it??) but I couldn't scrape it off with my finger nail. It looks like I dropped the mascara wand on the counter top. Needless to say it is bothering me. Two things keep running through my head- one being that if it is a flaw/impurity of the stone, why on earth would they use that end of the slab as it is literally on the far end and edge and I have a 6' remnant left, and two, if it is a stain did they seal it in? What if they can't get it out? I'd almost rather have a dent in the stone than an obvious black mark. I will post pictures, but you can tell it doesn't follow the same lines of the veining. I just wanted an opinion on if you think it is a stain vs. a flaw and how you would handle the situation. I'm going to call the stone people today. There are other areas that look like they have some kind of resin/clear caulk/epoxy that I want them to clean up. (not happy about that either!) and I should note that on the cut edges there is more of the black marks that look like colored pencil lines and orange ones as well. Certainly not as noticeable, it just makes me think that they didn't do a good job cleaning up!

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Comments (8)

KevinMP
11 years ago
Looks like part of the stone to me, much like the black flecks that often appear in calacatta (which I strove to avoid in my bathroom tiles).
TSG1104
11 years ago
Looks like a natural variation in the stone to me too. When we purchased the granite for our kitchen, we went down after they had the template laid out on the slab so we could approve it. They worked with us to move it around to the extent it was possible to get the parts of the slab we wanted to feature and try to avoid parts we didn't like as much. Did they give you that option? You might see if to get them to cut another top from your leftover if they didn't, but I'd be surprised if they would without additional cost to you.

When we purchased our bathroom stone, we did not go and approve the layout because there really weren't going to be any options. There was basically only one way to do it and get everything from one slab. One of the vanity tops has some areas where I notice some darker spots. In a perfect world, we would have worked around those areas but since that would have meant buying a second slab, I am going to accept it for what it is - a natural product with variations.
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AlynnD
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the opinions. I was not given a choice regarding the template. It's frustrating because there is literally no other mark like that anywhere on the rest of the counter or on the remnant. Never even thought to check it out while they had it marked. I saw the slab and didn't notice it. I have Carrara marble and soapstone in my kitchen, none of which have any imperfections like that, so it never crossed my mind. However, I will sleep easier knowing it's the stone! I can accept that.
treasuretheday
11 years ago
Think of it as a beauty mark... that is a gorgeous stone! Can we see a bigger picture?
AlynnD
Original Author
11 years ago
Larger photo of quartzite stone in our master bath. Not all of the lighting is in, so it's hard to get a good shot of the stone. But here goes. Thanks, again for your input and encouragement. I do love the stone and have decided one imperfection will not dampen my spirit!
AlynnD
Original Author
11 years ago
Another photo
treasuretheday
11 years ago
Oh, that's a beautiful vanity! There's alot to love there, black mark or not. I am curious though as to where the mark is in relation to the pictures. If it's in the wider view, I can't see it.
AlynnD
Original Author
11 years ago
It is in the wider view, but the way the light is coming in from the window it's in the glare. It's on the far right side of the vanity just a bit away from the edge.