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new_home1024

Please help... Other names for Quartzite and granite?

new_home1024
11 years ago

I'm in the process of looking for granite for our new home. At the second place I went, I found two that I really like. I came home and googled the names and these do not seem to exist. Does anyone know other names for these?

Glacier Cloud Quartzite and Aztec Cream Granite

Comments (21)

  • new_home1024
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I was only able to add one picture at a time, here is the other picture (aztec cream)

  • DLM2000-GW
    11 years ago

    Not a clue but have to say the movement in that first one is gorgeous. Google white quartzite in images and you'll find look alikes.

  • DLM2000-GW
    11 years ago

    Try super white quartzite and kashmir white granite

  • dpusa
    11 years ago

    Its def. not kashmir white

  • MuGGzy
    11 years ago

    The following are all "Name Brand" Granite alternatives we looked at, don't know if this is what you were looking for but...
    Silestone
    Caesarstone
    Zodiaq
    Cambria
    Technistone
    Hanstone
    "Q"

    We also looked at some amazing looking custom concrete counters.

  • renovator8
    11 years ago

    Granite is an igneous rock that is formed when magma cools down.

    Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that changes its form under heat and pressure.

    There are thousands of different looking examples of these materials and each is commonly know by as many as a half dozen names by different suppliers.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Granite Cross Reference

  • DLM2000-GW
    11 years ago

    That second slab could be Kashmir but I'm not saying it's a certainty. Kashmir white comes in many different forms - have a look at google images. As with all stone, every slab is different and stone yards take 'liberties' with names so it's really anybody's guess.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kashmir on Google

  • jmpeterson70
    11 years ago

    The top does resemble Super White, but looks a little more "fluid" to me. We just installed a Super White island top in our build, and it looks more like the below (the picture is not of our slab, just one I found on google images):

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    Wow! That top one is GORGEOUS! the second one, from "back here" looks like it could be kashmir white, but who knows without being "there" to see it up close.

  • bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
    11 years ago

    Are you SURE that first stone is some sort of quartzite or granite? It looks an awful lot like Calacatta marble to me. See the link below to Arena Stones. They show a number of different Calacatta marbles in their "calacatta gallery" and your image would fit right in. It looks an awful lot like the Calacatta Arabescato. Click on the image to see the actual stone and you'll see what I'm talking about.

    I suppose your stone might be a slab of Superwhite quartzite but typically white quartzite (and granites) look grittier and more sparkly. Where they have a swirled movement, the swirls are "chunkier" and not as free-flowing looking as the swirls in marble.

    I've heard (on this forum) about stone yards sometimes selling marble as granite so do be careful. Marble, while gorgeous, etches easily if any sort of acid is spilled on it. Given the prevalence of acids in foods, you might want to forego marble in the kitchen no matter how pretty it is. Lemons, limes, vinegar, tomatoes and many other acidic foods will quickly etch marble.

    Try asking for a small sample of the stone and take it home, cut a lemon in half and leave it lying cut side down against the stone for an hour or so...longer if you or someone else in your family tends to be a messy cook who doesn't clean up after him/herself IMMEDIATELY. If the stone etches, it doesn't much matter what it is called unless you're willing to live with etched countertops.

    Here is a link that might be useful: See the Calacatta gallery

  • new_home1024
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    These store actually kept marble and granite in separate show rooms which made me happy because I always go for the marble! We explained that we do not want marble be because of the problems with it etching and staining. She repeatedly assured us that this was quartzite. I was just worried since that name didn't exist online. Superwhite is the closest I've found to the top one, but not quite the same,

    The second isn't kashmir white as they had kashmir white. This was more of a creamy beige with browns not whites and grays.

  • athensmomof3
    11 years ago

    The second looks like it goes better with your tile samples but that first one is a show stopper! I might design around that one!

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    Take a jaunt over to the kitchen forum and find the thread on different quartzites. (there is a geologist who participated on that thread), or simply put your rocks up on the kitchen forum and get their take. I am sure, if the geologist is still on the forum, she'll help you out. She also tells you a test you can do (with a glass bottle) to figure out if it is a marble or a granite.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    The actual type of stone has been a mess throughout the stone industry.

    Almost anything that takes diamond tooling to work gets lumped into the 'granite' category, with a few exceptions.

    If you ask a geologist they will tell you that comparatively few of the stones sold as 'granite' are actually granite.

    Most of the names are nothing but advertising puffery.

  • mydreamhome
    11 years ago

    2nd one looks like Kashmir Gold. 1st one is absolutely stunning with all that movement. Definitely post over in 'Kitchens' forum.

  • new_home1024
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Just an update, I got a sample of the glacier cloud and it did scratch glass. I also tested the unsealed sample with lemon juice, a lemon wedge, and tomato sauce. I only left it for about a half hour but it didn't stain. We are very happy and are going with the glacier cloud.

  • kirkhall
    11 years ago

    Wonderful news! I love that stone!
    (most people would do the etch tests up to 24 hours. just an fyi).

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    11 years ago

    I've seen someone else post that first quartzite I think in kitchens, but I don't remember who or when.

    If that tile is your tile, I think it's too brown for that quartzite, lovely though it is. The 2nd one is a little less interesting though the colors are better.

  • Kathy Harrington
    11 years ago

    check out white beveled arabesque tile for your backsplash. I saw that with a counter similar to your stone and it was gorgeous.

  • new_home1024
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks everyone. The tiles posted in our picture are not the backsplash tiles we are using. I liked it on the wall in the other room but when it went against the stone, I didn't like it. It happened to still be there when my husband snapped the picture.

  • sedona_heaven
    11 years ago

    I think it's super white, and gorgeous! Definitely check out kitchen forum if you haven't already.