Dawg! Pictures, please! E.Y.E.C.A.N.D.Y. Pretty, pretty, please?

VADawg, they're beautiful, and so is your kitchen! You should now be sleeping like a baby. Good job!

VADawg, Thank you for sharing that your Quartzite polished gorgeous counters did not etch and are bulletproof. They are also gorgeous! I just love your kitchen! I will have to get a sample of the Mont Blanc Quartzite! Congratulations on such a gorgeous kitchen with such beautiful counters!

For anyone considering this stone, don't assume that all Mont Blanc slabs are quartzite. The slabs at my local stone yard are labeled as falling somewhere between granite and marble in terms of staining and durability. IOW, it will etch and stain, just not as much as other marbles, but it certainly isn't as durable as quartzite. You need to get a sample and test it yourself.

I was bummed when I learned this because I would have loved to have counters as lovely as VADawg's.

I am getting my superwhite quartzite slabs honed, $7/square foot. In case anyone is looking around at pricing.

Juno_barks and others, what does getting a slab honed due besides making it less shiny? What is the process that mitigates the etching?

There is no process to mitigate etching, unfortunately. The concern is that stones are sold under all kinds of names and some are quartzite and some are marble.

VADawg's slabs are quartzite, and thus won't etch. But some slabs sold as "quartzite" are actually marble. Honing doesn't effect this either way.

VADawg, nice work! Totally gorgeous. I hope you are sleeping well after a job well done. :)

Thanks everyone! To answer lynn2006, I think polishing helps mitigate etching because there is a sealant applied as a protectant. At least, that's what my fabricator told me.

Another idea floating around out there is that a honed surface doesn't show the etching to the same extent as a polished surface. There is an interesting post about etching and a marble countertop, linked below.
I like the less reflective look of the honed rock, it enhances the rock's natural vibe for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: etching on a marble countertop.

VA Dawg- Just gorgeous! Thanks for posting. We are about two weeks away from installation and can't wait. Your Mont Blanc looks to have more grey than ours, and we will have ours honed. Thanks so much for sharing!

I purchased honed quartzite, but now I'm regretting it, and would like it to be polished. My fabricator told me it would be $1000/slab to polish it! just wondering your view on honed quartzite, here is a picture.

Hi sgriffen, that's funny, I purchased polished and was thinking I wanted it honed originally and my fabricator said ti would be several hundred dollars. I don't know too much about honed, but I had a honed sample and a polished sample, and the polished held up like a champ. I think I remember the honed had a slight discoloration or mark from the oil that I had tested, but I really can't remember too much about the honed sample. I would ask for a sample of each (and make sure they put a sealant or whatever they will do once they're installed on each side of the sample so you get a true test!!!). I've had my polished countertops since June, and they are bulletproof and gorgeous. I put hot pots on them, cooking oil, cherry juice, etc. Of course I clean spills up right away, but so far no scratching or etching or staining. I absolutely love them. Hope that helps!

VADawg- love your kitchen. I'm getting Mont Blanc- I think!>? I haven't ever had so much trouble finding a stone in my entire life! I need 3/4 slabs and the $$$$ is a huge factor.

Thank you! I think we had 3 slabs and it was a lot of money. But it makes our kitchen, I think. Totally worth it in my opinion. Good luck!

I am seriously considering quartzite for my counters and peninsula. What is the cost per square ft for material and cost to install? Is granite and quartz any less?

"My fabricator told me it would be $1000/slab to polish it! "

sgriffen:

I recently refinished an engineered marble which only needed the last two steps of a 4 step system followed by polishing powder, so three steps in all. I could do about 7SF an hour. To go from honed to polished you may get 2SF per hour. That's about 20 hours per slab, so you're getting quite a deal.

Hello VADawg and All - we are also looking at quartzite after reading threads on GardenWeb (looking for appearance of marble but durability). I am in the VA/MD/DC area and was wondering if you may be able to share the stone yard that you used and/or fabricator? I have called and visited several stone yards in the area (MSI, East-West, Marva) and have received different information concerning what type of stone Mont Blanc is ("We call it marble" and see it listed as granite and quartzite also - does anyone know if is there only one "Mont Blanc" or is this name used for several types of stone?). Mont Blanc is also listed among the least expensive of the stones that we were interested in. Here is a list a supplier sent us (we will need two slabs but I believe this list is per slab cost):

Mont Blanc- $3,780

Visont White granite- $3,328

New Super White- $4,500

Calacatta Vagli quartz- $7,742

Calacatta Quartzite- $7,435

Calacatta Quartzite Leathered- $7,832

Calacatta Moon Night- $7,352

White Macaubas Quartzite- $7,752

* I was also told by a rep at MSI near Dulles that the most durable quartzites are Calacatta Macaubas Quartize and Taj Mahal Quartzite (I don't know if this is across the board, or the most durable stones based upon how their yard lables stone; I will say he seemed to know more about the geology of the stones than anyone else I talked to). He did not recommend Mont Blanc if I was aiming for durability.

I'm interested in the same info, chiennoir3 & VADawg.

Fabricator and Stone Yards in the DMV area that are favorites (quality, pricing, customer service --- all that good stuff!)

I am looking at a dark chocolate brown quartzite. I am not a fan of the glossy finish I have on my current granite. From a care perspective (namely fingerprints, oil and dust), would I regret the honed finish on a darker countertop? This is the counter we are looking at, used in the break room of the supplier. It is shown polished here. (I have 3 kids.)

this is what my current counter looks like...the backsplash is matte, not glossy. we are keeping the backsplash.

I am currently looking for Quartzite counters and found Mont Blanc in one center listed as Quartzite from Brazil. Next door, they labeled the Mont Blanc as Marble from Namibia. When we asked why, the one place said it is a hybrid so we sell it as marble because it can etch easily. It makes me lose confidence in the sales offices. When we asked the fellow next door he said it definitely is Quartzite. I wonder if they will let me bring some lemon juice to test it? I am hoping that the Macauba Quartzite is as white and the Mont Blanc. I do not know how many trips I can make to the Granite centers!

I have had honed Mont Blanc countertops for less than six months and they are chipping. It is just my husband and I who use the kitchen and we are very kind to it. I went to put a glass in the dishwasher and bumped the glass on the edge and it chipped enough to have a piece crumble. The fabricator said it is really hard to work with as well. I was unaware of this when I bought it. I originally wanted marble but was told that marble stains so I went with the Mont Blanc Quartzite. Never was I told about about it being so fragile when I purchased it. It is beautiful and plays a close second in looks to marble but I am having it removed and looking for something more durable.

Angela Walker:

Stone fabricators are notorious for overselling stone. I've had two calls recently for rusting countertops. They continue to perpetuate the myth that you can place hot pots on stone. People come in, fall in love, and like a bad-boy boyfriend, make every excuse as to why this time it will be different and everything will work out. The stoners aren't going to try to convince them otherwise; they want the sale.

This thread is old, but perhaps someone is still interested in Mont Blanc. I've found it in Elkridge MD- United. They sell it as Quartzite but their prices are more like marble, so I'm skeptical. I've also seen it on MSI website as Quartzite.

I recently purchased a remnant of Mont Blanc Quartzite from a Fabricator. I find they are more knowledgeable than the Stone Yards because they cut these stones and need to know the correct tools to do the job. For a remnant 41-1/2" x 22-1/2" I paid $700. Quartzite is not cheap. I think there is a double use of the name "Mont Blanc" because I've also seen it listed as a Marble. Do your homework because it appears it comes in two versions. I was sold Fantasy Brown for my kitchen by a different Stone Yard and they told me it was a Quartzite. Their Fabricator called me and told me it was a Dolomite Marble. Based on my experience I will always deal with the Fabricator for the right info.

In case it is of help to anyone: we eventually bought marble (can’t remember but think it was Carrara but may have been calacutta) from a place near us in Fredericksburg called TGM. The stone was newly in stock in spring 2016 and we easily negotiated down from $75 to $50 sq ft and then asked and were given another discount for paying in cash; the guy we dealt with was very assertive and interested in making deals, and TGM pulls from DC and Richmond yards so you can have that larger selection but lower prices. We did ask for it to be honed, but never clarified in writing/on our paperwork, and when it was installed I saw it was polished (there was no extra charge - so I wonder abou these big charges people are getting quotes to polish stone...). The polished does etch like crazy - you can mostly see when a light like the one over the sink is on and it shines “across” the other counters. Regardless, we were good with going with this counter bc it would be cheaper to refinish/get rid of etching (in case we sell house, for example) than to get quartite or engineered stone, and this was selling point for us with whole house remodel and expenses. There are maybe two small spots with stains but only I see them (I bought sealer when counters were installed but didn’t use bc smell is supposed to be very toxic and we had small one). I did read that - when in a stone yard - you can test marble vs quartite or other stones bc marble will scratch very easily. Also, there was an episode of Big Beach Builds on HGTV where the host, Marni, shone a flashlight through the counter to demonstrate how to tell stones apart - I can’t find it now but useful to track down if people are visiting stone yards and dealing with confusion of labeling.

has anyone used carreara subway tile gray & white backsplash with mont blanc countertops? I have white cabinets & want some pictures with backsplashes used?
thanks

this is quartzite mont blanc. diff looks are from diff.parts of the mountain. we have polished granite now but are replacing with honed quartzite. its harder to fabricate because its so hard. Mine will be $28- $30 a sq ft to to fab. and each slab i found gof $900•

I am looking at Mont Blanc Quartzite from Brazil. I love the look but am concerned how it will hold up. What is the better finish, honed or polished?

the honed or leathered is more forgiving

Hi! Our plan was to get our white quartzite slab leathered but now I'm not so sure. We bake a lot and roll out a ton of pizza dough and flour tortillas. Would the leather texture be good for that purpose? Now I'm thinking a smoother surface would be better...

What if, instead, we leathered the surrounding countertops but kept the island polished? I'd love to know what others think. Thanks!

Very similar to what we did, I chose a wire brush finish nero black for the outer perimeter...(It looks like a tweed, but in stone, its amazing..) and then our center is Maldives in polished...that way I have a smooth for baking, and a matte for durability! I highly recommend wire brushed, if your counters take a beating! You would never see a chip in it lol!

@jeannie sprague- what did you go with? Everything I’ve read said the Leathered finish is still good for baking and easy to clean.

And... for those who are wondering about Mont Blanc mArble vs mont Blanc quartzite, they are two different stones. I was at a place today that had both in a leathered finish and you can see they don’t look the same. The first one is the marble, second is the quartzite (both labeled Mont Blanc).

We just chose Mont Blanc Quartzite for our kitchen. Has yet to be installed. We purchased the 3 slabs needed from a fabricator (has the stones already there in their yard). This is what they told me (and what other stone companies told me at numerous other stone yards I went to during my great countertop hunt--- trust me it took forever).............

I am, in no way, any type of expert on this. I've searched for natural stone countertops for about 6 months and have visited countless different stone yards, just wanted to relay the information I have gathered from them and research I have done on Natural Stone Institute website.

Any stone that is primarly white in color, whether it is labeled marble or quartzite, will basically have the same properties/minerals. The white color comes from minerals like calcite, dolomite etc. all of which react to acidic liquids/matter. This means that the countertop will be at risk for etching when comes in contact with things like lemons, pasta sauce, juices, tomatoes, etc. honed or polished. Honing the slabs doesnt make it more durable but rather makes the etch marks less noticable than if it was polished. Polished will show the etches more. Sealing the honed stone will help with staining but not with etching. There is no getting around the etching with a stone that is made up of those minerals which react to the acidic items. They did say that polished stone may hold up a little better against stain but if you seal the honed stone with a very good sealer, seal yearly and not let things sit for days, then honed should also hold up against stains.

I absolutely love the look and feel of honed marble/quartzite so we will be getting ours honed and sealing the sh*t out of it!

I think if your chosing a stone type that fits this description its best to embrace the patina of etching and love the character etching brings to the surfaces otherwise you will drive yourself bonkers looking at the etch marks!!!!

This is our slab of Mont Blanc.

Was labeled as quartzite but who knows, could be marble, either way, I love it!!!!!

I understand that there's so much to learn about quartzite and all the other rocks and minerals when shopping for stone!

But wanted to chime in to say that it's definitely not the case that all white stones have the same properties. If someone told you that who works in this industry, they need to do some studying.

Marble, quartzite, and granite can all be white and they all have different properties. Unfortunately, color is a thoroughly unreliable indicator of a stone's properties.

Another factor that should be added to your list above is porosity - understanding that is important when it comes to stain resistance. Aside from that, the rest of your summary is accurate.

I wrote a primer for exactly this purpose - all about white stones and how to tell them apart:

https://usenaturalstone.org/telling-white-stones-apart/

Your stone looks beautiful, congratulations! On that one I'd make sure they seal the edges of the stone very thoroughly, otherwise water can seep in through the cut edges. Mont Blanc is quite porous so good sealing is essential.

More info about quartzites and porosity: https://usenaturalstone.org/properties-of-quartzite/

As usual Karin your information is perfect! I followed your instructions 4 years ago when I purchased my Ice Flake Quartzite. My fabricator gave me a small slab to bring home - half honed and half polished. I placed mustard, ketchup, wine, vinegar, bleach, slices of lemon and anything else I could think of to check for etching and/or staining. We left them on overnight and when I wiped it off there wasn't a mark left on the stone. Both the honed and polished were blemish free. We went with honed because I wanted a softer, matte look that wouldn't reflect the pendants or under cabinet lighting.

And after 4 years they're still beautiful.

Thanks for checking in here regularly to help us understand the different properties of natural stone. Now if only the sellers and marketing agents would listen to you.

@karin_mt Yes they told me about porosity also, I was running out of time when typing that earlier post so did not mention. Many of the guys told me about the whole bright white background being mostly made up of those minerals that are not acid friendly, guess they need to do their homework. I'll take a look at the links you posted. May I ask your profession? Are you a Mineraologist? If so, that's an exciting profession, very cool.

My one and true love is Danby but wasn't in the budget for this kitchen so went with Mont Blanc which I have heard, more porous. Is it significantlly more? I was planning on having them seal it thouroughly but will make sure to remind them about the edges.

I'm a geologist and I feel very lucky to be one!

It's sadly common that "the guys" who sell stone are not up to speed on their information. This is why I started working with the stone industry, because it's just not that hard for folks to be informed.

I love Danby too - it's one of my favorites and I have a giant soft spot for American-made products. I've been writing a series about American quarries and they each have a unique and interesting story to tell.

With quartzites like Mont Blanc, there is a vexing problem with water getting into the stone from the cut edges. A related problem is they stain if not sealed really well. If you want to scare yourself (also, inform yourself) search this forum for quartzite staining and you'll see examples.

Maire Cate, thank you! I'm thrilled to hear you were able to test your stone and you found a good one. Ice Flake is one of the 'crystalline' quartzites, like Taj Mahal, and those tend to be excellent so I'm glad yours is performing well. Kudos to you for doing your homework.

Karin - I forgot - we also did the glass test. I really love my stone and I doubt I'll ever tire of it. In our previous home we had a wonderful granite - I think it was called Juparana Florenzia. It was polished, sealed and bulletproof and we never re-sealed it in the 20 years we lived there. This time around my kitchen is smaller and open to the family room so I wanted a softer look and a stone that played well with both the kitchen and family room.

You probably have no idea how many people you have helped with your advice. I've told countless friends and neighbors and there are times I find myself in the countertop section of a store telling other homeowners about the various tests.

Thanks so much for your kind words, Maire Cate! I just love the idea of you helping random shoppers with their purchases, but I know exactly how you feel - you have information that can help others, so why not share it? It's been satisfying to watch the information spread. I never planned to take this tangent in my career but it's been completely amazing. I love it.

Thanks again - appreciate the boost!

karin_mt

Thank you so much for the information, it was very helpful. I also read your articles you posted, very informative... thank you again.

I will make sure that they seal every last nook and crany of that countertop. I'll be sure to post a question here for you if I have any in the future.

:)

Awesome, glad it was helpful. Good luck and I hope it all turns out beautifully!

Hi Karin_Mt, it is so wonderful to read occasional threads and see you continuing to help people find the right stones! My gneiss has been wonderful in every way for my kitchen, and I'm SO happy for all the reading and searching I did. Now I'm helping my mom to remodel and we found some leathered Taj Mahal quartzite that is perfect for her kitchen. She and dad won't be hard on them, but she does want to be able to put hot pots down. That was the drawback for her of quartz.

I believe I have a great fabricator who will know how to seal this. What cautions do you have for me about Taj Mahal in a leathered finish? We haven't made the slab purchase yet.

"...but she does want to be able to put hot pots down."

She can't with the Taj Mahal, at least according to the Natural Stone Institute, the 70-year-old trade association of the natural stone industry. Trivets on all natural stones, no exceptions.

Thanks Joseph, I know that is correct and oft ignored advice. And while I think I could put hot pots on mine, I don't - why get in a habit that will surely ruin someone's counter, someday? But why aren't there exceptions for stones like mine (metamorphic gneiss)?

kksmama, Taj Mahal is one of the most trouble-free stones that you can get, so they've made an excellent choice. It's not porous so it's unlikely to stain - and that's the worry with other quartzites.

As for hot pans, the trouble isn't because the minerals in the stone can't handle heat, it's because all slabs are relatively thin, and the 'thermal shock' of a hot pan can cause the stone to expand, but just in that one small spot. The stress over the small area can create a crack. It's unlikely - but not impossible.

A couple years ago I did lots of tests putting a smoking-hot cast iron skillet on various slabs and none of the 2 cm slabs cracked. But a thinner one did - it was quartz though, not natural stone. Nonetheless, even with Taj Mahal I would use trivets.

I'm so glad your stone is working out for you and I know exactly what you mean about the satisfaction of having done your homework. Good for you!

Thank you SO much Karin!

karin_mt, just came across your post on quartzite slabs. Have not been able to test the pictured slab, but wondering if you are familiar or have heard of it . It is called Pietra Di Luna (quartzite? that is how it is labled by the whole seller). Trying to determine if you can tentatively tell anything from the name or look of the stone if it is in the same catagory as taj mahal in regards to a "trouble free stone" or in the Super White quartzite camp of troublesome in regards to etching and staining. Thank you in advance for your assistance and or thoughts.

Michael