Hi, Mike. We've got the cross-cut version of WM (Calacatta Gold) in our kitchen, and I ran a bunch of science experiments last year -- tested for staining and water/oil repellency. The winning sealant: Tenax Proseal.

Javiwa, are you saying with that sealer that oil etc... won't be absorbed into quartzite? How often do you have to apply it to keep it effective?

I'm not sure I would want to depend on a sealer, so may go with the black granite instead...

Does Silestone etc... have the same absorption problem?

thx

mike

Fresno- I went with Quartz exactly for the reasons you list above. I loved so many of the natural stones but didn't want to deal with staining and sealing etc. of course you can't put anything hot directly on Quartz, but I have always used hot plates anyway so no big deal for me. I have had my Quartz for 2 years with no issues.

fresno: Only sealers listed as oil repellant (oleophobic) will repel oil-based substances. I'd read MW and counterpart CG tend to be more porous than other natural stones, so may benefit from two coats of sealer, properly applied -- even moreso if the stone is honed, which tends to open up the pores, so to speak. Some granites also need to be sealed; some of the more dense ones don't. Regardless of what you eventually choose for your countertops, you'll need to do more research so you know what you're getting into. Get a sample and do your own tests. Everything's a give and take, and there is no perfect surface.

I posted a query on the Stone Fabricators Alliance forum here. You might want to check it out. The SFA pros are so knowledgeable and helpful, and you might glean some useful information there -- or consider starting your own thread. They may have real life experience on reapplication frequency, even though Proseal 'recommends' every 6-12 months.

Our tops were sealed ~ 1 year ago. Any oil smudges and splatters left overnight wipe up fine with soap and water. HTH!

"What would you recommend as the most durable surface for kitchen countertops?"

It depends on what you mean by "durable". If durable means stain resistance, you can't beat Corian and other solid surfaces. They are also repairable, but scratch more easily than most stones. Sintered (Neolith, Dekton) won't stain, but chip repairs aren't always inconspicuous. There are tradeoffs to all surfaces, too many for me to list. Do your research, please.

White Macaubus has not been metamorphosed to the same degree as Taj Mahal or Sea Pearl, for example. It has not been compressed as much. The quartz grains still have space between them. Because of that, it tends to be porous. Some people have had bad problems with staining along the edges where the stone was cut. Others have had no problems at all.

For sure, it needs sealing. Aside from that, it's a great choice. There are tradeoffs to every surface; you'll need to weigh what's most important to you. The main thing is that you are doing your homework, which is key. Keep it up until you find something that checks all or most of your boxes.

Good luck!

My very limited and semi-scientific testing showed that the Taj Mahal quartzite was impervious to almost any material as far as etching goes. Staining is another matter, and that's where a GOOD sealant appropriate for your particular material comes in. Won't prevent etching, but will greatly reduce but not completely eliminate any possibility of staining. My testing (see above) showed a VERY slight stain from fresh plum juice which was barely even noticeable...and this was on an unsealed Taj Mahal sample. With a truly excellent sealant, I'm convinced that the slabs we chose will be a very good choice. Reasonable care and expectations will go a long ways towards a satisfactory experience too....Thanks to all who contributed to this thread and this forum! Very informative and we learned a LOT that helped us in our decision. DO NOT rely solely on the information from the sales people at stone yards. While well intentioned for the most part, there is a a lot of misinformation and personal opinions that can steer you in the wrong direction.

Update: so now over a month later, our counters are finally ready to be installed on Friday 7/28! The installer commented on how challenging this stone is to work with (Taj Mahal quartzite). No surprise, but he said it is coming out beautifully. We will see soon, pictures to come!

Can' wait to see the install, kingdaddy!

OK, so almost three months later and I have to say I am very pleased with our choice for countertops (Taj Mahal Quartzite). ZERO staining or etching issues and it came out beautiful ! I will try to post up some pics tomorrow. Yes, our fabricator did comment on how challenging it is to work with but he had experience with quartzite so he knew how to handle it. I don't remember the product he sealed it with, but it was the best choice in his opinion.

Taj Mahal Quartzite is pretty much bullet proof. Great choice. Taj Mahal does not need a sealer to prevent etch OR staining because of its very high quartz content.

We also had Taj Mahal Quartzite and NEVER had any problems with etching or staining of any kind. I was never careful with red wine, lemon juice in fact I'm sure I cut some directly on the counter top. I am very OCD on cleaning countertops after all use but still never any problems.

bjdaniels:

That's because you have genuine Taj Mahal Quartzite, not a marble lookalike as many of the complainers have.

I was at a home yesterday with etched tops. The homeowner showed me his bill of sale from the fabricator specifying quartzite. It obviously wasn't. This happens all the time.

Sheesh, Joe-- does that mean the homeowner paid quartzite price, too? That's just not right.

Yep.

Update: Still have ZERO problems (staining, etching etc.) with our Taj Mahal countertops! We had a problem with our coffee maker and it leaked a bit of coffee which sat under the coffee maker for quite some time. Wiped it up with a damp paper towel...zero stain. NOTHING has harmed this counter...and my wife is a very messy cook and we sometimes miss an area while cleaning up. Quartzite (specifically Taj Mahal) was the perfect choice and it looks amazing!

We installed leathered Quartzsite less than a year ago and within a couple months putting anything like a wine bottle, pot or metal can and moving on the surface at all scratches the surface any idea on how to remove these small white dot scratches?

Laurie:

Those are "stun" marks. Learn to love them until you replace the top; more are on the way.

I'll bet you didn't test the stone to see if you were really getting quartzite before purchase?

Sorry Laurie, what you got was marble, not quartzite. Quartzite does NOT scratch the surface.

Unfortunately we took the word of the manufacture thinking it was quartzite how do we know it is marble for sure? My purchase order says quartzite if it is not we will have recourse to have replaced, can't imagine we could lose if sold something other than what we paid for.

"...how do we know it is marble for sure?"

Test, please.

^^^...especially the etching test (scroll ~ halfway down the page), as your stone has already, unfortunately, failed the scratch test (i.e., too soft to be quartzite).

Can stun marks appear in granite or is it just marble?

I've never seen stun marks n granite.

To stun granite I think you need a hammer, applied with considerable force. But my hunch is that it chips rather than 'stuns.' Although that's something I should experiment with - sounds like a fun thing to try!

Goggles, karin. ;)

Granite chips are inconspicuously repairable. Marble stun marks not so much.

Good advice Javiwa! Our snowbanks just melted and left behind a pile of stone shards from a January rock-smashing session. Good times.

(and yes I wore safety glasses)

shear style said they had good results getting etching out of quartzite using Lustro Italiano?

there are good and bad reviews.. does anyone have an opinion? if not that, what other product will take etching out of quartzite??

It depends on how severe the etching is. The Lustro is probably fine for light etching. That would also explain the mixed reviews.

there are rings and marks, i'm not sure if that is fine or not. are there any other suggestions?

I bought something like a Super White, I forget the name as of now. I was told it was Quartzite but it looks like marble. I was so excited to get such a beautiful stone that looked like marble but wouldn't react like marble. I have had my countertops a year and I am NOT an avid cooker so my kitchen activity is minimal. My stone is etched everywhere. I am obsessed with every etch in the stone and work on trying to fix it every day and every day my efforts fail. I had a professional come out and buff the countertops and it helped a little but not much really. He said some of the marks are the glue marks. He also said there were a lot of water stains. Can't let water sit on the countertop. Use a coaster under every glass and or can. The countertops have been sealed repeatedly and well by professionals. I told my husband I wanted a new countertop and he about had a stroke so I guess I'm keeping this countertop as it bothers me every single day. I'm going to try the recommended products for marble just in case it is a marble and not a quartzite. I get a lot of natural light in the home so the etching "pops" throughout the day and looks like I have spots that need to be cleaned. Don't buy quartzite.

Karen, I'm sorry to say you have bought a product that was misrepresented. This is not your fault, but was the fault of the people who sold you that stone under the wrong name and with an incorrect description of its properties. I'm really sorry this happened to you and I feel your pain.

Super White is marble.

You can go back to the stone company and complain - they sold you the wrong thing. Several people on this forum have done so successfully. There is ample documentation from the Natural Stone Institute about marbles that are mislabeled as quartzite (I wrote most of it), and Super White is specifically called out as a marble that is frequently mis-labeled as quartzite.

You should not have to live with a counter that bothers you every day, when this is a 'simple' case of a mistake from the dealer. Let me know if you need help with this.

Here is a reference that can help you http://usenaturalstone.com/definitive-guide-quartzite/

Good luck, keep me/us posted.

Sadly, I have to agree that you DO NOT have quartzite for your counter tops. As we shopped for our new counter tops, we did a TON of research and almost bought something that looked nice but turned out to be something other than true quartzite. We finally asked for a small sample piece of several materials and then did some testing at home with different substances. The only sample that was COMPLETELY 100% impervious to everything we tried was the Taj Mahal quartzite. We found some beautiful slabs and had a very good installer (who was familiar with Taj Mahal...it is challenging to work with) lay it out and install it. After almost a year, ZERO stains, etching problems etc. I had a coffee stain under our coffee maker that had been there for some time, it just wiped right up. My wife is a "messy" cook, but we have not found anything that etches or stains the Taj Mahal. So sorry to hear of your experience...if it's any comfort (probably not) you're not alone. It makes me angry that many stone yards are willing to misrepresent their stones, although to be fair I'm sure some of it is just ignorance. Good luck with your resolution to the problem!

Can you hon quartzite ? Will it still be fairly etch and scratch proof or by doing so does opening it up, lead to problems ? Help I am going looking this week any other names of real Quartzite in the white family, besides Taj Mahal, Sea Pearl and Macaubas?

Real quartzite is already etch-proof. The finish doesn't matter, as long as it's legit quartzite.

The 'fusion' quartzites are also good ones. But - you know this already -- the names are notoriously unreliable. Test test test!

In my research, the only "real" Quartzite I found that was literally etching proof was the Taj Mahal.

We wanted something white, but it had to be stain and etch proof so we kept looking for this quartzite and finally found some gorgeous slabs that were close enough. Very happy with our choice!

thank you :) I saw one yesterday call Naica, a lot greyer then originally was looking at but will look at more, love the white and veining of marble. I think Taj Mahal is too yellow cream unfortunately

for my kitchen design.

Infinity White might fit the bill - it's a lot like Macaubus and is also a bit porous. I agree that Taj Mahal only works with warm colors.

There's a list of different quartzites in this article http://usenaturalstone.org/properties-of-quartzite/ - hopefully that gives you a few to start with.

Yes, true about the color of Taj Mahal...but there is also a fairly wide range of colors, patterns, veining etc. on different slabs. We painted our oak cabinets a Swiss Coffee with all nickel hardware and stainless appliances with our Taj Mahal and it looks quite striking. We originally wanted something a bit more white, but practicality won out and we are very happy with our choice. Good luck on your decision!

Howdy!!! Seems like this thread is relatively active. Not to beat a dead horse but if someone could help, we’d be so appreciative! We are finishing out a kitchen remodel and got our countertops installed Wednesday. We told the salespeople we wanted counters that were as white as possible but we could not do marble because we have five kids and can’t deal with stains or etching. I told them we likely needed granite and that I prefer granite typically. The salesperson sold me on Luce di Luna which I think is the one y’all have mentioned as not actually being quartzite? The person who sold it to us said it was a real stone (unlike quartz) and that it was more practical than marble because it won’t etch/stain and works like granite. We’ve used it for all of 36 hours and I noticed tonight MANY marks (forgive me I forget whether they would be “stains” or “etches”) on the island overhang where said children have sat to eat multiple meals. We are very clean people but didn’t anticipate any issues and thus didnt thoroughly clean the counters till this evening when I unpacked the cleaning supplies that had been boxed up from the remodel. Here’s some photos. So two questions: is there any chance this is indeed quartzite? We took a razor blade to it and saw only a minor scratch that wouldn’t be noticeable. And 2. Assuming this is our new reality, is there any way to repair marks like these so at least we can get a “do-over?” Can’t believe we trusted the “experts.” We are very disappointed and discouraged. Thanks for any pointers!!

Not seeing the pictures (at least not yet). So sorry to hear about your experience. Several possibilities (caveat: I'm no expert, but I did do a fair amount of research on this) the most likely is that you were sold something other than true quartzite. Although some quartzite is more porous than others (less metamorphosed) and therefore more likely to absorb and stain and/or etch (not the same thing). The mineral content (calcite) also has something to do with it as does whether or not-or how much- resin was infused into the slabs. I highly recommend you read carefully the article in the link posted by karin_mt (a few posts up) who is a true expert and very helpful. I can tell you from personal experience that Taj Mahal is virtually impervious to etching OR staining. We have had ours for well over a year now with ZERO etching or staining issues and it is beautiful. Doesn't help you unfortunately I realize, but for the benefit of others reading this thread...DO NOT RELY ON THE STONEYARD SALESPERSON TO CORRECTLY IDENTIFY YOUR STONE SLABS!! They may or may not know what they are talking about, but once you find out they were wrong, it's too late.

This is for Marble Seal Technologies. We recently had leathered La Dolce Vita quartzite installed. After like 4 days we noticed etched rings.
We knew they had not sealed it when they finished installing it here so they came back buffed it and sealed it. The buffing got the rings out although one spot was left with a bit of a shine. We have used Method Daily Granite cleaner on it ever since and have been extremely careful. Today I see one of the rings is back and a tiny sticky clearish spot of something left on the countertop left an etch mark after I cleaned it up. What would your advice be?

Lustro Italiano Was helpful on etching last year.

But now I just opened my summer house after shutting electricity for the winter and I see reddish marks on quartzite!! I’m thinking maybe this is iron marks? Anyone know about this? Will the same product help? THANKS!!!

OLIVE OIL!!!!!! OMG! I thought my beautiful quartzite countertops were ruined by a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar I used against ants ( I was never told that quartzite etched). Very bad white etched areas. I bought a polish(lustro italiano) even though I know quartzite is just to hard and, of course, it did nothing. On a whim, I figured that etch is very dry and thought maybe putting moisture back into these areas would help, and if not, most likely wouldnt hurt. I poured some oil oil on, rubbed it in with a cloth and let it sit...maybe 5 or 10 minutes? Voila!!!! My countertops were back to normal!!!!

Please share this with anyone and everyone. I household item that can save your countertops! As you can see my countertops are beige/colored. I'm not sure if white countertops that are etched would soak in any of the color of the olive oil. In that case, maybe cocunut oil ;)

We just had Infinity White quartzite installed in countertops and backsplash and there is a stain (probably from my cooking). How do i got about cleaning this? Also there are rings created frim my hot soup bowls. What should i do? thanks

Poultice the stain and start using trivets please.

All of these people with MARBLE counters, clinging to the lie that they are quartzite. How on earth can the truth not be faced? Willful ignorance?

It's the sellers that are misclassifying stone. You can't blame the customers for believing what they're being told - though of course, being an educated consumer is always a safer bet. Some retailers do an awesome job of understanding their products, correctly identifying the stone they sell, and explaining things to customers. Others do the exact opposite. The industry is improving, but there are still sellers who aren't up to snuff and it makes headaches for everyone.