HI, i like the idea of the color combo.. dark espresso is my fav color cab. I chose "Fantastic White" granite which is hard to find but no all that expensive. It's creamy white wit gray veins and some black specs. It's a level "3" granite at my marble shop. Google it and see if it might worK?

I can tell you that in the Midwest, Cambria will cost you around $75/sq ft. It is more expensive than a lot of granites here. Depending on who is trying to sell you what, you'll hear pros and cons for both, but I think overall, it comes down to budget and more importantly, aesthetics. Both can stain, scratch and crack. For me, I didn't like the uniformity of quartz, which is exactly what my mom loved about it when she chose it. Take your sample door and go to slab yards and look at sample kitchens with quartz, take samples home and look at them in your house. In the end there is a certain leap of faith you take :-)

i can't help with the cost between the two, i think there are many factors in determinig that...but i can offer my 2 cents on the granites you are looking at....

i also have espresso cabs and the person helping me pull it all together, i won't call her a KD. she was a person working at the company where we ordered the cabs. My DH know the owner personally, so she was just along for the ride, if you will.
after i settled on style and color, i asked her what color granite she suggested, and it was kashmir white..
of course i went and googled it and did not like at all.....

IMHO, these light granites don't do the espresso cabs any justice..it makes the cabs look so stark...if that's the look you are going for then thats great, but if not i would look for a granite that has more browns, creams, gold and some black in it, which will tie it all together...and make your kitchen have a warmer look...

believe me i have been down this road and looked at many granite slabs and went to a few yards...i know its difficult..but when u find the one, u will know...
i also went in with preconceived notions and they got blown out of the water, so keep an open mind when u look at granite, it may surprise you...
enjoy the ride!!!! (hope i didn't offend, not my intention at all, just providing a different angle :)

The color combo is fine. The Chinese cabinets, not so much.

I have Alabama White marble on my espresso color cabinets, and I like the combo a LOT.

Nancy

Thanks Erin I liked the Fantastic white, reminds me of a lighter Bianco Romano.

Yeah threegraces, I kind of like the natural grainieness and movement in granite.

Isprtphntc I'll look into the browns/golds, but I kind of prefer light white colors because of the contrasts.

live_wire, have you heard of these cabinets? Is it a bad brand? It's all plywood, softclose, descent hardware etc.

spring/nancy - yeah I actually love white marbles, but I am too messy/rough and afraid of staining or damaging a marble!!

Look for a cabinet brand that has passed the KCMA certification tests. And NOT Chinese.

Thanks for all your responses.

What do you think of Brazilian Arabescato granite? Ive also seen it labeled as quartzite but the person at the granite yard said this Brazilian Arabescato slab is granite.

pic below what do you think? too dark for dark cabinets?

As far as the KCMA cabinets, What do the tests entail? I saw a KCMA cabinets at a warehouse and they had pressed wood on the walls which concerned me. They just didn't seem as good of quality as these Chinese ones that I chose, yet the Chinese ones were a couple thousand dollars cheaper. The Chinese ones felt more sturdy and had plywood build all around, also they were soft close with drawers that seemed more solid.

Have you heard of that Chinese brand Maywood cabinets? Do they have a bad rep or something?

This post was edited by yorkiemiki on Tue, Dec 24, 13 at 13:59

did some more research and I'm not quite sure now if Brazilian Arabascato is truly a granite. I think it might be called "QuartZITE" (not quartz but quartzite).

Also I think it looks a lot like what people call "Super white" granite or quartzite... Not quite sure what it is or if it's durable or more expensive than granite?

Anyone with experience with quartzite or Super white or Brazilian Arabascato?

Thanks!

I chose a quartzite, and would do it again. My favorite granites are the dark ones. My mom had blue pearl, I had absolute black. I wanted something light, like the marble I have in DR. I know I could be selling my house within 5-10 years, so wanted something that would still look new.

I love your slab, and picture it with MOP BS, or marble like in picture.

Hey bookworm which quartzite did you choose? How has it held up the What does DR, MOP and BS mean? Sorry

I could definitely use marble for a backsplash that would be nice

Yeah I really like the Super White quartZITE and ones that look like that. Anyone know approximately how much a typical slab of Super white QuartZITE would cost as opposed to a typical slab of a common granite like "kashmir white"?

Also is fabrication more expensive for quartzite as it's harder than a lot of granites?

attached is pic of superwhite with espresso cabinets i got from google images

Anyone have long term results with kashmir white granite, or any light granites or any quartzites like Super White?

Quartz is more durable than granite. You won't have worry about etching or staining with quartz like you would a very light granite or marble. Although I LOVE cararra marble, I would get quartz because of the piece of mind of durability.

Quartz is usually more expensive than your typical mid grade granites but very exotic granites can cost much much more.

I love granite, marble, and everything else so I wouldn't shy away of considering any of them in your kitchen but just know red wines can stain granite, I don't think you'd have to worry with quartz. I have a very busy granite and even if I got a stain no one would see it. I would love to have white quartz someday that mimick marble :)

Good luck. Post pics when you're done.

Here, quartzite run $100-$130 a square foot. And it would be like putting gourmet chocolate drizzle on stale week old cake to put it on Chinese cabinets.

I had wanted Kashmir white granite but apparently there is a problem with the quarry and you can't get it anymore...at least in Southern California. I went with white springs instead and actually am happier because it has more movement and colors.