Quartzite vs Quartz opinions needed

[origami]

I’ve narrowed down the countertop choices for our kitchen reno down 2. 1 is quartz, 1 is quartzite. I think I like the pattern on the quartzite more, but I’m worried about staining it over time and wondering how much of a PITA it is to keep sealed. Any experiences here with either kind?

[aprilsails]

I don’t have experience but I absolutely loved a pale grey quartzite when we were designing our house and decided not to get it because we are not at all precious with our surfaces. In the end we went with a granite that has a lot of quartz and mica in it (mostly white but busy as hell so it hides a multitude of sins). None of the white quartz areas have discoloured in three years and we’ve never sealed it, although we probably should.

I don’t know if this helps. I do think if something went wrong with the grey quartzite slab that it would have been noticeable since it was such a consistent colour throughout. A red wine stain would have shown for example. Instead we went with Everest White granite which is the opposite of plain. And I love it because it is so sparkly.

[definitelyO]

weird - I cannot see the images.... and I didn't know there was a difference between Quartz and Quartzite...

if one is more durable - that's always my vote!

[steamboat185]

We have a white/ grey quartzite it’s been about 9 years and there are 2 tiny chips on the underside of the counter, but no stains. We don’t baby it at all. The chips were due to smashing a cast iron pot into it.

[origami]

Feb 3, 2023 12:41:38 GMT -5 steamboat185 said:

We have a white/ grey quartzite it’s been about 9 years and there are 2 tiny chips on the underside of the counter, but no stains. We don’t baby it at all. The chips were due to smashing a cast iron pot into it.

How’s the sealing process for you?

[steamboat185]

Feb 3, 2023 14:41:21 GMT -5 origami said:

Feb 3, 2023 12:41:38 GMT -5 steamboat185 said:

We have a white/ grey quartzite it’s been about 9 years and there are 2 tiny chips on the underside of the counter, but no stains. We don’t baby it at all. The chips were due to smashing a cast iron pot into it.

How’s the sealing process for you?

We have never sealed the stone. Well maybe once years ago. We do try to wipe up anything crazy quickly. Our biggest issue is coffee and the few times we’ve had a stain “set” I spray hydrogen peroxide on it and it comes up pretty easily.

We do have a harder than average stone. I think others can be more of an issue.

[libbygrl109]

We have Cambria quartz. It’s been almost a year - so easy to live with. I use food coloring very often, spilled coffee, you name it, and nothing has stained it. It cleans up so easily with soap and water (their preferred method). The only thing I’m careful about is putting hot items directly on it (which I never used to do with our laminate anyway) because they say the quick change in temp could damage it.

[macmars45]

I have quartz (2 years last December). I've definitely banged our cast iron pan into it more than once. No chips. I use an eco friendly cleaner for the counter tops. Nothing has stained. I spill stuff all the time and definitely don't clean it up immediately.