What is quartzite?
Quartzite is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts, the original quartz sand grains and quartz silica cement were fused into one. Pure quartzite is usually white to grey. Quartzites often occur in various shades of pink and red due to varying amounts of iron oxide. Other colors are due to impurities of minor amounts of other minerals.
Blue Louise quartzite. Photo from Arizona Tile.
Granite, marble, limestone, slate, soapstone and sandstone.
So a lot of times you will see quartzites labeled as granite or marble. Stone yards are getting better now though, I am starting to see quartzites labeled correctly more and more.
It's important to label quartzites correctly because they aren't the same as granite or marble at all.
Azul Macauba quartzite. Photo from Buy Stone Now.
I highly recommend getting a sample of the quartzite from the slab you would be purchasing and do some acid testing on it. This way you will know if it etches or not before it's installed in your new, expensive kitchen.
Keep in mind etching isn't necessarily bad. If you are okay with a patina it's great. If you want your countertops to look perfect forever use granite or quartz.
Super White quartzite. Photo from MGS by Design.
When you hear about quartz countertops people are usually not referring to real quartz, we are referring to a man made product.
The man made quartz products are sold under brand names such as CaesarStone, Radianz, Cambria, Compac, etc. These slabs are made of over 90% of the real quartz along with polymer resins and pigments.
White Princess quartzite. Photo from Garden Web.
Quartzite's are generally higher priced than most marbles and granites. They are also some of the most stunning pieces of stone you will ever find. Just be sure to do your research and hire an experienced, knowledgeable fabricator.
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4 remarks:
just hand some quartzite installed. Looks like poured cement with a polish shine. I love it! Installer says it needs to be sealed. Does quartzite need to be sealed and if so, should I use a granite sealer or something else?
Hi Holly-
Yes, I highly recommend sealing your quartzite. Use a granite sealer.
Check out this link to see the sealers I recommend.
http://www.granitegurus.com/2011/04/stone-care-maintenence.html
Maybe you can find out the answer to dozens of posts heating up about why quartzite is etching.
You mentioned calcite, but true quartzite does not contain calcite or anything that would cause it to etch.
Which leads some to believe what is being sold as quartzite is not true quartzite.
here's another possibility posed by others: most slabs now have a resin applied at the quarry to improve durability, enhance color, etc. One opinion is that it is not the stone that is reacting to acids, but the resin. And because resin varies from country to country, this may explain why the same stone etches for one person, but not for another.
Appreciate your thoughts!
One last thing in response to your comment that quartzites are more expensive than granites and marbles. Granites run the gamut from lower end (Uba Tuba) to very expensive stones. In general, quartzites are at about the mid-range of granites, but marble typically is much more than quartzite with Calcultta Gold being among the most expensive.
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