I lived in the Appalachian mountains of Pennsylvania on a property with quartzite being much more abundant than dirt. I built retaining walls out of quartzite blocks that littered the surface. Essentially, it was once sand that was heated so hot that some of the silica in the sand turned into quartz crystals. It’s soft enough that it can be cut with a circular saw. (Not with my blades, please!) There are places with so much quartzite that it can be mined in big blocks and sliced into slabs. The problem is that it is porous—water and stains will filter into it. What gets sold for counters is treated with oils or waxes that make up about ten percent of the volume.

By contrast, so called “quartz” countertops are made of quartz gravel, marble chips, glass, and industrial waste of various sorts mixed with a polymer binder of some sort and treated with heat. It is then sliced and polished. It has natural material in it, but much of it is made in chemical plants. It can be made in various forms, some of them quite festive, and often it doesn’t look much like stone.

Granite countertops are made of slabs of granite. If you walk through the stone yard of a countertop shop, you will see that there are a lot of really beautiful and exotic possibilities available to those who want their counters to be really striking. Most people choose what is cheapest and most consistent, of course.

One I love that I haven’t seen mentioned here is soapstone. (It doesn’t lather, but it has a sort of soapy, greasy feel to it.) Soapstone is mostly made of steatite, which is mostly talc, mined in big blocks, then sliced. I know there’s a big mine in Virginia. It’s a medium to dark grey. I had a two ton Tulikivi wood stove made of it, and it held the heat of the fire for hours, gradually heating the house. It’s also good for handmade farmhouse-type sinks.

I’m pleased that my home on The Villages has nice Formica countertops. Easy to clean. Much less expensive. Looks nice to me. Stone? Who am I trying to impress?

We went with quartzite, which is part of the materials that quartz is made out of. Our pattern is “quieter” than most granite patterns but more interesting than most quartz, IMO. I also like very shiny countertops so that was a factor.

Granite makes a kitchen look dated.
Like it or not, quartz and quartzite are the latest trends in kitchen design and will currently provide you with the best resale value.

I chose granite for a natural look vs man made with quartz

Try TerraStone from Central Florida Kitchen & Bath Surfaces Inc, 2800 SE 62nd St, Ocala, FL 34480

Go spend a day checking out your options. Looks like Granite at 1/3 the cost (2 years ago).
They also do Granite, and Quartz if that is your choice.
TerraStone color and pattern is completely customizable.

We have granite up north and quartz here.

Granite is heat tolerant which I really like, its stain resistant which I like, its ugly (very wild pattern).

Quartz isn't as heat tolerant so I have to be really careful since I'm now in the habit of putting hot pots on it. Quartz will stain, a coffee cup ring or even worse a red Kool-Aid stain are hard to get off (we have almost white quartz). It looks very nice when its all clean, slick and pristine.

I'd pick Granite and try to get the least wild pattern I could find.

IMO, Granite goes well with darker cabinets and quartz goes well with lighter cabinets.

My personal opinion is that I prefer the look of granite. While quartz is thought to be impervious to heat and stains it is not. My son has an icemaker and must put a pad under it because the heat can and will damage the quartz. If granite is sealed you will not have a problem with stains. Yes is can chip if something smashes it but quartz can also be damaged. Quartz is pricier so I say it’s a personal preference.

Quartz -- no maintenance

It appears to received relatively little press, but manufactured stone (quartz) countertops were recently banned in Australia. (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...H9PWx8drs5LYMg). The people working this material can be exposed to extremely dangerous dust, which can destroy the lungs in a relatively short period of time, resulting in lung transplantation or even death. California recently put in place rules to protect workers in this industry, which generally involves small shops and often employees who do not speak English or realize the risks. There are a number of established reports of workers dying in the United States in this industry, typically at a young age. Natural stone is a little less dangerous, but still can cause the same health effects. I plan to use less fashionable materials in my upcoming remodel project. It is not worth killing somebody for a pretty kitchen.

Granite is so passé and ugly. Soapstone if you can afford it, or quartz.

100% quartzite! It’s a natural stone and beautiful. Be careful with any and never put a hot pan directly on them. Never leave red wine or sauce spills sit on them either.

Personally if I’d choose granite if there’s a color I like because it’s a natural material. People make a big deal about it needing to be sealed but they never check to see what that actually entails . It’s simply spraying and rubbing the sealant into the granite As easy as wiping with a wet rag.

Didn’t know about the health hazards of manufacturing quartz as mentioned by a previous post but now that I do I’d definitely stay away from it.

If we’re basing our choices on fear and conscience .....then butcher block.....oh wait, now salmonella enters the equation! :rolleyes:

Our preferences from our research, cost not being a factor until purchase time

Quartzite: best for all conditions, heat included
install next to oven / stove for hot pan usage

Granite: look long, far and wide for the pattern matching, and yes, there is some maintenance, but you are also retired and clean house regularly as well. so you add a chore to the house kleening every 6 months without much effort.
downside is if you take lots of tiny pills, you can lose them in the veining

Quartz: best near sink, dishwasher, and not adjacent to the stove as heat can damage the epoxy
if next to stove, use glass hot plate protectors for removing dishes from stove top to kountertop
Use glass top stove cleaner for any stains, ie, keep the counter kleen at all times

good luck and please lettuce know what you picked?

grammer and spelling expert guy