Quartzite is one of the best choices for kitchen countertops. Really, the only downside is the price. Knowing the most popular quartzite colors is one step forward in choosing the right one. This article is all about the most popular quartzite colors and the necessary steps to choose the slab that is right for you.
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Most Popular Quartzite Colors
Taj Mahal
The popularity of the Taj Mahal is because of multiple reasons: the marble-like appearance, outstanding durability, and its ability to be perfectly paired with any style of kitchen – modern or classic. This beautiful Ivory classic with a crystalline structure gives endless possibilities to designers.
Sea Pearl
Sea Peral is one of the most popular choices of quartzite countertops. The light grey background with delicate streaks of silver veining creates a mellow beautiful addition to your kitchen design.
Imagine, this beautiful slab paired with dark grey shaker-style cabinets, Brass faucet, and hardware.
Even better: imagine this slab paired with anthracite grey handleless super modern cabinetry in a minimalist kitchen with Scandinavian vibes.
White Macaubas
White Macaubas is one of the most popular quartzite options out there. The reason is the neutral shades of the surface. It features a primary pearly white layered by thin grey veining. It can perfectly go with any type of interior – modern or classic, and due to its neutral colors, it will be perfectly combined with any cabinet colors.
Macaubas Fantasy
Macaubas Fantasy quartzite features waves of grey and blue on a white or light grey surface. The beauty of the natural stone is that the patterns are unique and absolutely gorgeous. Thie color combination would work great with darker cabinets, or lighter cabinetry if they are one of those color tones that we already see on the countertop slab.
The patterning of the Macaubas Fantasy slab would make a star out of your countertops.
Elegante
Different slabs might feature different soft shades of blue, grey, and white. The delicate, soft combination of those colors provides a calming soft classy atmosphere, yet dramatic veining would make the countertops become a focal point.
Pair this countertop slab with shades of greige, blue, or beige and it will do wonders. Light wood cabinetry would perfectly match it as well.
Cristallo
Light grey surface featuring gold veining and shades of grey. This quartzite offers endless potential to be used in elegant luxury kitchen designs. Due to its iconic patterning, this quartzite can become a focal point if used as a backsplash or a countertop. Would ideally be paired with brass hardware and faucet, and any cabinet color, including white, grey, beige, greige, blue or green.
Calacatta Lux
Calacatta lux is a type of quartzite that does not scream for attention but capture our hearts with its royal beauty. White background with light grey veining is its magic signature, and the marble-like appearance would elevate the looks of any kitchen. Calacatta is sometimes classified as Marble. Therefore, I highly recommend purchasing a sample and testing it against household acids.
This type of quartzite is ideal for modern-looking or classic kitchens, and due to its neutral colors, it can go with pretty much any cabinet color.
Blue Rise
The beauty of Blue rise is unmatched. It looks almost like a glacier because of its light gray color with blue-ish undertones and impressive veining. The waves and veining give each slap a unique iconic look that will never be repeated anywhere else than in your kitchen. This exotic slab is a star in the kitchen.
The Blue Rise can be paired with pretty much any cabinet color, but the best effect would be something contrasting – dark gray, blue, or green cabinetry. Shades of pink would do wonders as well.
Alexandrita
Alexandrita quartzite features soft hues of green, ivory, and peach. This combination of colors is reminiscent of sand and sea foam – that’s why this beautiful exotic stone has a calming effect.
Alexandrita is ideally paired with neutral light color kitchen cabinets: beige, light wood, white greige, and grey. It might also be paired with green cabinetry, but the tone of the paint should be carefully chosen.
Aurora
Aurora features black, teal, silver, white and soft pink shades together creating a surface like the night sky with aurora borealis. Arora is an exotic quartzite countertop material that can be seamlessly used for backsplashes in Luxury kitchen designs. This beautiful stone would become a star in the kitchen when paired with high-quality cabinetry with non-distracting modest looks, classic or modern.
How do I choose a quartzite countertop?
Step 1: what is your budget?
The first step is to define your budget for the countertop. Kitchens are costly projects, and it is important to synchronize your expectations with the available funds in your bank account.
This step is important because the variety of quartzite types and the differences in prices are huge. You can get a quartzite countertop that costs over 4000 USD per square meter, and you can get another one that costs around 100USD. This does not mean that the expensive one will look more beautiful in your kitchen than the other one.
How much should a slab of quartzite cost?
The cost of the quartzite slab should be based on the overall budget of your kitchen project. Countertops should take up to 10% of the overall budget. The bigger the budget for your kitchen project, the more you can spend on quartzite countertops. If the budget is really low for the kitchen remodel or renovation, then quartzite might not even be a suitable material for countertops, as natural stones go on the pricier side of the countertop options.
Here is a basic breakdown of costs per task for a kitchen remodel project to keep as a guideline.
Step 2: Choose the quartzite countertops colors
Once you defined your budget, you are ready to move to the next step – what color and look do you want? Usually, if you work with an interior designer, she or he will provide the design concept which defines the overall aesthetics of the space. The countertops should be coordinated with the rest of the kitchen.
The choice, in a nutshell, is between making the countertop a focal point or letting it blend in the background. The busier patterns and colors will draw attention, while mellow patterns and colors would blend the surface.
Generally speaking, it might be a good idea to stick with neutral colors. I love greens, I love blues, and I love all the rusty colors, but imagine, you have to spend a lot of time looking at those colors and busy patterns. Will you still love them after some time?
Step 3: Pick a quartzite slab
Once you made the decision about the color, you can move forward with choosing the right quartzite slab. Do your research, explore the options online first, see the pictures and make a list of suitable quartzite types that fit into your budget and color choice.
Once you have an idea of which quartzite types you are willing to buy, go to the showroom, or order samples. Having samples is important – you might want to test them against stains and acids: spill some red wine, lemon juice, vinegar, and other colorful household substances on the surface, wait a while, and then wipe them out to see if the surface gets permanently stained.
For example, a lot of countertop manufacturers have been sued for calling Dolce Vita a Quartzite since the slabs got damaged by acids after installation and they had to actually stop calling it a Quartzite and classify it as either Marble or a Dolomite.
It is important to know what you are paying for.
Once you are happy with the testing results, go to the store to choose the slab. At this stage there are two things that matter: the slab thickness and careful observation to see if the slabs have cracks. Cracks should not be mistaken for Fissures: fissures are natural features of the material while cracks are mechanical man-made damages, i.e. defects.
Generally, the thickness of the slabs is 20 or 30milimeters. Both are acceptable and can work pretty well.
How can you tell the quality of quartzite?
You can tell the quality of quartzite by testing the samples against stains and acids. More porous quartzite types will get stained easily. Generally, quartzite is an acid-resistant material. However, not all quartzites are formed the same. Some of them might contain traces of calcium carbonate that reacts with acids.
Another possibility is mislabelling the slab at the stone yard. Some types of quartzite actually look like marble. You might have a beautiful slab of marble labeled as quartzite. it will look gorgeous, but will be twice less hard than Quartzite and will get damaged every time you spill a drop of lemon juice or vinegar.
You can test the quality of quartzite in two ways: test the hardness by scratching the side of it with a glass. If the glass gets damaged, it’s quartzite, if the slab side turns into stone flakes, then that’s probably marble.
Secondly, test the samples against acids: spill a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice and wait, if it produces bubbles, it means that the material contains calcium carbonate that reacts with acids and makes the surface etch.
Generally speaking, it is a good idea to purchase samples before purchasing the whole slap and test them against scratches, stains, and acids.
Step 4: take a close look at the slab after installation
Sometimes, even if you choose a perfect slab at the stone yard, it might get damaged during transportation or during the process of cutting it. It is important to pay close attention to the cracks and fissures on the surface and make sure that the integrity of the slab is intact, especially in the area of the sink and faucet.
what actually is a Quartzite countertop?
Quartzite is one of the most durable and prettiest countertop materials on market. Quartzite is a natural stone that is the result of sandstone and mineral Quartz put together under extreme pressure and heat. It combines the beauty of marble with additional durability and resistance against acidic and mechanical damages that marble would not.
Quartzite should not be confused with Quartz. Quartz is a mineral that is used to produce man-made engineered countertop types – Quart countertops.
quartzite is almost as hard as Granite and twice as hard as marble. It scores of 7 or 8 on the same Mohs scale. Formation-wise both marble and quartzite are the same type – of metamorphic stones, but the difference in hardness is due to their chemical composition of them.
Quartzite is less porous than marble, it does not react with the acids as marble does and it is less susceptible to stains. These qualities make quartzite a better material for kitchen countertops.
However, not all quartzites are the same. They might differ in terms of porosity or chemical composition, meaning they will have different degrees of soaking water.
Generally, Quartzite actually has a very high resistance to anything acidic, including household acids such as lemon juice or vinegar. Sometimes Dolomites or Hard Marbles might be mislabelled as Quartzite or some types of quartzite might contain small amounts of Calcium Carbonate which reacts with acids leaving permanent marks on the surface. Either case, it’s important to test the product and know what you are paying for.
Simply, get samples from the supplier and put something acidic on the – lemon juice or vinegar would do. If it bubbles and leaves a mark on the surface, that’s not probably the best option for kitchen countertops, go for another sample.
Are there different types of quartzite?
There are different types of quartzite. Formation-wise they are all metamorphic stones, but their chemical composition differs. Pure quartzite is 90-99% silicon dioxide, and SiO2, however, it might contain iron oxide, trace amounts of the minerals rutile, zircon, and magnetite, or fossils.
Even though Quartzite might contain fossils – shells that are basically Calcium Carbonate that reacts with acids, generally speaking, a real quartzite should not get damaged by acids.
You might come across the term “soft quartzite”, which is not exactly a Quartzite, but it is a hard marble. Even though it is harder than marble, it contains large amounts of Calcium Carbonate that can easily be damaged by acids.
Calling this natural stone “Soft Quartzite” might be misleading when choosing a countertop since kitchen countertops are often exposed to household acids such as lemon juice or vinegar, which will leave permanent damage to so-called Soft Quartzite countertops.
For example, there is a lot of argument if Dolce Vita is a Quartzite or actually a marble. It is a Dolomite, a natural stone that has the qualities of marble. A lot of countertop manufacturers have been sued for calling it a Quartzite since the slabs got damaged by acids after installation and they had to actually stop calling it a Quartzite.
So, there’s that grey area, and you need to do good research, or test samples to know what you are actually paying for.
The chemical composition of Quartzite defines its visual and color characteristics. Pure Quartzite is 90-99% silicon dioxide, which is light-colored – white. Additional minerals might color it through groundwater: That’s how we get so many different exotic shades of quartzite available to be used as countertops as well.
The most expensive quartzite countertop
The quartzite price is not necessarily directly related to the quality of the stone. As suppliers explain, the price of the slab is related more to how rare the stone is. The lower-price quartzites come from huge quarries and they are mass-produced which keeps the material prices relatively low. On the contrary, the rare exotic quartzite stones tend to be priced high.
While prices can fluctuate, here are some quartzites that are generally considered to be among the more expensive options:
- Calacatta Macaubas Quartzite
- Calacatta Borghini Quartzite
- Calacatta Extra Quartzite
- Azul Macaubas Quartzite
- White Macaubas Quartzite
- Taj Mahal Quartzite
- Blue Macaubas Quartzite
- Sea Pearl Quartzite
- Fusion Quartzite
- Cristallo Quartzite
These quartzites often exhibit unique and stunning patterns, colors, and veining that contribute to their higher price range. It’s important to note that quartzite prices can vary depending on factors such as slab size, and market conditions.
As I checked particular marketplaces, such as Stonecontact, I found some quartzite slabs that were outstandingly expensive.
One of the most expensive quartzite types is Natural Blue Sodalite. The price for this quartzite ranges from 4000 to 4600 USD per square meter, which makes this exotic slab one of the most expensive options for kitchen countertops.
The second most expensive Quartzite type is Verde Sauipe. For comparison, the price of this beautiful turqoise-colored slab is 4160USD per square meter. However, these exotic slabs are rarely used for kitchen countertops. Mainly, they are purchased to be placed on walls in high-end luxury interiors.
Most of the quartzite slabs that are suitable for being used as kitchen countertops cost around 100USD on the lower end and 800USD on the higher end. For the most popular Taj Mahal quartzite countertops, you should expect to pay 200 USD per square meter.
Here are some examples of what you can get in those price ranges:
What is the cheapest quartzite?
The cheapest is Natural Azul Boquira Quarztite The slabs are 240X120cm with 2cm thickness and you can get it for around 40 Dollars for Square Meter. The quartzite price is not necessarily directly related to the quality of the stone. As suppliers explain, the price of the slab is related more to how rare the stone is. The lower-price quartzites come from huge quarries and they are mass-produced which keeps the material prices relatively low.
The second cheapest option is the Super White Quartzite Eternity Fantasy from China stone market. You can expect to pay 46USD per square meter for an 18mm thick slab.
The prettiest quartzite countertops
There are two types of quartzite: the ones which have a more mellow neutral look, and the ones which are bold and colorful. From the first category Macaubas Fantasy, Calacatta Macaubas, and Taj Mahal are the stars. From bold, colorful types of quartzite Amazon Green, Azul Macaubas, Polished Blue Louise, and
Blue Mare lead the show.
It is important to mention that the beauty and the quality of the slab in most cases are not directly correlated with its price of it. Prices are usually based on how rare the type of stone is. The competitively priced slabs are not necessarily less beautiful than the expensive ones. They come from huge quarries and the suppliers are able to mass produce the slabs or blocks and keep the prices low.
What is the hardest most durable quartzite?
Taj Mahal and Sea Pearl are one of the most durable quartzites out there. Both are extremely hard materials, characterized by almost no porosity, and both are stain and etch-resistant. As tested, none of the kitchen products would stain Sea Pearl quartzite sealed or unsealed, including wine, lemons, tomato sauce, and olive oil if they are wiped away within 18 hours.
All of the real quartzites are super durable hard materials. They are characterized by heat, and scratch resistance, if sealed properly they won’t get water stains, and they do not etch. However, some of the quartzites might be more durable than others.
Some types of quartzite slabs have fissures or veinings. They might be a risk to develop cracks during transportation or mechanical intervention in rare cases. Some quartzites are more porous than others, meaning that they might get stained easier.
Generally, quartzite is a type of material that does not get damaged by acids. However, not all quartzites are formed equally and some of them might contain traces of calcium carbonate, which reacts with acids.
Bottomline: Taj Mahal and Sea Pearl are one of the most durable quartzites out there, but it does not mean that the durability of other types is suspicious. Quartzites are generally one of the most durable materials out there, however, before purchasing make sure to test the samples against staining and household acids and look carefully at the slabs to make sure there are no cracks in there. Pay close attention to the places where there will be a cut-out for a sink or a faucet – those are the places that are at the highest risk to develop cracks.
list of hard quartzites
While it is challenging to rank quartzites definitively in terms of hardness, some quartzites are commonly regarded as being among the hardest. Here are a few examples:
- Taj Mahal Quartzite
- Super White Quartzite
- Alaska White Quartzite
- Calacatta Macaubas Quartzite
- White Macaubas Quartzite
These quartzites are known for their excellent resistance to scratching, abrasion, and impact, making them suitable for various applications such as countertops, flooring, and wall cladding. However, it’s important to note that hardness can still vary within individual slabs or batches, so it’s advisable to consult with a stone professional or supplier for specific hardness measurements and recommendations based on your project requirements.
Conclusion
Neutral color quartzites, such as Taj Mahal, Sea Pearl, and Macaubas Fantasy are the most popular choices when it comes to kitchen countertops. The reason is that kitchens are active spaces. You have to spend a lot of time there, and while exotic busy patterns might be attractive at the beginning, you might get sick of looking at them after some time.
