Try All Granite & Marble in NJ. Some people on this site have had bad experiences with them, but they have a very big selection - worth giving them a call.

This is the link to their website. I think, though, you should call & speak to someone there.

Here is a link that might be useful: All Granite & Marble

I have White America (that I had my fabricator order from Dente) on my island and soapstone on my perimeter cabinets and I agree that it is a stunning combination.

If you cannot get enough WA to do both projects, consider something else for your bath. I also have carrara like tile in my master bath, but I used blue pearl granite for the vanities and whirlpool deck. The blue pearl has an incredible depth that works well with the tile, although it also needs to work with your cabinet colors. I frankly cannot see any blue in it--it is mainly black and pearly grey with a lot of depth. Black pearl granite is very similar.

I went to a lot of stone yards before I finally found the white america and did see a lot of gorgeous stones with grey swirls and other accents (such as garnet), but I was reluctant to get any of them because I felt I might be forced into a certain colorway with kitchen accents and accessories. I did not want this because I had chosen navy glass and stainless mosaic tiles for my range backsplash, and frankly did not want to introduce any other colors in a permanent fixture.

Thanks so much for the response....

nuccia - I was almost there, but you have just convinced me to use the White America it in the kitchen definitely. Since you have been down this road already, I was wondering if you have any pictures of you kitchen and masterbath. The backsplash sounds very interesting, and that will be my next issue - what to put as a backsplash with soapstone and the WA. Also, if you are interested in sharing, what paint colors did you choose for the MB and kitchen?

helou - thanks for the info....I checked with All Granite & Marble and, unfortunately, they don't sell individual slabs - they have you pick the material and then fabricate/install and they won't travel to the Syracuse area.

Very pretty. Does White America etch?

Sue

Are you open to other white granites, or do you have your heart set on WA? You may find a Bianco Romano or related stone that may give you a similiar feel.

When we were shopping for stone, I had my heart set on Bianco Romano because I too wanted a marble look but without the worries of etching. However, when it came time to pick out slabs, the BR that was available was two-toned and we didn't care for it (not to mention how difficult it would be to match up the seaming!). So we picked out our Andromeda White instead. We really like it. But....a year later california_dreamer went to the same stoneyard and picked out a swirly Bianco Romano that is to die for. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. It's a natural product so you are often limited by what's available at the time. Sure it would have been nice to get slabs like California_dreamer's but it sure wouldn't have been worth it to live with plywood counters for an entire year to get those.

Bogaloo,

I'm so glad I could help! Did you try Arc Stone in Carlstadt NJ? That's where I got mine (they call it Palisades White). They can take digital pictures of the slabs and e-mail them to you.

How frustrating to know what you want, but not have enough!!

Good luck!

Sharon

sue ct: So far, white america has been behaving like granite, not marble, so it has not etched. The etching is what scared me away from carrara marble, not the staining (which can be avoided with good sealer). I'm Italian, so I use a lot of lemon, wine and tomatoes in my prepping and cooking and just knew it would be futile to use marble.

I have a hectic day today, so I'll try to post pictures tomorrow.

alku05 and sharon_s - so glad you responded...i have read and reread the thread on "white granite" so many times! I really love the andromeda white also - it is beautiful. Unfortunately, I could not find it on the east coast. Also the Bianco Romano that is available right now is not like it used to be...very yellow tones, spotty and varies so much from slab to slab. Some stone yards have stopped carrying it for the time being. So, I was excited to find the white america which reminds me of the andromeda (at least from what I can see from your pictures). I think that WA has more dark veining and doesn't have the neat reddish spots as in the AW. By the way, did you use the mini marble brick for your backsplash and do you have any pics??

sharon_s - I was never able to access any of your kitchen pics other than the one that was on the "white thread" post that showed your island and other counters. Do you have any others? Any that show your backsplash - trying to figure out what will go with the two stones? I love the WA with the soapstone. Where did you get your soapstone from? I just got the quote for the soapstone at Dente and apparently what they have in stock currently is extremely expensive and not as charcoal grey as I would like. Just curious if there are other alternatives. I saw another person had used Maine Soapstone with great success.

By the way, both kitchens are beautiful - it is neat to see that white granite work with different color cabinets. Our cabinets will be white, so that will be one more color to add. Did either of you check out the Fantasy White on Elegant Marbles website in VA (www.elemarvirginia.com) under new arrivals? It is definitely grey and white, but it has a lot going on...

Hi, bogaloo--

I really don't have a lot of pics of my kitchen--it's never clean enough to show the world! ;-)

Here's one that shows the backsplash. Ours is a very casual kitchen. My house is 100 years old and we wanted the kitchen to feel like it fit with the rest of the house without going period, if you know what I'm trying to say.

{{!gwi}}

I'll look and see if I have any others.

I just checked out the Fantasy White at Elegant Marbles--that really is very busy--blocky. Mine has a lot of swirling going on.

I got my soapstone from M. Teixeira in NJ. It's Belvedere. I've been very happy with it.

Hope this helps!

bogaloo - I have no experience with them, but have heard really good things about Bucks County Soapstone in Pennsylvania. You might want to give them a try.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bucks County Soapstone

Here are a couple photos for you-
I have Bianco Romano (as alku mentioned). I love the slabs we found but I think the look of this stone varies a lot from yard to yard.

I also considered White fantasy. Here's a photo of the slab I found.

It was hard to find "white" granite! I hope you are able to find just what you are looking for.

California_Dreamer - that Bianco is gorgeous! I definitely have not found anything like that slab. I think you came pretty close to "white" with that granite. I also like that version of Fantasy white - it appears from the photo to be similar somewhat to the White America. I am guessing that these stones were found out in CA??

Sharon - thanks for the extra pic - that is a nice backsplash that compliments the two stones. I understand about making the kitchen fit in with the rest of the 100 year old house - I think you did great! Although we are building new, we are trying to keep everything on the timeless side as much as we can, which is what it appears you did in your kitchen! I agree with you about the other slab on Elegant Marble - it is too blocky/busy like you stated.

Thanks for all your help - I am going to try out Bucks County Soapstone tomorrow also.

I've looked at Bianco Romano here in NJ (I'm also interested in a white granite) and they're all very beige and brown - very pretty some of them, but not at all the white and gray I'm looking for. They look nothing at all like California Dreamer's picture.

I also liked cashmere or Kashmir white. It didn't stain or etch with lemon, vinegar, mustard or spagetti sauce. Then I put some oil on it and it turned into a sponge. Does anyone know if sealer would cure that?

Sue

Sue, kashmire white is notorious for being very absorbant so it needs to be sealed. Try a coat or two of a good sealer like Miracle 511 on your sample and test again.

It might not be white enough for you, but I was considering Luce di Luna, at Stone Source in NY. It is a quartzite and was described to me as extremely hard and won't take a sealer.

It is very pretty in person.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stone Source's Luce di Luna Slabs

Sorry, I made a mistake and typed NY when I meant NJ!

It is in Carlstadt.

This is my first time posting pictures to GW, so I hope I get it right.

The first 5 pictures are of my kitchen with soapstone perimeter counterops, white america island countertop, natural maple cabinetry.

The last 3 are for bogaloo who wanted to see how blue pearl granite worked in my bath along with carrara-style tile.

nuccia - thanks so much for posting the pictures - you did great for the first time!! The WA looks beautiful with the soapstone. Thanks for the bath pictures also - the blue pearl does add some nice contrast to the carrara tile - by the way, great walk in shower! Also, between your kitchen and sharon_s, those are two totally different types of backsplashes - both working great in each application.

Now I can't remember where I saw this, and I thought I had put the question out here on this thread, but maybe I was just thinking about it. Didn't someone use white carrara marble bricks (maybe 1" x 2") for their backsplash with soapstone? I hope I wasn't dreaming, which is highly possible at this point! I am completely overwhelmed with final choices in the final stretch of the home construction. After we move in, will my dreams go back to normal or will I dream of stone, woodwork, hardware, door styles, paint colors, flooring, handles, appliances, lighting, etc. etc. etc. FOREVER!!

Here is a question to all the soapstone users...can you tell me what edge profile you used on both the soapstone and granite? It is a little difficult to tell in the size of the pictures.

I used a half bullnose edge profile on my soapstone and quartzite. I felt that any inevitable dings on the edges would be minimized with a rounded edge. Also, I wanted contemporary lines in my designs, and lastly, it was a way to save a few dollars after the inevitable upgrades from the original plans.

I'm the one with the 1"x2" white venatino marble tiles, but I have white granite, not soapstone. The tiles would be awesome with soapstone though!

alku, beautiful tiles! And there are sure some beautiful white granites out there too. How do you ever choose just one!

Sorry to the OP for a little OT hijack, but I'm wondering if Sharon_s can tell me about her pendant lighting--both over the island and over the sink. Sharon_s, if it's easier, you could email me at jf-mail at fennimore.org (or if you don't want to participate in any more of a thread hijack!:)

Ah Ha!! I new I wasn't seeing things. alku - I saw a picture of your kitchen before you had put the backsplash up...I think there was aluminum foil back there, which was beautiful, but I think I like the tile better. I also love how you hid the plugs under the cabinet. That tile is great...do you mind if I ask where you got that from - was it local or available to be shipped? It is nice to see it against the white granite because we will actually have the granite on the interior and the soapstone on the island.

Thanks nuccia for the edge profile details!

Yes, our first backsplash was a stylin' aluminum foil panel behind the rangetop.

I got a killer deal on that tile last year because it was being discontinued. However, Walker Zanger offers a similiar tile in their Tribecca collection. Rumour has it that it's expensive though. I've had a couple conversations here about this tile, and a few people have dug up cheaper sources than Walker Zanger, but i don't recall who they were.

Luckyj,

I'm sure bogaloo won't mind. I actually have 3 fixtures in the kitchen now (finally got one over the kitchen table). The one over the sink is the Upshur, from Rejuvenation (with a different shade than they show). The two over the island I purchased from a home store in town. They are from a company called Architects and Heroes. The fixture over my table is the 3-armed version of the Irvington, from Rejuvenation.

Here's a picture that shows all three. It was taken right after the backsplash was put in, so excuse the mess.

Hope this helps!

Sharon

{{!gwi}}

Bogaloo,

Any luck? Did you try Arc Stone? Just wondering if you turned up any more stone.

Sharon S--- With your reference to Architects and Heroes, you must be an Austinite. I am too and I would appreciate learning more about the resources you used to achieve your beautiful kitchen. I don't want to highjack this discussion, but if you can email me, I would love to hear more about your kitchen. Thanks, Nancy

Sharon - I got so far as to locate their number the other night, and then the dreaded family virus, that I managed to avoid for so long, got a hold of me. I don't have time to be sick! I am hoping that they are open tomorrow for some questions and if they have it, I am hoping I can get it up here without too much trouble. My fabricator deals with Dente, but they haven't dealt with Arc before. Keep you fingers crossed - they did tell me that it will be close, but they are thinking that they will have enough for both rooms. If not, my other option would be to do what nuccia did and use a dark contrasting granite in the master or try to find a carrara marble with a lot of grey in it. We shall see. Thanks.

Sharon - I got in touch with Arc stone - they are now called Arena Stone and they have White Palisades in stock. They have it listed on their website under products/alternative stone and their website is:
www.arenastonenj.com
You got yours at Arc - did it look similar to the picture on the website? I sent the owner a picture of the White American from Dente and he said that the WA was definitely darker grey in nature and had more consistent movement - kind of swirly. I was thinking that the stone from Arc (now Arena) will go nicely in the kitchen with the soapstone. My problem is that I asked my fabricator if he could bring the stone from Arena and he told me there would be a $1,000 delivery surcharge - he doesn't do business with them currently. And, I guess they have so much other business, that he is really not that interested in trying to make this work for me. The gentlemen from Arena (Mark) told me he thought it would cost $350 which is a lot more reasonable, but the fabricator doesn't seem to agree. It is late in the game for me at this point, but I am thinking about trying to find another fabricator for the kitchen that would bring that stone up...I am open to opinions on that stone from Arena - what do you think, is it worth trying? I really wanted to put that WA in the bathrooms also, so having the Palisades White in the kitchen would give me enough stone to do exactly what I would really like to do.
Here is a picture of the White American and if you like, you can compare it to the Palisades White on Arena's website. Thanks for any advice!

bogaloo,

Nothing is every easy, eh? If it helps, here is what my slab looked like:

{{!gwi}}

The slab Arena shows is very pretty. I guess it depends on how badly you want it in your bathroom. $1000 seems pretty pricey for shipping and it can get risky switching fabricators... I used a totally different stone in my master bath. A dark green "soapstone" (I use quotes because I'm not convinced it's soapstone--never needs oiling). But, if you go with something else and are always going to think of it as your second choice, maybe it's worth it.

Was Arena able to recommend any fabricators in your area?

Nancy: Thank you so much for your kind words. I get nervous posting pictures--these are all such personal choices. No, I'm not from Austin. I'll send you an e-mail in a bit and we can chat.

S.

sharon - thanks for the advice...the slab that you have looks very similar to the white american that i found at dente. the slab from arena is beautiful, but definitely a little different, not swirly. the $1000 for shipping that our fabricator quoted us is too much and not worth it. i thought if i could find a cheaper shipping option, or other willing fabricator, i might consider. i am thinking about waiting until dente gets another shipment in, but of course, now you have me thinking about that soapstone in the master. that would go nice with the carrara like tile. what do you have for cabinet color and tile color? i hadn't thought about soapstone in bathrooms - do you like it? although the soapstone they have in stock is definitely dark grey and can be oiled to make it darker and to show the veining.

Arena has worked with my fabricator and several others in this area in the past, but has not done anything lately in this area due to not enough demand. the closest one would be rochester, but probably to far for a fabricator to travel.
And, thanks so much for all the pictures you have posted - I find it so much fun to see how other people have brought things together - whether it's someone else's personal taste or not, it is all beautiful and artistic in its own special way!

Hi Sharon - the bathroom cabinets are white and my original feeling was that a marble might clash with the floor. The marbles that our fabricator had in stock would not work so well. But, another stone yard that they deal with (OHM Intl. in NJ) sent me some pictures of Venetino and said that it has an overall grey background with deep grey veining. I think this may actually work because of the overall grey tone, it will separate itself from the floor that is a white background with grey veining. Below are the pictures - opinions are welcome. If I use this in the master, then I would use the White American in the other two full baths that have the same tile.

It's beautiful! Really a lovely stone.

Were you hoping for more gray, to make a contrast with the white tile and the white cabinet? Can they send you a sample, so you can see everything all together?

It must be really hard, doing this all long distance. It really is a beautiful stone, though.

Sharon,

My email address is nancy-home@sbcglobal.net. Thanks, Nancy

Has anyone ever seen this type of granite/quartzite in California?

I noticed that most of these postings are on the East Coast. I have called a few places in Northern California and no one has had White Andromeda, White America or White Fantasy. Maybe it's only available on East?

I'm trying to find white moon quartzite or white america/bianco romano in Los Angeles area. Does anyone know where to find these?

Nicolette,

Did you ever find the white fantasy quartzite/granite in California? I'm in the Los Angeles area and would love any leads!

Thanks!

Help, I need this quick. I've spent hours searching the web.

Did anyone in the LA area find white fantasy quartzite or similar white/gray colors? I've skimmed your blogs but didn't seem to catch anything.

FYI: AZ Tile in Sun Valley & Panorama CA carries quartzite & so does stonelandusa.com/ in No Hllyd CA. Not white fantasy but others. Hopes this helps someone. 1rah@msn.com

I know its a bit of a hike from LA, but did you try calling or visiting Stone West in Ventura? They are huge and have a great selection of many stones including granites, marbles, onyx- just about everything. We are way up in San Luis Obispo county and it was worth the drive.

Thanks for the tip about Stone West, alku05. I'm in Marina del Rey, but I might venture to Ventura for that huge selection. So far I've been to Stone Mart, StoneVille, and Pental in the S.F. Valley and RioStone in Carson.

It was totally worth the trek to Ventura! Five years ago when I did our bathroom counters, I was pregnant, had a toddler, and was in the last year of my tenure process so I only shopped locally. I just couldn't get away. I found some Bianco Romano that did the job, but I regret not being able to seek out a slab that I loved like I did for our kitchen.