We have quartzite coping on our pool, spa, decking and shower going on 2 years. Your stone supplier and contractor are both correct. The stone does very well, but will chip away to a certain extent, not a problem it's the nature of the material. Quartzite is on of the hardest materials available and I highly recommend it. One note of caution: be very diligent about keeping a) the waterline brushed and b) your pH and chlorine at the right levels as algae will be harder to get rid of if you go with natural stone.

Most stoneyard people don't know what they have in their shops. You have to know for yourself before you get there. I have white macaubus quartzite, polished. It's beautiful and easy to care for, no stains or issues whatsoever. I also have leathered antique brown granite. It's wonderful and feels so nice and soft to the touch. Have you seen and touched an actual slab of leathered Madre Perola/Mother of Pearl/Madre di Perla, Dolce Vita/Austral Dream, Taj Mahal, or White Macaubus in person at a stoneyard? If so, what did you think of the colors, the touch? My favorite thing about my leathered counters it the way they feel.

Thanks for your suggestions. Shelves had to be installed on bare walls due to the nature of the floating shelves, I had to remove the drywall and block between the studs for my cabinetmaker to make the shelves as sturdy as I wanted them to be with our 1/3 design we came up with. Now if I removed the shelves and tiled under them, the shelves would need to be remade as they are perfectly flush w cabinets. It's cheaper for me to get the tiler to work around those rectangles (they do it all the time) than to have my cabinetmaker remake the shelves. Nothing has been ideal with this renovation due to the demand versus supply of contractors around here. My cabinetmaker is a primadonna so it had to be done that way. It's a miracle I got him to build those shelves at all. I went back and forth on doing the tile first and decided that the chances of them breaking tiles was too high so I went this direction. Plus we can't do the tile before the counters and I am waiting waiting waiting for the fabricator.... The tiler should not have problems tiling around the shelves (although it would be more challenging for me) but it would be a bitch to tile around the hood and since the hood is easy to remove and adjust a few cm out we are moving that for him. I interviewed a guy today. As far as the design, it sounds busy but it will all tie together. Here are some examples of different tiles used in backsplashes. My house has a ton of light so the only thing left white will be the floors and the ceiling. The countertop is light gray. Ubiquitous white is just way too wholesome for my house. I will not have contrasting grout lines whatever tile I choose- seeing all those rectangles like in the pics below gives me a headache. But I won't choose the tile yet until I see how the rest is coming together. Most likely it will NOT be a subway tile.

"Well I am curious why the fabricator would not consult me on the difference of color? Are you a contractor? If so, what would you do in this position for your client ?" As I mentioned earlier, your fabricator's biggest mistake was not properly setting your expectations. I am a contractor with several decades experience in the countertop industry. I would never have put myself in such a position with a client. I remain dumbfounded at the crap the natural stone industry gets away with and the decades-long excusemaking for them by customers who have fallen in love with a particular stone, no matter its suitability as a countertop. I don't know how these guys sleep at night.