There has been quite a bit of quartz bashing lately but I don't know how accurate some of it is. I don't see much for empirical data to support these claims or even any photos.

We put in Cambria and are very happy with it. Four of us cook (including two teenage boys) and we aren't very careful and so far, it has worked great. If I were you I would get samples of what you are considering and then take them home and abuse them and come to your own conclusion. Get some granite (I think there are a lot of them that don't have much movement) and do the same. Where I live, granite is usually cheaper than quartz so it might be a better deal for you.

While your at it you might want to even take a look at Corian. Lots of people poo-poo it but everyone I know that actually has it in there house loves it.

I have Caesarstone in my kitchen and two bathrooms. One is a pale yellowish beige and the other pale beige. Both have a very fine particulate pattern that is supposed to mimic limestone. I have been very happy with them (two years now). My one suggestion is that I have also heard that the finer particles make the counter more likely to chip. I would seriously consider getting some type of rounded or pencil edge. The sharper the edge, the easier it is to chip.

I designed my own edge that was a combination of two common standard edges. The countertop manufacturers didn't charge me any extra for it. The top half is a pencil edge. The bottom half is straight. That way, if any drips run off the edge, they go onto the tile floor and not onto the wood lower cabinets. With a bullnose or full pencil, the drips follow the counter top edge and run onto the cabinets.

The possibility of staining also worried me. Quartz is stain resistant but can be stained according to what I read. It seemed to me that the "whiter" it was and that the more consistent it was, the more likely it would show any stain. The same would be true for granite which might be even more likely to stain. In the end, I chose granite that was less white than I wanted and which had multiple colors and movement. I think any stain would have to be mighty big and in a contrasting color to show. In my bathroom, that I remodeled at the same time, I chose a quartz that was darker and multicolored. Again, I don't think I have any worries about staining. I think a general rule of thumb might be that the lighter and more consistent the color, the more likely any stain will show, even though some surfaces may be more resistant than others. In other words, there may be a price for white - whether or not it is granite or quartz, but it may be a bit less risky for quartz. I don't know hardly anything about chipping and had both the kitchen and bath countertops pencil rounded without a square edge.

eastbaymom - I'm not a fan of most granite myself, but there are a few "not busy" light coloured granites out there. Do a search for white granite or stone. I too considered quartz, but in the end I found it either too stark or too "granitey," if you know what I mean (too many specks).

Have a look a quartzite slabs. I choose a quartzite called quartzite bianca or luce di luna, it does have movement, but it looks more like the linear movement you see in marble than the movement in granite. First_house has a gorgeous white(ish) quartzite counter, you should be able to see pictures of her kitchen if you do a search for quartzite counters.

i ordered a lot of samples (caesarstone, daltile one, zodiaq), and really put them through the ringer. i honestly was impressed with their durability. it was mostly lighter colors, including the very white ones like caesarstone blizzard white. i cut on them, left food coloring overnight, even, and they held up perfectly--all of them...

thank you all for your reassurance, and your suggestions about stressing out the samples of CS to see if they can take it -- great idea.

I will look around at several granite yards in the area, since there's no need to rush to finalize our picks -- our demolition won't start for six weeks.

My challenge is that I'm working backwards from choosing a backsplash material first. It's a limestone called Seagrass, that we first saw at Arizona Tile. The link below does not really do it justice... the fossils and different hints of green, grey, blue and cream are subtle and hard to match with counter colors, but I just can't let go of it. Love at first sight, I guess!

Here is a link that might be useful: Seagrass limestone for backsplash

I fell in love with something similar that I ended up giving up on. I ordered it but what came in was a tumbled version which lacked the colors of the original stones and the supplier of the original one I loved was out of it. I loved the fossils in the tile and thought it would make nice statement. I was heartbroken to give up on it. I think you will be able to find a granite to go with it. It's hard to imagine a quartz though. It's great you have the time to look. Good luck

Oh, Doraville, I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. What did you end up going with?

Funny thing is i'm in exactly the same situation. I want light granite but I'd prefer one that is moves very little or move consistently. I've read all the recent quartz bashing so now I'm a little apprehensive about quartz.

Can someone name an actual granite that is light colored and has little or consistent movement. i have been to the biggest stone yard in NJ (marble.com) and found nothing. River white was close but not close enough.

So I did ask the folks at the stone yard about quartzite and they do have it but they mentioned that it is very high maintenance and soft. they say it cuts like trying to cut a block of sugar. I don't know how that translates in terms of performance in a kitchen. Some homeowners are afraid of the s word "sealing" but I'm not sure people realize "sealing" is simply wiping down your counters with a special liquid every few years. So I'm not afraid of sealing so much I just don't want something that needs to be babied too much like marble.

Also quartzite has shinny speckles that I continue to vascillate between liking and not liking so much.

sochi, can you please comment on the durability of quarzite and the shinny speckles. I'm not sure if the speckles will be a nice touch or look cheesey like glitter.

I had Cambria in my last house. We choose it and everything. It was Victoria color. We LOVED it. It was a medium color. Never had any problems with it. Was very happy.

We've had Zodiaq Caroli Red in our current house since 2003; abuse it and love it. Drop Al-Clad on it, glasses, two small pre-schoolers who like to play drums with whatever is nearby -- has held up like a champ. May put it in the new house, as we still can't decide on a different color...

eastbaymom, I went with bella luna travertine. If you click on "from kitchen" you can see more and larger pictures.

I love the limestone for the backsplash and would definitely pick something which did not compete so it can stand out. I've had CS in 2 houses, baths and kitchens, no staining, no etching and no chipping

Sochi...drop dead gorgeous kitchen.....love your choices....

sochi,
Thanks for your response. I have always loved your counters. Actually thats why I asked the folks at the stone yard about quartzite. Your account of the stone is more consistent with what I read online so I am more inclined to believe you. I mean you've got the stone sitting there in your kitchen.

I am fine with movement but it needs to be linear and not so grainy like regular granite. I am also glad to know there are no shiny speckles. I will go back to the stone yard and ask again.

If I can ask, can you tell me if your stone is over $100 sq ft?

padola - it isn't that I wouldn't believe your stone yard reps, just that perhaps they haven't dealt with the type of quartzite I have (luce di luna or quartzite bianca). My fabricators had not ever dealt with quartzite bianca before, the only quartzite they had worked with was apparently full of fissures and fell apart easier (if I'm recalling what he said correctly. He didn't like it much anyway). He was surprised when he received my stone from the stone yard, and really surprised when he kept having to replace blades while cutting it.

I totally get what you don't like about most granites, I feel the same. Quartzite or quartz may be your solution. Of course there is always marble too.

It wasn't over $100 sq ft, but it wasn't far off. Somewhere in the $85-90 range. But I'm in Canada - if you're in or near a major/large US city you will probably get a cheaper price. I remember reading here before that it is generally comparable to mid to high priced granites, but less than high priced marbles like Calacatta.

Hope this helps!

I have seagrass limestone in my bathroom and absolutely love it. Are you doing a solid piece of it as a backsplash or using tiles? I'm not sure how one vertical slab would look next to a different horizontal slab.

We are going from a tiny kitchen in an 1920's home to a modest kitchen. Bc of the size, I really did not want dramatic counters in there. I was thinking I would go with Bianco Romano (a white granite that should be pretty easy to find)- then I saw Quartzite (Madre Perlato) at the local yard and fell in love. I had actually missed it the first round because it is so low key compared to the granites. The color scheme also works for me - it has white, taupe and grey. My understanding of Quartzie is that is harder than granite and that you may need a patient and experienced fabricator - which is not asking too much, IMO! :-) Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Quartzite

Sochi--your quartzite is exactly what we are looking for--loved the look of marble, but too temperamental, granite was too splotchy and quartz too uniform. You said you were in Canada--whereabouts? We're in BC and looking for a good stone yard.

andreammd - I'm afraid I can't help much with stone yards in BC, I'm in Ottawa and I had to go to Montreal to get the quartzite. That said, I'm sure Vancouver must have a couple of great stone yards with a good enough selection to stock quartzite. I doubt you would find it anywhere other than in the lower mainland generally, but who knows? The quartzite goes by a few names, I've seen Luce di luna from most of the US posters, at Ciot (the stone yard I visited in both Mtl and Toronto) it is called Quartzite Bianca. There are other white/grey quartzites out there that seem to hit that combination of a marble feel without the granite look and yet more movement than quartz, so definitely call a few yards and ask to see everything they've got. I have also seen here on Gardenweb a few white/grey granites that I actually like - it would probably be worth looking at all of the white/grey quartzites and granites in case you see a granite you like as well. I saw lots of the more common white/grey granite slabs at Ciot, but nothing that really did it for me.

Good luck!

Thanks so much, Sochi--we saw yours and went: that's exactly what we want! So, fingers crossed, something here [we're in Vancouver].

Sally 123 -- originally we were considering tiles of the seagrass as a backsplash.... but yesterday I went to another stone warehouse and talked about doing honed seagrass slab on the counter, in which case we would probably do some kind of matte tile backsplash.

Did you install the seagrass in your bathroom? Where in the country are you located? I'm trying to get a rough feel for the combined cost of the material and the fabrication and install, per square foot. We are outside of San Francisco, and our Caesarstone quote seems really high -- $130/sq ft.

I can't even consider the limestone if it's going to cost more. In fact, I'm going to need to get more quotes in an alternative that would bring cost down significantly.