Karin explains scratch and lemon tests.

Here is part 1 the lowdown on superwhite. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1019015624007.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Rocks in the kitchen

Hi CT-
I share your pain! I finally just had the white macaubus installed-it looks more grey than beige when it is flat (though I felt the same way when looking at slabs). I would recommend that you get samples of whatever you like and do some tests on them. I tried that with marble, and super white, etc, and there were serious stains and etching.
Good luck!

Have you looked at these caesarstone possibilities? They don't have as much movement, but are really pretty.
Frosty Carrina:

[Contemporary Kitchen Countertops[(https://www.houzz.com/products/contemporary-kitchen-countertops-prbr1-br~t_439~s_2103)

London Grey:

[Contemporary Kitchen Countertops[(https://www.houzz.com/products/contemporary-kitchen-countertops-prbr1-br~t_439~s_2103)

kksmama, thank you sooooo much for that link! It is very informative. I need to re-read it when I am less tired to understand how to determine if it is granite vs. quartzite, though the bottle test for marble is very clear.

jsz, time for a group scream! :) That link is depressing though in the sense that a lot of the white quartzites are really marbles including the Princess one we were
considering.

Swfr thanks for the idea but I really want a natural stone (as opposed to manufactured). What bugs me is that a lot of people use the term quartz for Caesarstone type products. And my understanding was that quartzite was "quartzite" never to be called quartz. So I'm not quite understanding the properties of quartz

Hi CT,

You're getting the gist of this because you are beginning to see that it's really confusing! I'll illuminate a little bit more.

None of the rocks on your list are granite, so can can take that variable off your plate. But many stone yards call quartzite granite but that is incorrect. Basically you need to be able to tell quartzite from marble.

Those two rocks both look a lot alike so you can rarely tell by looking. The scratch test is the way to go and is simple. Doing some sample etching tests with lemon juice or vinegar helps too and hopefully those two tests will back each other up. In other words, if your mystery rock scratches glass and does not get etched by lemon juice, then it's quartzite. If is does not scratch glass and gets etched, then it's marble. In some cases the test results are ambiguous in which case you should post here and I can help you.

"Quartz" is the word used for manmade countertops like Cambria. Yeah, it's not totally right but it's close enough. It really is made of ground up quartz. Quartite is the rock name for a rock made of all or mostly quartz. True granites also contain quartz, but it's not the majority. Quartz sandstones like Wild Sea are also made mostly of quartz. Quartz is chemically the same as glass - it's a wonderful mineral. It's very strong, totally inert and is usually very pretty and sparkly. That's why the manmade quartz counters are so popular. But in my mind a true quartzite is the nirvana of countertops. They are expensive, hard to find and a little risky because of all the confusion in the trade. But if you can get one then you are a lucky person!

Hope that helps. Read through all the rock threads and you can learn from others who have been in your exact position.

Good luck!
Karin

I don't know if I can add more to the discussion that will assist you, but let me briefly explain my journey. I WANTED marble, wanted a lovely gentle white, looked at every stone from Danby to Bianco Rhino. I chose two slabs of the Rhino and went to view them. The woman was so glad I only needed two because they had pulled three, one fell and shattered, literally, into a "zillion", (amount not literal), pieces. Her honest suggestion. Marble is just too soft a stone. Our kitchen is where we live, we eat, we drink, we visit, we share, and so on and so on. I decided that the headache of upkeep, worry about water stains, worry about etching, worrying about guests putting items down and me not catching a potential problem soon enough was just not worth it for a kitchen surface. I chose two slabs of Frosty Carina. They look lovely and I can enjoy my kitchen, my family, my friends, my countertops pretty much worry free.

If you go through the old Super White thread, you'll see that I went through your pain.

True Princess White will reportedly not etch like the faux-quartzites. The telltale sign is that it is on the expensive side -- $50 to $100 per square foot per slab. The ones I saw did not have green in them. I've noticed a lot more "Princess White" showing up that do not look like the slabs I saw originally.

Another option to locate is Namibia White. I never ran a scratch test on it and only found it in prefab form. It may also be marketed as a Princess White by some suppliers. (The link below describes it as a labradorite)

Here is a link that might be useful: Namibia White at a dealer

This post was edited by gooster on Tue, Sep 17, 13 at 11:13