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FWIW- my white fantasy (aka super white) definitely etches

11 years ago

I'm not surprised at this point. Not after reading beekeeperswife's experience. I'm annoyed since the place from which we bought the "granite" assured me it wouldn't etch. I've noticed that one piece in particular is etching much more so than the rest of the countertops- I'm wondering if it didn't get sealed as well. My builder told me to add the kitchen countertops to our 60 day punch list, but I'm pretty sure this is just the way it is. Oh well.

I'm not bothered as much as I would have imagined. My kitchen is such a busy place that it's rarely spotless enough to notice etches. Plus there is so much sunlight, shadows, and reflective light that it's hard to tell. I tried to get a pic to share with you all, but it's impossible.

I worry a bit about how bad it will get as time passes. I can't even tell you how many etches there are already- at least 10-15 small spots. There is so much ketchup, juice, and wine consumed and spilled in my kitchen! Lol. I just hope the counters hold up over time.

My countertops are still beautiful, and I still smile when I see them. They make me very happy. The durability and maintenance just isn't quite what I was expecting. I'm posting mainly for others who might be googling. It's certainly not fragile like marble but it's a far cry from the other granites we have elsewhere in our house.

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Comments (4)

User
11 years ago
You have a good attitude. I chose a light-colored quartz for the durability and am grateful for it now that I'm in the thick of preparing for Thanksgiving. When it gets fast and furious in the kitchen, the last thing I want to do is baby my countertops.
tamarahl
11 years ago
Thank you so much for posting, I am about to pull the trigger on countertops and found a Super White Extra that I am in love with and plan to use. I am seriously considering combining it with brushed soapstone, as the veining is so similar, just one is white and the other dark gray. Your post is helping me to figure out if I should put the Super White Extra on the perimeter countertops, and the backsplash of the cooktop, and use the soapstone on the island (where I hope most of the prep to take place.) Would you advise not using the Super White at the bar and butlers pantry and do the soapstone there, too?
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http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2499581/marble-quartzite-and-other-rocks-in-the-kitchen?n=156 That is the link you want. karin_mt is some kinf of geologist and not in the business. His original post was about looking for super white quartzite and not agreeing that it was even a quartzite, its more similar to marble. He explains the tests you need to do in the first post and I think he has like 6 or 7 threads going. I just tested out our sample of super white "quartzite"... We put red wine, ketch-up, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and a slide of lemon. We left everything for about 5 minutes and wiped it off and saw very very very faint etching, you could only see it on one extreme angle. We left everything overnight and there were no stains, only etching. The worst etching was from the actual slice of lemon and you could see a faint out line. We also noticed that the grey parts didn't etch as much as the lighter areas, no clue why. We did the glass test and it easily scratched a glass bottle. I've been agonizing over this for a few days and would highly suggest getting a sample from the yard and doing your own experiment with what you would cook with. Only thing left for me to try is heat.
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i think you can see from that photoshop that something dominatily white is the way to go, lets your chandy still be the eye candy in that room, and i still think a little sparkle fits your kitchen bee.....those hex might just fit the bill! i guess i was thinking of pips kitchen....her bs seems to have just a little sparkle to it, but if i remember correctly, she said its not that sparkly in person? you are on the right track, and like others have said, you have great taste. trust yourself!
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I have honed Vermont Danby marble in my kitchen, 5 years ago. I have carrara marble in my powder room for 20 years. I do not like the etching in my kitchen and I am sorry I got the marble. But what is worse is that the marble in my powder room oxidized at year 19, with big ugly splotches of rust, brown, yellow . Joseph commented on my 'oxidize' which I posted to warn potential users of marble. He said that the toilet leaked and water was the trigger. I mainly dont like marble for my kitchen because I wanted a modern look and marble has a more traditional/transitional flavor. I struggled with selecting a countertop and settled on marble after some months and it was a compromise. But I never received one compliment on it either. I do like cooking and baking on it. I think if you love love it you will perhaps forgive it's sins but as a gardenwebber, I have to share. I have no stains whatsoever and a couple of dings. Im pretty sure that I will get quartz for my new kitchen.
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I think White Fantasy might be like Fantasy Brown.. What does your fabricator say? And I agree with CYC2001 test it! I am in counter chaos myself so totally understand this search for counters. Wishing you lots of luck. ~boxer Here is a link [White Fantasy Super White Granite[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/white-fantasy-super-white-granite-dsvw-vd~2568145?n=13) [White Fantasy Quartzite etches[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/fwiw-my-white-fantasy-aka-super-white-definitely-etches-dsvw-vd~2701808?n=4)
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Mom23Es
Original Author
11 years ago
Tl1969- I'm definitely not a stone guru. I don't know much about the durability and wear of soapstone. I will say that I'm so relieved that we have brown pearl granite in our wetbar. At least we have a "safe" area for wine and lemon/limes. We weren't thinking about that when we picked out our granites. The brown pearl is essentially black so it's a good contrast to the white/gray. Our wetbar is around the corner from our kitchen so I wanted it to be a bit different.

Good luck making a decision. I know how hard it is! I definitely love my countertops, etches and all. I guess it depends a lot on your personality. My only real annoyance is just that i had different expectations for white fantasy since I had been assured by the fabricator that it wouldn't etch. They obviously weren't very familiar with the stone. I was also warned that polished chrome faucets and cup pulls might bother me because of water spots and finger prints, but I think it's beautiful and sparkly. I guess I just expect some things to look a certain way and don't fuss about it. I keep things clean but definitely not polished. My kitchen gets a workout daily.
beekeeperswife
11 years ago
My only advice is coasters for glasses. Have lots of trays, cutting boards and towels around for when you are prepping so you have a place to put cans down. This will eliminate the perfect circle etches (that drive me crazy), the rest...well, they just sort of blend in with the gray. And only the TKO eye can see them.

Bee

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