A lot depends on the look you're after. Many people choose quartz because they like the more uniform color/pattern. Others because they can get something similar to marble in looks without the maintenance.

I have quartz and like it a lot, although next time I'd pick a lighter color. There are plenty of options to choose from with quartz. Unless I had a vision for a counter at a higher cost that meant $3K extra to me, I might consider what else that $3K could do for me.

Get what you love if it's not going to put you in the poor house or in debt! If your going to be in your home for a long time, looking at your counters every day, how would you feel if you settled? 3k is not that much in the course of 15 years.

To answer your question, which begs an opinion?

Oh, hell yes.

Most people only get a few opportunities to choose a countertop in their lifetime, so it is a big deal when you think about it. If you fall in love with a stone, can afford it , and find yourself dreaming about it, then get what you love. It's worth it.

My opinion is to put money into cabinets, countertops, flooring and good lighting. And by good lighting I mean planning for adequate task lighting, not necessarily pricey fixtures. And a good sink and faucet. And a good hood vent. Wow - that's a lot already!

Those are the things you will live and work with on a daily basis for years to come.

We spent way more on a tile floor than I would have ever imagined we would and I couldn't be happier we did. It stretched the budget but didn't put us in a rough spot finically. Every time I walk into the kitchen in so glad we splurged. It absolutely made the room and makes me smile.

I got the granite I fell in love with when we renovated our condo six years ago and I still marvel at how beautiful it is 6 years later. We are selling our condo and building a house.

Wouldn't you know it? I go and pick out an "exotic" quartzite that is definitely in the better champagne range. And yes, I will skimp elsewhere like I did last time. Lowes sells very pretty knobs and pulls for only a few dollars each No one really notices the knobs. Everyone notices a gorgeous granite

Quartz is skimping? shhhh, don't tell my DH.

Thanks for the feedback. We did buget about 7 or 8k for counters before we knew about Quartz. Now that we see the cost savings the extra money would be allocated to other projects around the house. My must have was a blue star and pro vent expensive counters weren't a must. I agree that a nice counter pops when you walk into a kitchen. In my opinion I would need to invest int eh quartzite to get the pop

Would love to hear from other quartz customers on their feedback Any regrets?

I just did quartz in 4 bathrooms (used cambria, caesarstone and pental) and I love them in the bathrooms. I will update/refresh the kitchen soon and I think I would want something with a bit more presence/glitz for the kitchen counters. I have a quartzite, I saw on GW/Houzz, bookmarked for when I'm ready to start looking.

I have plain white quartz counters in our new build and I love them. Like Linelle said, a lot depends on what you like or the style of your house. Our house is modern with slab doors in the kitchen and lots of clean lines. A solid Quartz just fit the look we were going for better. That said, I love a beautiful granite or quartzite too. It just didn't fit the image I had in my head of our kitchen. Finally, consider your backsplash. Are you someone who loves beautiful tile, or do you want your counters to be the star of your kitchen? I had a gorgeous slab of granite in my last kitchen but my tile choices were limited and also felt like my counter was a little too busy and not soothing once it was installed so I decided for the new kitchen I would focus on the backsplash first and the counter second. I knew I wanted a calacatta marble backsplash for this new kitchen and nothing else would do, so I went with quiet Quartz counters (since we didn't feel comfortable using marble on the counters themselves.).

Since you stated you haven't seen a lot of Quartz, I'd suggest you do a window shopping trip. Go around to all the stores in your area and try to find some open houses on the real estate market that have quartz counters. If you don't find something that makes your heart sing, then go for the quartzite that you be happy with. Have a great day! :-)

I know it's as useless as a mother warning her daughter to avoid dating a bad boy, but please, when it comes to picking a countertop, avoid love.

I have a small condo kitchen and used quartzite which is more expensive but it was just what I was looking for. I wasn't out just to find the most expensive stone. I wanted a stone that I didn't have to baby, avoid staining and etching and mine passed all testing. We're doing another home and we just so happen to find a stone that we loved, granite, which was not so expensive, passed all my testing, and we love it. We don't feel like we settled even though it was less expensive. We also found a good size slab remnant of Cambria Quartz for 2 bathrooms which is also very pretty. I say get what you love with no regrets.

If the you still like your "settle" choice, I would go with it. That money saved gets you closer to finishing your next home project. I would love marble countertops. I love them - I love it when they patina and look like they've been there forever. However, it doesn't make sense for our overall home improvement budget or our housing market. We're going with granite or quartz. I don't feel like I'm settling - I think I'll find something that I'm equally pleased with - I'm just making a wiser choice based on my circumstances.

You need a comprehensive design plan, and budget plan. A successful kitchen will live within those limits. It can't absorb 5 different budget busters, nor can it deal with 5 different ''must have because I'm in love'' elements. There are a lot of right choices for the different elements that neither bust the budget nor shout ''I'm the star''. Learn how to put together your kitchen with those, with your superstars then carefully selected to fit into those surroundings. That may or may not mean choosing a counter that you love, since you state that the range and venting were your ''must haves''. You can't have it all. Decide what are the musts, within the overall context. Not as each element as an individual. That is T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

Remember that none of these pretty things will ever love you back. Some can perform better, and that is always worth considering as an ''upgrade'', but not if it blows the budget, or skews the other choices. For instance, a 14K refrigerator shouldn't even be on the table if that choice makes you consider skimping in another area, like not choosing a pro to correctly install your floors, or you decide to skip adding lighting. "Splurges'' should NEVER mean that another element gets shorted to below a reasonable standard.

It depends on how you feel about the counter. I remodel my rentals using sales or Restore items or Craigslist....but the original costs would be high end. So I'm pleased with the results based on the savings. For me it's a thrill to save money. I put in a cambria 30" bathroom counter top for $10(Restore scrap already cut and finished, hole was the wrong size for their project but not for mine). You have to be flexible on the results, at least "like" the way it's going to look when finished.

See it in person. The more I looked, the more I liked corian.....that surprised me.

When it comes to expensive purchases, I try to compare the pleasure received with the dubious pleasure of earning the necessary cash. If you have already won the lottery, it isn't an issue but most of us have limitations on our spending. If you earn $1,000 per day, it would take you a week to accumulate the $3K (after taxes and expenses). Is the pleasure received worth a week of your life? two weeks? three months? Only you can answer that question.

When remodeling, it is easy to get caught up in the numerous upgrades and scope creep opportunities. But, regardless of the value added to the home and whether it is accumulated cash savings, home equity or borrowed funds, it is still real money that could be spent in numerous other ways. Personally, I spend less on my home so I can spend less time earning money and more time doing whatever I choose.

Great feedback everyone. There are several comments that resonated with me and will help guide my decision making.

Stick to a budget, less spent on counters allows me to tackle other house projects around the house. And set aside money to the unexpected costs in this project.

Tile- maybe splurge on the tile so attention is drawn to backsplash and subtle counter top material will do.

Here are the two questions I'd ask in making the decision over whether to splurge or not:

- In how many other spots have you already splurged? If this is one of the first things you've "just had to have", go ahead and do it. On the other hand, if you've already upgraded your hardwood and your windows and your molding and ... well, you get the idea ... ask yourself if this is a pattern and whether you really should give in yet again.

- Next, ask yourself whether your budget realistically can stand 3K for something that really doesn't improve the function of the house.

Once you address these two questions, I think you'll know what's right for you -- whereas, none of us here really know the answer.

Every project needs a wow factor. One or two places for your eye to focus and say to yourself "I'm so happy I bought that " Put in too many such things and you will lose sight of the value of each of the individual purchase