Doing a small powder room with 2x6 pearl marble subway pattern on walls up to 40" topped by a marble mini brick border and marble chair rail. I'd prefer Not to use a marble floor because its at the beach . I have found this carrera look porcelain that works though its a tad whiter , I would use grey grout . Should I get the real marble floor or look for a different porcelain , I really don't mind the upkeep on the walls but would rather not worry about countertop and floor as its a heavily used bath . as for countertop , on the white 30" vanity , shall I use torquay or a plain white quartz . ? thanks for input . For the record my friend rented a beach house wilth all carrera countertops and was given a 2 page list of all things to avoid , she ended up covering the entire countertop w placemats for the month rather than worry about what would stain or etch them .

I would advise you avoid doing business with AZ tile and Dean Jessup specifically. We had a horrible experience with them. Don't expect them to act with integrity or stand behind their product. We used a fabricator that was a personal referral from him. When we had discoloration and fingerprints that wouldn't come off of our Della Terra quartz he informed me I must have "scarred" it by cleaning with a paper towel. ( I called him within an hour of the fabricator leaving). We paid beyond stone to buff it with a cleaner at their recommendation. It mostly resolved the issue although as a result of the buffing the gloss and sheen no longer match our perimeter counters. Best we can figure out the fabricator applied turtle wax or something similar to disguise striations around the sink cutout. Which is why fingerprints couldn't be cleaned off. We still have some smudges. Bottom line rather than try to help us resolve the issue he was hostile and accusatory. He said the fabricator (a friend of his apparently) said it was fine so we must have done something. Do business with them at your own risk.

THINK TWICE BEFORE CHOOSING QUARTZ. My personal experience... it is NOT MORE RESILIANT, IT IS UNFORGIVING AND IT IS MORE WORK. Last year we opted to get a high quality quartz RADIANZ CHARCOAL counter because every counter company seemed in agreement that quartz was more resilient than Granite and less maintenance. It wasn't long that we noticed clouding on the counter in certain angles despite only using only a gentle dish soap to clean it (per company recommendations). Also it began showing shade differences under certain pieces on my counter... a glass plate near the oven... and toaster oven (btw it was not caused by heat... because we move it from that spot when we use it). The shading difference remained despite removing all items from the counter every week to do a full clean up. Our company recommended bar keepers friend... it did not help... may have worsened (caused clouding). I then accidentally ruined my counter while cleaning my humidifier... (a solution of 1 litre of water w 1 tsp bleach) which dripped on the counter ... When I noticed the liquid on my counter... I tried to remove it with dish soap... then barkeepers friend... it was stained. Our company was surprised thought the water had perhaps dried on... or was there for hours... and said that at that level of dilution even for 15 min it should not have stained because the counter is non porous. Many quartz companies suggest that a diluted bleach can help with some stains (then looking at some posts from people who have tried it... they mentioned yellowing and clouding). Many quartz companies suggest different solutions for stains but then say that it may cause clouding... I'm here to tell you ... it probably will cause clouding... this is not a solution! I have since done research on quartz counters... many complaints of permanent clouding... many stains that cannot be removed... I've seen posts saying that the only real way to clean the counter is daily cleaning with only hot water because dish soap and yes even the recommended bar keepers friend can leave a residue on certain quartz. We bought a high end Quartz product because we were told that this was the best way to ensure a resilient higher quality.. So my conclusion...Quartz is less resilient and more work ... it may not need to be resealed like granite ... but I'm sure I am working much harder than granite customers on the daily maintenance. Even before the stain... it began having cloudy areas... despite only using the recommended dish soap for daily maintenance. Finally it is unforgiving... I have not had granite and realize it may come with its own limitations... but at least a granite counter can be re finished. If you are thinking quartz... look for customers who've had quartz to know the real story. Currently I wash my counter with dove diluted with water and re rinse completely till all smell of dove perfume is gone... I did use a non scented natural dish soap at one point... but it was harder to tell if I was rinsing enough and creating a residue. Hope this helps.

Jennifer - I'm not a pro, so I really cannot offer any advice. Just want to let you know that I really feel for you. I'm in the Chicago area and I wish there was a way I can direct message you as we had our basement finished last fall and was happy with our contractor. We also got new countertops last year and was very happy with our fabricator. I hope neither was the company that you worked with. I just want to correct you in that Cambria is not the only company whose quartz does not come from China. There are many others. The "cheap Chinese" quartz that a lot of people talk about on this forum are companies that do not use the Brenton technology. I will say though that I agree with you on your assessment with how a lot of the Pros "talk" to the homeowners on this site. It can certainly be frustrating. I don't know of a "designer" around that will work with a small project -- and the first thing the Pros will tell you to do is consult a designer. Great - tell me one that will work with a budget that less than 100K. Or a small project as many of us don't have the financial resources to do a giant project at once. It sounds like you did your research and I'm not sure if there is a problem with the fireplace not being a vented fireplace that caused the issue but if Quartz Masters said it was fine, then I would "think" they're at fault.