Do you have a sample? If so find the thread by Karin_mt on this forum where she explains how to tell if it's granite/quartzite or marble.

I can't help you determine the material, but that is a beautiful slab! If the problem is only with narrow counter next to the oven, I would be tempted to keep large island as is, and get a dark soapstone for the other counter. Good luck whatever you decide.

cpartist. I have a sample. They gave us the "chip" (about 8x12) from the showroom since this was the last slab and only one they had (and they said they weren't getting more). I did a scratch and etch test on it. It easily scratched and etched with white vinegar. I'm convinced this is a form of marble. As soon as you start dragging a sharp object (in my case a utility knife) you can feel and hear it scratching. The problems don't stop there but to me this is a show stopper. They should be able to address fabrication issues but they can't turn this into (what they say it is) quartzite. The rep was telling me that quartzite is softer than granite. I want them to make good on this and willing to work with them but I do NOT want a island countertop that's going to look like (and require a conscious effort as to how we use it) crap in short order. I don't want to say they did this on purpose but if it's a mistake, they shouldn't be in the business of selling countertops.

Here is a thread where karin_mt discusses Super White "quartzite". I put quartzite in quotation marks, for reasons karin_explains. You may have already found this but if not.... Your slab is gorgeous.

"The lowdown on Super White"

Your credit card company may not cover this because it is a building material or something requiring installation. Mine does not.

Perhaps you could consult a geologist in your area, maybe even a geology professor at a local university.

John:

Swami Joe peers into your future:

If you do not have this top replaced or covered in Stoneguard I predict you will be paying someone like me to get it to look like this again:

I was the second go-round for this customer; the first guy, less than two years previously, charged her $1,700.00 for a refinish. She had no choice; the condo was for sale. She was sick over it.

The good news is, you don't need to refinish before the Stoneguard is applied. $25.-$60.00 psf. Unlike sealers, the top will be etch-proof. "Proof", not "resistant".

Did you test your sample before the stone was installed? It sounds like the counter is behaving just like your sample. If that's the case, I'm not sure you have a valid complaint.

Fori, I did not test it before but I did understand the difference between marble and harder stones (like granite and quartzite). What I didn't know is what appears to be the a fair amount of misrepresentation (on purpose or ignorantly) of quartzite by countertop fabricators. I called my CC and they said they would support a claim for a misrepresented product (even those this is a building material) if it came to that. They need to fix the fabrication issues to our satisfaction otherwise they can remove it and refund. If it comes to that I will certainly test before purchase another countertop.

Glad your CC is backing you on this. It's so pretty...darn.

If you end up shopping for new counters, here is some great info:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4426353/the-definitive-guide-to-quartzite

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2692150/countertop-geology-part-six-lets-talk-about-rocks-some-more

Thanks. I've read her article before and if need be, I will reference it if we get into a dispute with the fabricator.

Ugh, so sad to see this John! Let me know if you need any help, but you are doing the right things. They need to replace that or give you a huge discount. And they need to train their staff! Please share the 'definitive guide' article with them and advise them to attend some MIA training. This is a totally avoidable problem.

"The rep was telling me that quartzite is softer than granite."

No no no it isn't. These people need to learn about rocks!

Thanks. We knew something was up when the installer bored the hole for the faucet. Like a hot knife through butter and warned us that the material is soft. Also, even though it was heavy (two piece island) it didn't appear as heavy as granite or quartzite. 3 guys didn't have much trouble with it. I don't want to fight with them but I will if need be.

Your instincts are good! Real quartzite is a total PITA to fabricate. My local fabricator showed me his shrine to Taj Mahal: a pile of broken cutter heads.

On the weight though - they are all similarly heavy. You can't really gauge what type of stone it is by the weight or the density.

We've seen this plenty here and we'll see it again. A customer falls in love with a stone and a stone salesman sees no benefit in interrupting the affair with facts.

I don't place one bit of blame on the customer in a case like this. This one lies squarely with the people who sold the stone. They misrepresented their product. They called it something it is not. Very simple. And inexcusable!

Joe, that wasn't the case. My wife initially wanted marble but both myself and the sales rep convinced her, for the reasons stated in my original post, was a bad idea for a kitchen counter. This stone had a sticker on it (obviously wrong for whatever reason ), stating it was quartzite. We have a picture of it. I'm going to wait to see what the person says who is coming later this week to address some fabrication issues. If another rep from their company days this is a soft stone, I will then push back on the rep and owner to make this right. That is either find us a true quartzite top similar to ours or remove it and issue a refund. I think that is reasonably fair. They made a mistake. They need to make it right.

I'm not saying that was the case here. What I am saying is that people fall in love with a particular stone and refuse to hear why it's unsuitable for their application. We have people on Houzz doing backflips to convince themselves that a particular stone will not be the bad boy we tell them it will. Don't expect a person whose commission depends on moving slabs to say anything. Their check will be cashed by the time the problems arrive.

I disagree. A salesperson / fabricator / seller, etc substantively misrepresented the stone. The customer KNEW about the limitations of marble and asked / sought out a stone more suitable to his / her needs. To find out that it is etching / not as represented is inexcusable. This is their PROFESSION. Doctors know about drugs, accountants know about tax laws and counter fabricators sure as heck better know about rocks.

and yes - it IS the salesperson's responsibility to tell someone the risks they are taking in using an "unsuitable" product. That removes any liability from them - as they are the EXPERT and they should explain what the decision means to the buyer.

I am sorry - but I expect professionalism in all occupations.

A stone salesperson is a $10 an hour college kid who thinks it's all pretty and who can talk to people. If you went professionalism in stone, talk to the shop owner or fabricator. Not an ignorant kid. You might as well expect the 19 year old stocking the racks at Target to tell you if the bathing suits run big or small. Out of their wheel house.

Sorry Sophie, but I've never encountered a $10 an hour college kid in all the stone yards I've been in. And yes, I've been to quite a few. I agree with Janni, Karin and Joe on this one.

Who the heck are you to imply the OP talked to some kid?

Our sales rep was a not a young person although they had a few that on the younger side (my guess mid to late 20s). My guess is she's in her late 40s to early 50s.

So today my wife pointed out that she discovered some "spots" on the counter. One is darker (I didn't see this yet) and the others (small - dime and nickel size) are clearly etching which was apparently caused by jalapeno juice. My wife said it wasn't there very long . We've had the counters just over week. As of right now, this is completely unacceptable. I didn't buy a countertop that I have to use kid gloves around.

Now we have swirl marks (didn't notice those until after they left), ghost writing (left over from the fabrication marking process), 3 corners that were improperly cut and a slab that is, from industry standard field tests, not quartzite. This is getting me more and more upset. We really LOVE this countertop!

Good thing I just refilled my BP medication... :)

Now my question is how (if possible) do I get the company to agree that this is marble and not quartzite? They might try to use the "soft vs hard" quartzite argument. Which from all that I've read is baloney.

I do appreciate all the responses!

"Now my question is how (if possible) do I get the company to agree that this is marble and not quartzite?"

You don't have to get them to agree to anything. You just have to let them know that the cost of not making you happy exceeds the cost of the status quo.

"We really LOVE this countertop!" Get that out of your head.

You're keeping yourself in a poor position for making a necessary decision. You need to go out and check available sources for real quartzite that you like the looks of. There are going to be many beautiful pieces. Find them now. Then you can more easily recognize the stuff you have isn't suited as countertop for your type of use.

Regarding the "dark spot" my wife found. We have a soap dispenser with Dawn dish soap in it next to the faucet. That's what left the dark spot. There are two of them right under the spout. How does a drop of soap left on the counter for a short time leave a dark spot on a sealed countertop? So much for their "15 year sealer".

Joe, I agree. I really don't see the point of them wasting time trying to correct fabrication issues. They can't turn this slab of marble into quartzite.

Dan1888, I disagree. We're not even 2 weeks after install. I have a sample chip they gave me which according to them is from the slab we bought (looks a bit different to me but I'm just going by what they're saying). It clearly fails the standard etch and scratch test.

"Regarding the "dark spot" my wife found. We have a soap dispenser with Dawn dish soap in it next to the faucet. That's what left the dark spot. There are two of them right under the spout. How does a drop of soap left on the counter for a short time leave a dark spot on a sealed countertop? So much for their "15 year sealer"."

This is why I preach for drilling tops for undermounted soap pumps with spouts that drip into the sink. Sure, some don't last forever. Big deal. Change it out; it takes 5 minutes. That spot may come out, it may not.

We didn't want that. Who knew we'd have to deal with a dark spot left by SOAP!! (they told us to clean it with soapy water (nothing else)). Then what's the purpose of a sealer? Just to increase the amount of time that something will eventually etch or stain it?

With the exception of Antolini's factory applied proprietary sealer, no sealer prevents etching. None.

Stoneguard prevents etching.

UPDATE: - So today they came to address some fabrication issues. Specifically markings (made with some sort of white-out marker) made during the fabrication process. They didn't indicate how they were going to get them out (and then reseal with a 25 year sealer (is there even is such a thing?)). They were supposed to address oddly cut corners on a narrow (bar shelf for lack of a better description) that should have been straight on the sides and the demi-bull across the face. What they did was attempt to wrap the demi-bull edge around to the flat sides. Needless to say it looks crappy. They were to address an poorly cut notched corner.

2) They said there was nothing they could to about the oddly cut edging on the bar shelf. They didn't have any more material to make a new shelf.

3) The other poorly cut corner was actual done well.

Lastly, their customer relation skills for this crew (of 3 and different than the other 2 crews sent previously) were horrendous. They were rude and condescending to my wife. So tomorrow I have the job of contacting the fabricator and conveying our displeasure. *I* really want to tell them to issue a full refund and come get the counter tops. Hopefully they will cooperate since they have botched this from the get go.

"*I* really want to tell them to issue a full refund and come get the counter tops."

There you go.

UPDATE: The company called today to let us know they're going to refund our money and remove the countertops. They also said we were misled by the geologist and that granite can be soft and marble can be hard. LOL!

When the un-installers arrive, make sure they have a certified check in hand, please. They hand it over first.

That's a good idea but we paid by American Express. I will request that.

Alert Amex so they know. And let those misinformed people you'd trust a geologist's knowledge over their uneducated knowledge.

Oh and please help others. After the money is back in your account, please be sure to give them the proper Yelp and other reviews. Be sure to mention in your review the geologist comment. :)

It appears you found a countertop company full of science deniers!

Glad that the outcome is a good one, though. Good for you for knowing what you wanted. Hope you can find a good supplier and fabricator for the replacement.

I think the Yelp review is a terrific idea, cpartist!

Going through the same thing. Sold what we were told was quartzite but etches and scratches super easy. I asked a fabricator (not ours bc they refuse to give me the name). He said it was likely Dolomite Marble. I asked for refund of half of the $25k we paid and they wont answer (i asked this bc this marble is half the cost). They didn't answer. I told them i want it removed and all my money back. No resposne. I have no choice but to get a lawyer bc what they did is commit consumer fraud, 😭

Was sold Quartzsite. It's marble. Scratches everywhere