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.

Pugrolls - I don't have that much to share because we have only been using it for a month. I figured I would write to bump up your question. I think I am boring myself with talk about my quartzite - called super white by the distributor and supreme white by the fab shop. It seems very durable. I have had no staining or etching. I babied it for a few weeks, and still am careful (try to wipe up) with red wine, berries & tomatoes, but we (my hubby and two kids under 8) do not keep the most pristine kitchen. It has been our main table since we moved in, as well as used for cooking prep (our dining room table seems to be the staging area for junk we unpack and can't figure out what to do with :) Honed is a great look, though I loved it polished as well at the fabricator. I find with the honed I cannot tell when it is dirty. I have to run my hands along to feel the mess :) For me that is one of the best recommendations... I hope someone with more experience can share more.

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.

"Our stone company said that the New Super White that we already purchased is a Quartzite we already had template so there is no going back for us now. Sadly I came across the information that it is not a quartize after the fact. Countertops go in next week so thinking maybe I can have stone company out on an additional sealer before and know what I am getting into. I really hope I wasn't duped...feeling a little dumb that I just took their word for it." I disagree. You're in a position of strength now. They want to get tops installed in order to be able to collect. If you don't take delivery, they can't collect. A critical part of business is customer education which leads to customer satisfaction. They haven't properly set customer expectations; make them do their job please.