I know this is an old thread.... figured I would post anyway. I have been looking at granite and quartzite. We took Quartz out of the equation. Anyway....found a quartzite I love love love called Superwhite. However, they told me that they do NOT suggest quartzite for kitchen counters at all. They said it tends to etch and stain far more than granite :(((( But then I see people here using it..... I want to just go for it...but its an expensive project to have to change out in a year or two. Any feedback on those that have used it.....

I had chosen TajMahal quartzite but unfortunately when they were loading on truck it wad damaged. For edging do not do straight edge especialky if it is the thinner slab as you will see the material they use to put two pieces together. ogee with under offset. there are guides on internet. In the end I chose Perla Venato which is quartzite and so very similar to Taj Mahal in colour. I am so glad of my choice. This slab was thicker so just a straight edge. simple but timeless. Make sure your fabricator is goid with quartize as it is a harder stone to work with. Go there and talk to them. Go view the slab before delivery and check it. Do a final hand sweep especially along the edges before they glue it down. My only regret is that we did not use same stone as backsplash. Will use quarzite over granite again in future.

One of the first thing you need to do is to be honest about your house. Can you carry modern (not contemporary) in your house? Design elements are such that it sinks to the lowest common denominator unless you are careful. For example, if you have cheap paneled fiberglass doors through out the house, no matter what you do, it feels as if the rest of the house is at that level of quality. Window, doors and trim work determine the level of 'quality' of the interior of the house. It is hard to do justice to modern design (or justify the cost of remodel) when all your vinyl windows have snap on muntins. It can look too jarring and out of place, IMHO.... The siding material, windows, trim determines the exterior quality of the house. If is hard to upgrade/update the house without paying attention to these types of things that have such impact on the level of quality of work. Modern design is hard to accomplish unless the workmanship is perfect. There is big difference when the gap between the doors are 1/8 inch versus 1/2 inche when you look at it. Often, older houses work well with modern design because the inherent quality of the workmanship in the well built older houses complement the quality of workmanship and design in modern design. Suburban tract homes often lack the high level of quality work, and that is why they age so quickly.... Modern design works best when materials show off its intrinsich qualities at its best. This means that you use expensive quality material and let the material and workmanship shine without detractors. Sometimes, it is safer to go with contemporary if you are not willing to spend a lot of money replacing doors etc on the rest of the house. Palimpest, Henrybuilt (my cabinet company) carves out a small groove in the backside of cabinet doors. You slip your fingers under it and open the upper doors. When the door is closed you see nothing on the upper.

Love my LG Vitara Rococo. It's very easy to live with, cleans easy, never a stain, it's neither too shiny or matte. Movement is not too much but I don't have a huge kitchen. My cabinets are a blue grey and my backsplash is tongue and Grove wood painted the same color as the cabinets, with French iron hardware. My home has Satillo tile laid on the diagonal throughout. It's sort of a English/ French farmhouse that's not crisp and new looking. It's lived in, homey, full of antiques that I love and tons of books. It's set back off the street on 6 acres with a gravel drive. The Rococo works with anything! I used a simple straight eased edge. I would not worry about the movement. It just blends.