Quartz is manmade Quartzite is natural stone. Quartz = Silestone. Quartzite, depending on the type, can be harder than granite. However all stones must be sealed including quartzite. And you cannot look at stone “online” you have to go to the stone yard and pick what you want from the slab. If all you need is a bathroom counter, you might want to start at the fabricator and look in their bone yard for scrap pieces which will save a significant amount of money. If you re going to use the slab for the counter and then a shower that is another issue and you might then want an entire slab.

Thanks for answers. I am trying to locate a fabricator. My cabinet maker said he knew of some, but couldn't recommend them(!). I'm still waiting for the recommendation from my contractor. I wanted to use a brand called "Vadara", and they recommend I use one of their people. I suppose it might not matter too much which one I pick if it is warranteed.

These cabinets are in a 30-year old condo; the cabinets are about 15 years old and are in good condition. It is a starter/rental condo so I will only be replacing the countertop/sink/faucet, etc. It has a knee space with the sink on the left side so the sink is not centered. Currently it has just a cheap beige laminate. The counter is about 74 inches long. Would I be able to put granite/quartz on top of this? I know that there is a metal bar that can be put across to support granite but the cabinet is between walls. Would there be anything to support it on the right side? Or should I just go with laminate or something similar? Since it is an unusual size, it would have to be custom and laminate would still not be all that cheap for custom. We live in an area with many granite fabricators/sell remnants so I could probably get a granite/quartz countertop for around $1000. (Recently had a 48" one for around $600). Thanks!

For daily cleaning of our granite and one quartz counter, I use either Glass Plus (which is ammonia free) or a solution I make with 1 part rubbing alcohol/2 parts water and a few drops of lavender oil in a spray bottle (lavender oil optional). I buy rubbing alcohol in bulk at Sam's Club or Costco. (I'm not sure if rubbing alcohol kills all germs though.) Then, once a week, the cleaning lady uses Weiman's granite cleaner & polish on all the granite (I tried several granite cleaners/polishers and that was my favorite.) She might even use it on the quartz too, who knows. For cleaning of our one little bathroom quartz counter, I will also sometimes use Fantastik Heavy Duty which is my go-to all purpose bathroom cleaner, except for the Toto toilets we clean with a 1:1 Fabuloso/water solution in a spray bottle which is a neutral cleanser so as not to destroy the Toto sanigloss finish. (No, Fabuloso isn't a germ killer but I don't want to ruin the sanigloss finish because it makes cleaning the toilet easier in general).