I have Taj Mahal quartzite and there aren't any tiny holes in mine. Can you post a picture?

Hi, they are too small to see in pictures. This is what’s stopping me. It’s a beautiful stone but with rice-sized holes, though not a lot. I actually did the tests: glass was cut & scratched by edge of slab. Vinegar, red wine and oil did not stain the surface or even the broken edges of sample did not absorb the red wine vinegar.

Do the holes feel rough? Does it look like there were little bits of a different material that got chipped off when the slab was polished?

I just checked the TM used on my fireplace and it is completely smooth.

Where are you located? Maybe someone here can recommend a good/better slab yard for you.

Chispa, can you post a photo of your fireplace. I have been thinking of using TM on my fireplace? Thanks.

its common for stones to have natural inclusions in them. Most fabricators seal them before they enter your home

Hi, I went looking at other Taj Mahal and saw that indeed there are tiny holes. In some stones, they were filled with something that blends with the stone. The honed had a lot of un filled holes. The salesman said this fillers on polished stones were done before they received the stones. So yeah processed polished and holes filled in Brazil. Some filled holes are big 2 inches by 1/3 inch or a 5 inch by 1/4 inch ‘crack ‘. All filled with grayish substance. So if your stones has no holes then those were filled in Brazil

2 inch holes in Taj Mahal? That does not sound right at all. Yikes.

Stone inclusions can often look like filled holes. It’s completely different minerals. Stone often has small pits, which are where crystals have popped out. Stone often has fissures where different mineral veining separates pieces. All of that is normal, and to be expected in a natural product.

You do not sound like a candidate for natural stone. None of that is considered “defective”. Mother Nature makes what she makes. If you cannot embrace that then you should purchase quartz.

Many of the natural stone slabs I saw in local yards, had inclusions/fissures, and were filled with a resin type of material. I think that is normal, as stated above.

As with anything, you have to watch out for the quality of the material you are buying. Taj Mahal is very popular right now, so I can see some stone yards carrying lower quality TM that is being filled to cover up the lower quality of the stone. Buyer Beware.

I can't see any filled areas in the TM on my fireplace. I have seen some stones with fillers, but did not see TM with any. I'll be seeing my 3 TM slabs for my kitchen soon when we template for the counters and I'll be sure to check them again and ask my fabricator what he has seen out there.

I bought all my slabs at a well regarded Los Angeles stone yard that does a large volume and carries high quality materials. I visited around 12 stone yards in the LA area and now only go to 2 of them, which had the best quality and variety.

I actually don’t mind the tiny holes. I’m not an expert, so am curious if the slab will develop more holes or the possibility of more crystal-like bits popping out once slab is Installed. The existing few holes right now is acceptable. The stone is beautiful, minimal light brown veining. Bright glassy crystal surface is 80%. Will consult with fabricator.

Some beatifiul White Macaubas look dull & grimy compared to the Taj Mahal. They were face to face so I can see the difference.

Good observations, JF. The difference between Macaubus and Taj Mahal is in the extent that they've been metamorphosed. Macaubus has been lightly cooked, just enough to fuse the sand grains together, but otherwise it's not too different from the original sandstone.

Taj Mahal was subjected to hotter conditions and the quartz was nearly melted. It's much more crystalline because of that. It no longer looks anything like sandstone. It's also really difficult to fabricate because of this. Then again, that's why it's so bulletproof and popular.

Cool video of a Taj Mahal quarry.

https://www.thestonecollection.com/news/where-taj-mahal-quartzite-brought-life

And a discussion on the how and why of resin.

https://www.stoneworld.com/articles/82382-the-marble-and-granite-resin-process-how-and-why

This is cool too - it shows the machine applying resin to a slab, and also the application of the mesh netting used on the back of many slabs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZKhYOssiR4

chispa, what are the two stoneyards you like in LA? I may need to do some driving.

Indeed Karin, Metamorphosis, thanks for explaining, is more advanced in Taj Mahal. Even the darker with more browns Taj Mahal has a brightness due to its crystalline surfaçe, which other stones don’t have.

It was an eye-opener lightbulb moment when I saw how dull the surface ‘white tone’ of the Really beautiful White Macaubas compared to TM. I never noticed it before until yesterday when I saw Taj & WM face to face. ‘Metamorphosis’ explained it.

cmarlin, the two stone yards I like in the LA area are Modul Marble & Granite (Sun Valley) and Marble Unlimited (Van Nuys). Of all the stone yards I checked out they had the best variety, quality and good customer service.

Let me know if you come out this way! I do suggest you not go look at slabs in that area in August as it can be 100F out there. I always seem to pick the hottest day to slab shop! They both have indoor warehouses, but still much more pleasant to visit on cooler days.