I wish quartzite shopping was easier. Does anyone know if this name has been made up by the quarry/retailer or if it's the true name? I can't seem to find any pics of this stone when I search the name. Thanks!

I would ask them to give you the name that came from the quarry. I purchased my quartzite at Daltile Stone and they gave it their own name, but I saw the original quarry tag on the side of the slab. The first two look similar to Mercury quartzite that I saw at Daltile Stone. There is a location in Philly. Before purchasing any quartzite, make sure that you test it to make sure that it is a true quartzite and not a marble. A true quartzite should never not etch or stain.

That's a great idea to ask the name from the quarry. I wish they didn't change the names of stones.

Quartzite is unique and God made where as quartz is man made and you can find it in abundance. . So you will not find these slabs anywhere else.

Deanna, London Gray is another name,

and it also looks very similar to Sea Pearl.

never heard of Regal White. it could be a variation of the White Macaubas

Close?

It looks similar to the MSI Azul Imperiale. (Try the clever 'See This On My Countertop' button on the webpage.)

You will need to test any slab to see what it is.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/the-definitive-guide-to-quartzite-dsvw-vd~4426353[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/the-definitive-guide-to-quartzite-dsvw-vd~4426353)

and you should figure out and approve the layout before your slabs are cut.

Talk to the fabricator about any seams and how he handles those. Approve their layout.

Check about strapping the sink(Hercules) so a 3.5" front spacing is possible.

London Gray and Sea Pearl are both close but not quite it. The ones we loved had more definitive lines in it. We went and saw more slabs and nothing like those that we found. We are going to go and hopefully test the slabs we saw since we really like them!

I just read the thread "the definitive guide to quartzite" and came out a bit confused about the clear crystalish areas. I couldn't find anything by the geologist but by 22k22, (a poster). They stated, " However, I've read that the glass-like translucent crystals throughout cannot be true quartzite, that those areas are characteristic of calcite. Quartzite wouldn't look like translucent glass. " Can someone clarify this, a link to something? Do slabs that contain clear/crystal like areas make that a marble/dolomitic marble?

One issue was cleared up. I read that resin etching or staining and that all quartzite has resin. This was only one article that I read and now I can't find it. Anyway, that guide by karin_mt cleared that up so thanks for linking that dan1888!

Thanks!

Lawrence Sprowls, love that link to see this on my countertop. It also has a place to see it on my floor! It's really helpful! thanks

Bichonfriz, I can clarify your question about clear-ish areas. Either calcite or quartz can have that clear/translucent/crystalline look. Which means that the clear look is not diagnostic one way or another. You have to test it.

And yes, that article about resin etching is pure bunk! Glad you've got that cleared up.

Deanna, those slabs are especially beautiful, wow. Love the sleek grey tones; those are totally my colors.

Good luck to both of you in your quartzite quests.

When you find what you think is beautiful and you love it, get it. You can spend a year looking for the next pretty slab. Always thinking your missing out somewhere. They can come and go quickly. Some of us have learned the hard way.

thanks karin_mt, that information also helps a lot. I always appreciate information that is fact based. The best answer is to test, test, test and not to believe everything you read on the interwebs! ;)

When I found a slab of so called Quartzite for my master bath I went online with the name for further research. I ended up finding it in Marble offerings under the name and other names. It all became confusing as it had quartzite but fell into the marble category.

Just to correct a statement made above, a quartzite absolutely can and will stain if not properly sealed. Some quartzites (e.g., Macaubus White or cross-cut version Calacatta Gold) are more porous than others (e.g., Taj Mahal). The former (which I have) required two sealer coats before it was resistant to oil- and water-based liquids/stains. TM owners have reported not needing to seal their tops at all.

Is there a list somewhere of hardness or how porous the stones are? Would be nice to have a list of the names in order to compare slabs.

They called it Ocean Pearl Quartzite.

"Just to correct a statement made above, a quartzite absolutely can and will stain if not properly sealed."

if a quartzite is staining or etching, then you don't have a true quartzite. What you have is a stone that's mixed w/calcite or something else. And, if you have a mixture, then you don't have a true quartzite slab. it's really that simple. stone yards mislabel slabs all the time.

HU7147,,, take a small piece of a cutting leftover and drop some lemon juice and tomato sauce on it. check back in 5-10 mins. did it etch or stain? then it's not quartzite. try another test. take a piece of sharp glass and try to scratch the leftover piece using the sharp end of the glass (like a thick glass tile shard) does it scratch the surface? not quartzite. does it leave no mark and turn the glass to powder? quartzite (or granite) Glass will not scratch either of those. Marble is softer than glass so it will leave a mark.

True quartzite can definitely stain. Some quartzites are fairly porous, and those are the ones where we are seeing people post photos and questions about what to do.

Beth is right about the etching though. Real quartzite doesn't etch.

Also, for hardness tests, it's better to scratch the glass with the stone, rather than the other way around. It's easy to tell if the glass is being scratched because it's a smooth surface that's easy to assess after an attempt at scratching it.

Hope that helps!

Also check Daltile Moreno - looks like it could be that one.

I'm in the process of deciding between Daltile Moreno or a creamy quartz. Your slab looks very similar to Daltile's Moreno. Just gorgeous.