If natural stone is out of your budget and you're looking for light counters with subtle gray veining, I'm not sure what options you have? Have you looked at pictures of kitchens with quartz counters online? I do think it can look really pretty, but it's never going to look like natural stone. As long as you make peace with that, does it matter?

I am a fabricator. I always tell my customers to decide on the look they want and then evaluate the different material options. You've done this and I suspect you'll be happy as long as your fabricator does a good job. Quartz has a lower reflectivity than natural stone which is obvious when samples are side by side but otherwise not really noticeable. Regarding quartz "going out of style" I expect "quartz", or, more accurately, engineered stone, will remain a significant fraction of the countertop market for the forseeable future. It has already lost the panache it ad when it 1st became available years ago but it remains a durable and attractive option to natural stone. It is to natural stone what "naugahyde" is to leather.

There are many white granites which polished is IMO the perfect thing for kitchens virtually bullet proof and I think real always trumps fake.

Yes quartz is trying to look like natural stone. But it has a lot of good qualities about it on its own. Nothing Wrong with quartz but it will never be like the real thing. Totally agree with you about granite. I went with quartz this time and while it’s nice I wish I’d gone with natural.

Hi Alexandra.

I don’t know whether you aregoing to hate it or not, but a lot of people who post about hating their quartz have chosen a material with large veining. Like Silestone Eternal Statuario. It is pretty in its own way, but I agree that it looks like fake marble. Actual marble could actually cost you less depending on what type you choose. This is your quartz next to Carrara Bianca marble.

the large vein quartz looks best when used on an island or galley type kitchen. IMO

it just doesn’t turn corners well

eam44, I don't believe that is Eternal Statuario. This is it:

I like my Silestone Calcutta in my kitchen that I’m going with Silestone Lagoon in my master bath.

White granites are beautiful but some are delicate. Just be mindful if you decide on it.

I have Giallo granite in my kitchen up north for 11 years. Mindless.

Quartz does have its benefits over granite such as being less porous and it's basically a maintenance-free option as far as countertop materials go. If you love the finish and it's in your budget it seems like it would be silly to not choose quartz!

oldryder I like your approach, and that's exactly what I did. my fabricator is extremely experienced and should do a great job, so fingers crossed I'll like it!

megs1030 yes, there are not that many options, of course, I could change the way I see my new kitchen look and go with a darker stone, or more busy pattern, such as Fantasy Brown, which is totally within our budget. but I worry I'll get really tired if that look in a year or two. the thing about eternal Statuario is it's very subtle pattern which I should not be tired of, hopefully 🤞

Patricia yes, I agree. those are lovely! I priced them and they r about $1500-1800 over the Statuario, and we were already stretching our budget by a thousand with Statuario 🙄

idecor54 what is it about your quartz that you most dislike? which quartz did you pick?

eam44 the marbles I liked were more expensive... this is what the Statuario I picked looks like next to my cabinet door (white cabinet door.. Navy color is a maybe for island)

here's a picture with better lighting

eevere1 yes, that's the official Statuario picture from Silestone. I think it looks lovely here, although the slab I saw had even less noticeable veining, see the pic I posted above.

idecor54 I don't really like the large veining myself... that's why I picked Statuario, as it's pretty subtle

eld6161 how has the quartz held up in your kitchen? have you had any problems with staining or scratching?

nanke, that's what I was thinking.... I just wish I had a couple of thousands more in my budget for real stone. plus, we are doing a very low budget reno, so it would be silly if countertops were more expensive than what we are paying for the cabinets, wouldn't it?

It appears that your choice is limited to your budget and even though quartz at times are not totally maintenance free as the marketing leads you to believe but many, many people are very happy with it. So if this is the quartz you like, then I think you found your counter top unless you want to spend more money.

You seem to have done your research and gone about the selection process properly, so you need to stop obsessing about it. Yeah, I know, not easily done sometimes 😄.

Alexandra, I have had no issues so far. I wipe down with a sponge and water.

I’m not one to have anything high maintenance.

As I mentioned earlier, I will be using Silestone Lagoon in my master. It has more veining than statuario.

I am switching from granite to something... not sure yet. There was a mistake in the kitchen 17 years ago and the only way to fix it is with new countertops. Nothing like not leaving your house for 4 months to really illuminate the things that aren't working in your kitchen. Anyway, we are changing - I went to look for the first time a 2 weeks ago when things started opening up again. I don't want granite - nothing wrong with it - it has been good to me - not issues but I just want something with a bit lighter feel. I looked at marble and it is beautiful but couldn't help but think it that it just didn't match the house - seemed too fancy. Looked at quarztite - I like a few - really beautiful but couldn't get over all of the post with issues about maintenance and such. We live a real life and can't baby a countertop - I can't have that on my worry list. That list is already filled :) That leaves me with quartz. I do struggle with the not natural thing after having granite in kitchen and all bathrooms for man years now but that is what we are going with. It has a lightness that is appealing to me now. That is the only way I can describe it. Budgets are issues for most of us and you have to be in a place where you are comfortable. Only you know if this will bother you - if it will - cut corners somewhere else and make it happen. You know in your heart the answer. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

thanks everyone, I appreciate your advice and feedback! going with the quartz and if I get rich one day, I'll look forward to exploring my other options :)

@eevere1, you are correct. It’s not nearly as bad as the one I posted which might be Classic Calacatta.

@Alex M, it sounds like you know what you are doing. Let us know how it goes!

I moved into a house that has white Corian counter tops, that even are in the sink. They are sleek and clean looking. I am happy I have them.

I think quartz sounds like the right choice! The only complaint I’ve heard about it is that the white ones can sometimes discolor if exposed to a lot of UV light. However, staining and discoloration is way more likely with real marble, and even granite, if it has resin. I hope you’ll post a pic for us when you have it installed!

@eld6161 I used Silestone Lagoon throughout. I could not be happier with it. Hardworking, looks great, and cleans up with Windex. What's not to love?

Thanks, Fairway, good to hear.

I’m a quartz fan all day long. So clean, low porosity. I remodeled from granite to quartz in my previous kitchen, and was very pleased. In our current home, we have a little of everything. Formica in guest house and utility kitchen. Granite in master bath. Gorgeous white Corian in guest bath. All have pluses and minuses. But the quartz in our main kitchen is my favorite, and I think you will be very pleased with it.

@MizLizzie good to hear, thank you. nice to hear from people with experience with quartz

Most of us aren't stuck on one material or another. I have quartzite in kitchen, quartz in most of bathrooms, corian in one bathroom, granite in guest house kitchenette, limestone in GH bathroom, granite in outside bbq area. Oh, still have original tile counter in laundry! I would not recommend tile for counters!

Patricia Caldwell, what is the name of the 1st granite picture you posted please? Thanks,

Kathy

hi everyone, just wanted to update you all on the finished kitchen. we love our Eternal Statuario countertops! thank you for your advice.

They look lovely -- as does your new kitchen!

@Alex M, curious how you are now feeling about the quartz vs marble decision. Having the same thoughts and am leaning toward the marble as I feel I may always regret it. Honed marble just has a look to it that draws you in and makes you want to lay on it.

@everpark I love my quartz countertops! silestone statuario has a very natural and light look to it. it doesn't feel "fake". it's easy to clean, looks good and fits well in our small kitchen. I don't regret not having marble, but if I got marble, id probably love it too, as it's certainly very beautiful. I have a very hard-working and busy kitchen, though, and I didn't want to worry more about maintanance, as it's a softer material and can chip and stain, from what I've read. good luck with your decision, I'm sure you'll love what you pick!

Thank you for your response. Eternal statuario is the only quartz sample I have and I’m really considering it. I have honed sample and a polished one. Looks as if yours is polished. Decisions decisions.