My fabricator said he sealed my new Roma Imperial quartzite island, but water would soak into it quickly and leave a dark mark that would disappear after several hours. I used acetone to strip any previous sealer used and remove a few oil stains from one night of cooking, then applied Miracle Sealants 511 Porous Plus 5 or 6 times, waiting a few hours between each. Essentially kept applying until it quit soaking in/changing the color of the surface. I wiped up excess from the last coat pretty quickly but there was still a film that felt grainy when running your hand across the surface, so I took an electric buffer after it - one typically used for car detailing work - for a few hours (big island) using two different pads, then rubbed it down again with a soft cloth. That removed the "grainy" residue and now the surface is shiny and squeaks when you rub your fingers over it. There was one small etched spot that happened before I applied the sealer, and though it's still visible, the sealer filled it so it feels smooth to the touch like the rest of the surface - no longer rough and pitted. I poured water on the surface and it beaded up so I let it sit overnight. The next morning the water had completely evaporated and there was no mark whatsoever. We'll see how it stands up over time but I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Love love love this topic. Your kitchens are amazing. Looking for pics of stainless; particularly of stainless with white cabinets and beadboard backsplash... Have you ever seen this combo? Any ideas would be awesome. Again truly amazing kitchens!!

I don't know the answer for sure, but I can offer some ideas. If I were getting porous quartzite countertops, I'd have the fabricator put the slab up on edge and seal the heck out of the upward-facing edge, then repeat on all sides. There's a technique called 'puddling in,' where a lot of sealer is put on the surface (like a puddle) and left to sit and soak in for awhile. Obviously the surface needs to be horizontal for this to work, hence the idea of putting the slab up on edge. Also, this would need to be done before it's installed. Then repeat the same method on the top, so that all the edges and the top are sealed well. If you have a willing fabricator, it would be useful to test this idea. It's something on my list to try.

Then there is this article - that had me leaning toward quartzite ... http://usenaturalstone.org/definitive-guide-quartzite/ The Houzz article above has me leaning towards Quartz. : ) I am of the opinion that that are good features in both. Quartzite can take heat and you cannot set a hot pot on Quartz. Quartz does not stain as bad as Quartzite since Quartzite is a natural stone. Quartzite has to be sealed. I don't think Quartz does. I am thinking it is a toss up The one thing I am worried about is the part about the citrus and etching Quartz I have read a lot about. I use lemons a lot and we all cook around our island so I don't have full control of watching it all the time. . I would love to hear opinions from folks who have either. Have you had any issues with either choice?