Often times the naming conventions and material properties can make it difficult to know one material from another. Here is a slew of articles that compare one kind of stone with another: https://www.tenax4you.com/comparing-materials-s/2091.htm Specifically though, this article compares Quartz vs Quartzite Hope this information helps future readers.

I am a fabricator. The various quartz slab manufacturers have spent a lot of effort trying to make white colors that mimic stone like Carerra marble and some of the quartzites. In the case of the marbles there is a substantial advantage in the material properties (scratch resistance, stain resistance, resistance to etching) for the quartz products vs. the marble which compensates somewhat for the fact that the beauty of the marble is still unmatched. The quartzites, however, are extremely durable and IMHO still have a substantial advantage in appearance particularly if you take the time to select your particular slab(s). There is a tool in the stone industry called a gloss meter. It measures the "depth of the shine" for polished materials. The quartz products will measure in the low 40's while most polished natural stones will be mid 50's or higher. To the consumer this difference is best described by the comment that the natural stone looks "wetter". If you want a polished look the natural stone will be better, This difference is obvious when you put a sample of like colors of quartz and natural stone side by side. my 2 cents.

"Shannon, you are right on point. Another way to say what you have written is that the stone counter fabrication market is rampant with obfuscation." NO. That is NOT what I said at all. I do not know how you got that from what I wrote. You missed entirely my point. The theme throughout my post was that stone pricing is a matter of supply and demand. I said that every which way. Your outrage and paranoia ignore that you and everyone else are free to go to as many stoneyards as you want, and as many fabricators as you want, and get quotes until you find one that is the right combination for your budget and what stone you like. You are also free to seek out other materials like wood, formica, Corian, stainless steel if you don't like stone pricing. If the stone you like is out of your budget, that is not anyone "manipulating" the customer. Again, that has to do with supply and demand. What you like may be what everyone else likes at that point in time, and if there isn't a lot of it, the price will go up and may be more than you are willing to pay. You also ignore the idea that the more skilled fabricators charge higher prices for their expertise, as they should. Do you know how many hack jobs of counters we see on this forum from people who hired fabricators based on their low cost? Hundreds. You wrote "some of the providers are making out like bandits" - what? People are entitled to make a living and put food on the table for their families, and if they are very good, they should make more. Again supply and demand - if people aren't willing to pay, the price would go down. "the marketers and other entities can charge whatever the market will tolerate." Yes, that is called a free market. It happens for everything you purchase every day. Food, furnishings, housing, gasoline, entertainments, electronics, airfare, etc. If you don't like those charges, you are free to look at all the other choices available to you. I am disappointed you misinterpreted what I said. I want the readers of this forum to know that what you are saying is not what I was saying.

Thank you. I will consider the under cabinets and taj mahal quartz. The thought was I could re-design the interior of cabinets by inserting customize storage needs DIY; the shells are fine; not luxury but they are capable of holding things, though space is admittedly lost in two corners. They may appear they are ready to collapse but they are hung rock steady-- a couple doors could be made straight. The kitchen floor will be leveled in next 4 weeks so that could address some crookedness in bottom cabinets-- the floor drops 2 inches-- in a 12 ft. run from stove to dishwasher corner but the countertop isn't crooked... level within 1/10 inch on the whole "L" shape. I have lots of chunks of $10K going out in other parts of the house so cabinets ranked low.. whereas a sink that I found functional with a non-spliced countertop and backsplash, safe and plentiful electrical outlets --those items ranked high--things one needs to really cook. I guess we all have our value system based on how we live.