More photos

It passes the quartzite tests and scratches glass. Here is another photo of the staining, lots of small darker colored dots that were not on the original slab. Fabricator said he sealed before cutting so I’m thinking moisture got trapped or something was sprayed? I’ll attach pic of staining

The small darker spots

You can't "seal before cutting". The wet cutting exposes raw untreated edges that suck up moisture from cutting. You can let the cut edges evaporate and seal, but it doesn't do much good with the more porous quartizites which apparently you have.

Quartzite nightmares abound here. Search please.

He sealed before cutting and then sealed 3 more times afterward. So I think moisture is trapped.
Will acetone remove the sealer and give it a chance to dry out? Is there an alternative?

The smaller darker spots were not on the original slab. Fabricator came out and acknowledged the moisture spots. They’re trying a sealer remover and want to give it more time to dry out. Any other ideas to help remove these spots?

I agree with what Millworkman wrote above - there are natural fissures, and I cannot for the life of me see the spots you are talking about. It all looks like how Mother Nature made the stone.

"Any other ideas to help remove these spots?"

Bernz-O-Matic.

In your description of what is happening with your countertop staining. I too have this EXACT stone in my new kitchen and I have water stains ALL OVER it. They will not come out. My counters look dirty and dull. I have had these tops for less than 1 year and the installer told me I used Vinegar on the stone to clean or the wrong cleaner and stripped the stones sealer. This is NOT the case. I have used Mrs. Meyers cleaner only - which is safe for all stones and surfaces. Never had a problem in my other homes with granite and quartz. I have been complaining to the company since 2 months AFTER the install. I now have to replace all the countertops with new. What a waste of money. My thinking is this stone was not properly sealed and is not good for active kitchens. I am desperate to find info about improper sealing on quartzite and signs/photos of improper sealing. I too was told the stone was sealed before cutting and sealed again after install. If it is/was a bad cleaner, how long would it take to strip the sealer off to the point of water staining? I will be following your thread to see what transpires.

"My thinking is this stone was not properly sealed and is not good for active kitchens."

It has nothing to do with sealers; you can't seal your way out of porous stones. It is not good for paving a driveway, let alone a kitchen countertop. The industry does not care and continues the fleecing of the public. Someone needs a class action lawsuit shoved up their container.

Someone needs a class action lawsuit shoved up their container.

That has no merit. Who is the defendant Joe? It's a product made by Mother Nature with no predictability and no one to blame for the way it is made other than Mother Nature. Who would you sue? The thousands of small-shop fabricators? The companies that mine it out of the ground?

And class action lawsuits involve damages and/or injuries, not someone being unhappy about the appearance. It's all about the customer spending a half hour online and researching their stone. Which the OP did, but I cannot see from the photos what she is talking about, so perhaps that is about managing expectations, not about a class action lawsuit against, who, her fabricator?

I actually think you'd have more basis to your argument when talking about Quartz, where the multinational enormous manufacturers of it repeatedly show photos of it installed directly behind ranges, and only the very small print, hidden behind a lot of jargon, mentions that Quartz warranties do not cover installation near a heat source. Now that is misleading the consumer, even when the homeowner does research.

Thank you both for the responses. Understood, I should have done much more research into this type of stone. I have white quartz in my winter home and it is very durable. I am able to clean it with the same cleaners etc. I am now battling with my Stone Company (purchased and installed from them). It has been less than 1 year, I have been complaining since month 1 - month 2 I was told I could pay them an additional $1500 to resurface. By that time, I was living in the home for the season and could not entertain pouring more money into this $5500 loss. I waited to contact them till the end of the season and asked for someone coming to look at it and potentially resurface or reseal. They dragged their feet and just now came and looked at it. I had to pay them $180.00 just to show up and now I have been told I did something wrong and will have to purchase a new slab. They templated for new stone...the battle begins on who will be paying for this stone replacement. If it ends up that I need to pay, I will take my business else where. Bad reviews travel MUCH faster than good and that is a fact. I am at a loss at this point on what to do. It does not seem right that after less than a year, the stone would be completely stripped and beyond repair.

After staring at my slab and install photos I think the spots are epoxy or adhesive that bled through the stone when the undermount sink was installed. It follows a linear pattern and is a similar discoloration to the bleed line at the seam. So now, what will remove epoxy/adhesive bleed from quartzite? What epoxy should have been used?

"So now, what will remove epoxy/adhesive bleed from quartzite?"

Nothing that I'm aware of.

"What epoxy should have been used?

Glaxs.

It’s been a month since install. I have not used my countertops or sink because of these issues and have pushed back my backsplash installation and completion of the kitchen.
Fabricator admits to sealing stone before cutting and recognizes the moisture spots.
Initial thought was moisture trapped under sealer in the stone. They came out 4 days ago and stripped the sealed. No change in the spots
Now I’m thinking this is an epoxy/adhesive issue based on location of under mount sink and similar discoloration/bleed lines at the seam and other epoxied areas.
I’ve read acetone or goo gone may be able to break down the adhesive in the stone.
I’m starting to lose my patience and want a functional kitchen. I think the fabricator is at fault for sealing before cutting and using an improper adhesive for quartzite. What is reasonable to ask for? Refund, replacement. Give it another month?

What is the name of your quartzite stone, your actual slab name and manufacturer? Do you know? We will have more ammunition in numbers if more people complain about this staining problem. What I realized today is that some of the crystals in the stone perhaps do not absorb the sealer the same why as the rest of the stone. This leaves what appears to the naked eye - stains/water droplet stains. These marks are only one of my problems with the overall look of my product. Along with rings from glasses being put down on the counter. Which I was told MUST have been glasses with some liquid that contained acid...lies ALL lies. I am headed into a small claims court lawsuit as we speak.

It's Azzurra Bay Quartzite from Brazil, lot #48135. It was from a distributor in Maryland called Gramaco. They then sold the stone to my fabricator located in Delaware specifically for my project.

This website was really helpful in explaining quartzite https://usenaturalstone.org/properties-of-quartzite/

In my research I think both of our fabricators made the mistake of sealing the stone prior to cutting it. This particular type of quartzite is not completely crystallized like taj mahal or cristallo so there are areas where it is more porous. By sealing it, they plugged the top of the stone and then used a wet cutting process where water still traveled into the pores but with no escape route to evaporate.

My fabricator then sealed it 3 additional times within 5 days of cutting, which I don't believe to be sufficient time for the stone to dry out and further trapped moisture within the stone.

I'm also realizing that the epoxy or adhesive used was probably not appropriate for porous stone and it's unlikely the cut edges were sealed because I have bleed lines that have not faded over the past month.

My fabricator used Stone Tech Bullet Proof sealer but I'm finding that this is a water based sealer and not effective for porous quartzite. Others have recommended Dry Lock Stain Proof Solvent Based Sealer.

I have a piece of my stone that I've tested with water, oil, soap, coffee and the only thing that stained it was oil along the cut edge and silicone.

Currently, my fabricator came out and used Akemi Stone Impregnation Remover but so far no change in the spots. I reached out to them again today with no response. I've read that acetone, lacquer thinner or goo gone may be able to break down epoxy stains but I'll see what they recommend.

Can you post some photos of the problems you're having? Did your issues start right away? Has the fabricator offered any solutions?

I've also seen many others with similar quartzites and other porous quartzites like white macaubus and mont blanc who are not having any problems. I think the difference is in how the fabricator handled their stone. Ideally, it should have been cut, allowed to sufficiently dry out 2-3 weeks, then sealed top, bottom, cut edges with a solvent sealer, then installed with the appropriate epoxy and adhesive which does not bleed.

@jill stabeno any progress after filing? Fabricator is trying to remove the adhesive stains but also saying we may get to the point where it’s part of stone. That’s not acceptable considering their mismanagement of it created the problem. Did you seek legal advice for your problem?

Quartzite is marketed to consumers as an indestructible natural stone and sold at a large markup. It some cases stones are mislabeled as quartzite (fantasy brown often). It scratches glass they tell you. Granite is so “dated”, they tell you. But they don’t tell you quartzite will suck up moisture like a sponge and do this. I was only aware of it because I had seen so many posts on this forum. Who cares if your stone won’t scratch if it gets ugly spots all over it or darkens around the sink? How posts do you see with people complaining their granite has changed color? People are ripping out perfectly good stone and putting it in landfills because designers tell them it is dated and putting in this crap that is not suited for kitchens. I definitely see the OP’s complaint here and am very surprised at those who claim it isn’t noticeable.

Add your name to the list of people here who have purchased quartzite that is unsuitable for countertops. It's not the fabricator, his processes or products.

It's junk with inherent flaws. Replace it and move on please.

I wish it were that simple to just replace. It's quite an investment and I'm currently going back and forth with the fabricator to try to remove the stains.

It is a porous stone but plenty of others have porous quartzites installed without any problems. This is where proper sealing and sealing all edges is important. I've seen many posts of white sea pearl and white macaubus quartzites without any staining at all.

I've tested a sample of my exact stone and nothing stained the sealed top surface yet oil and silicone were both absorbed through the unsealed cut edge. This leads me to believe that if the stone was well sealed on all surfaces, I wouldn't be seeing these stains.

"This leads me to believe that if the stone was well sealed on all surfaces, I wouldn't be seeing these stains."

This forum is replete with thread after thread of quartzites that had the edges sealed several times, had no stains, yet still stained. The written record here does not support your hypothesis. No sealer in a can will prevent marble from etching; no sealer in a can is going to stop certain quartzites from sucking stains.

You've been sold a pig in a poke and you're in denial about it.

We have looked at slab after slab of quartzite and i have yet to see one or better yet feel one without fissures going throughout the slab, you can feel the cracks…we have decided to find a different stone. it’s too bad though, it is so beautiful.

@Project Mode what stone did you decide on?

Still haven’t…we were told marble would be regrettable.. quartzite can pose issues when its cut..so my options are granite and quartz and I'm not loving either. I did see some beautiful travertine countertops (Santa Barbara, so it would work) but I was told it wouldn’t be a good choice in the kitchen.

Me again. Fabricator tried an acetone and baking soda poultice which helped with the silicone bleed spots. I still have an epoxy bleed line at the seam and it appears the poultice leached some color from the stone.
They did a second poultice on the spots on my island but now they have turned a yellowish green color. Is this green bloom? I also noticed more yellow/green discoloration along the edges of my countertops

Test some oven cleaner on the green please.

The fabricator removed the island slab and took it back to the shop to work on the green stains. It was reinstalled today. Here is a before and after of a different area. Does this look like a problematic crack or fissure? Can anything be done to make this look better?

Sorry you’re having such trouble with your countertops! Can they epoxy the cracks? I’d talk to your installer about them… We decided on marble and I’m hoping it works out ok.

The fabricator removed the island slab and took it back to the shop to remove the stains. It was reinstalled today. Here is a before and after of the area. Does this look like a problematic crack or fissure? Can anything be done to make this look better?

Joe, what color of tenax glax would you recommend to make this blend?

"Joe, what color of tenax glax would you recommend to make this blend?"

Sorry, but that question requires an in-person answer.

My fabricator and I had a very in depth conversation about quartzites. They are a nightmare for fabricators. He makes you sign a special disclaimer if you select one. While beautiful, I decided to avoid them as I avoided marble. The only one that he said he was really comfortable about was Taj Mahal or Perla Venata. I wasn't going to pay a 30% upcharge for popularity. Also, I've had quartz in two homes and I wasn't impressed. I might as well as had laminate.

It's too bad that more fabricators don't try to do more to warn their customers off from a very expensive mistake. It's too bad that more customers don't listen and learn.

My designer is a bit pissed at me because I selected a granite. Yeah, I know. It's old fashioned. But it's pretty much bullet proof. I'll live to regret it when I go to sell. Until then, I won't worry about staining, cracks or water intrusion.

What a nightmare for you.

I’m about to pull the trigger on a Taj Mahal quartzite countertop but reading all these threads is scaring me into reverting back to my original “safe” (and cheaper) Staron choice. My thought process for my kitchen reno is that I’m only doing this once, so going for quality/timeless look and materials. Taj Mahal is so beautiful but perhaps not the lasting quality I’m looking for?

Test any quartzite in person please.

My quartzite has been bullet proof.

"My quartzite has been bullet proof."

I'm sure it has, but that's what makes quartizite such a conundrum. Some makes for some of the best countertop material available; others are unsuitable for use as countertops.

The industry's inability and/or unwillingness to police itself hurts everyone involved.

The industry's inability and/or unwillingness to police itself

You continue to say stuff like this, and I challenge you yet again on how that makes any sense. This is not an "industry" that has any governing body over it. The stones are mined all over the world, with a myriad of multi-national distributors, various modes of transportation of ships, trains, trucks to various destinations around the world including across and up and down North America, and then to an enormous number of small businesses who sell it and fabricate it. The stone is a product of Mother Nature, and as such, unpredictable in how it behaves.

Who will be "policing" it as you put it? Explain how this policing be enforced. With jail time? Who would you put in jail? Or would there be fines? But who would pay the fines? All the small businesses who sell and fabricate? Most of them just small contractors like yourself. Who would be tasked with inspecting these stones in order to jail or fine the people selling them? Where would you find inspectors, and once again, how would you enforce any "violations"? And who decides what the violations are? If a stone is absorptive, is that a violation? If so, what will you do with all the marble around the world, some of which is in place for hundreds, even thousands, of years?

Joseph - asking you again, who is the "industry" that could demand that certain tolerances be in stones across all varieties and all markets - you going to make Mother Nature comply? Answer these questions, and explain where an infrastructure for policing the quartzite market is coming from.

@koji1766, I have used 9 slabs of Taj Mahal quartzite in 2 houses and they have all been bullet proof. I even have part of a slab behind my outdoor grill so it gets exposed to heat, grease and smoke. All the dirt comes off with Lysol kitchen cleaner w/bleach and no stains left behind on that Taj Mahal backsplash, which isn't even sealed.

The quartzites that seem to regularly have problems on these forums are those that are "white" or light gray slabs.