Howdy!!! Seems like this thread is relatively active. Not to beat a dead horse but if someone could help, we’d be so appreciative! We are finishing out a kitchen remodel and got our countertops installed Wednesday. We told the salespeople we wanted counters that were as white as possible but we could not do marble because we have five kids and can’t deal with stains or etching. I told them we likely needed granite and that I prefer granite typically. The salesperson sold me on Luce di Luna which I think is the one y’all have mentioned as not actually being quartzite? The person who sold it to us said it was a real stone (unlike quartz) and that it was more practical than marble because it won’t etch/stain and works like granite. We’ve used it for all of 36 hours and I noticed tonight MANY marks (forgive me I forget whether they would be “stains” or “etches”) on the island overhang where said children have sat to eat multiple meals. We are very clean people but didn’t anticipate any issues and thus didnt thoroughly clean the counters till this evening when I unpacked the cleaning supplies that had been boxed up from the remodel. Here’s some photos. So two questions: is there any chance this is indeed quartzite? We took a razor blade to it and saw only a minor scratch that wouldn’t be noticeable. And 2. Assuming this is our new reality, is there any way to repair marks like these so at least we can get a “do-over?” Can’t believe we trusted the “experts.” We are very disappointed and discouraged. Thanks for any pointers!!

Aghhh, the term "soft quartzite" gives me such heartburn. It's complete BS, because there is no such thing as soft quartzite, not even close. If it's soft, it's marble. If it etches, it's marble. End of story! Here's a link to the ever-growing thread all about rocks http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2692150/countertop-geology-part-six-lets-talk-about-rocks-some-more

I was considering calling today, but realistically speaking, what is that place going to say? I don't have an invoice for the purchase and installation of the soapstone, and it's not like they would come and replace the countertops with different soapstone now. I'll probably still try calling this week out of curiosity. In my case mineral oil made the surface really shiny like polished granite, and the shine remained until either the dust settled on unused portions or an area of countertop would get used or have water splashed on it. Then that area would look messy. If I used a sponge to wipe crumbs, water, and food messes, then the sponge would remove some mineral oil, which would be very obvious as smear marks and duller finish. I finally gave up on mineral oil completely. It's such a fussy finish, never giving uniformity for a kitchen that's in use daily. I used blue Dawn detergent to remove any and all mineral oil I could, but the pitted areas were too obvious. So I just decided to scuff up the rest of the counters, so to speak, with the same acidic cleaner that caused the pitting. I spread some Lysol Lime and Rust cleaner with 10% hydrochloric acid on the counters using a sponge--really not much, like maybe a tablespoon per counter. Let it sit for a minute, and there was a metallic smell. I figured that was a reaction with the gray inclusions in the soapstone. Then I quickly washed off the surface and ended up with lots and lots of etching. It's a kind of busy look now, but I'm growing to like it. I imagine it will darken a bit over time as new patina develops. The new finish is more matte and thankfully busy enough that scratches and imperfections just blend in until close inspection. I now see lots of scratches that used to be covered up by mineral oil. One of the counters--overall look. The later images have enhanced contrast for visibility, it's not so contrasty in person: Close ups: Scratches: Light etching from the brief application of acidic cleaning that exposes all the gray portions or at least etches them matte so they look brighter/lighter. All the gray parts used to not be this bright, prominent, and scratched-etched looking pre-application of the acidic solution. Any gray inclusions--both veins and specks--close to the surface got etched: Earlier, much deeper pitting that at least is now not so visible on the background of the busier surface (plus some water stains). This is the same pitting as shown in the first post in this thread, labeled "1" :

Even if it is marble (a google search reveals that it likely is), water doesn't/shouldn't etch it. Etching has a few different meanings, but in the context of countertops, it usually refers to an area where the surface finish becomes dull because a tiny, tiny bit of the stone was dissolved. In your case, the opposite may be happening. Most tap water has calcium in it and hard water stains are when that calcium attaches itself to the stone. It looks like a dull spot. A key difference is that hard water stains can be removed and etching can't (though it can be refinished). So it may be worth scrubbing to see if you help or hurt the situation. But the far bigger problem is that the seller likely misrepresented the stone. Waiver or not, that is their problem, not yours. My advice is to read up on how to test for the difference between quartzite and marble, test your stone (or ideally a scrap leftover from fabrication), and take it from there. If it's not quartzite but was sold as quartzite, you definitely have recourse - it's not okay for a seller to do this. Here's a description of how to do the tests: http://usenaturalstone.org/definitive-guide-quartzite/ Good luck! Keep us posted.