Thanks for the advice, ccmadie. I did a lot of tests on stones a year ago for another project and discovered that yes, some stones labeled quartzite have calcium in them and therefore, etch. (Super White, New Super White, Monte Blanc, Fantasy White). Very misleading. Nuage is a new stone I have not seen a lot of. I did do tests (overnight) on the current stones I'm considering: lemon, balsamic vinegar, wine, coffee, fantastic w/vinegar, smashed strawberry, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, tap water, and food coloring - all the things that don't hurt my current dark granite. I also tried to scratch them with a steak knife. Nothing, except the tip of my knife was bent. I went back yesterday to look at the nuage again. The salesperson took his car keys and we both tried to scratch it. We then went to another stone that I've seen labeled granite (a fusion type) and we both could gouge it. One definitely has to be an educated consumer!

Hoping this thread is still alive. I just had 4 slabs of Silver Maccabus Quartzite installed. Literally can’t set a single thing down on it without getting marks. Some don’t come out Fabricator came out to reseal again with Tenax (which is what they originally used). At the stone showroom, I explicitly told the salesperson that I actually COOK in my kitchen. I have four kids/teens who use the kitchen. I purposely wanted quartzite for it’s durability. I’ve had quartzite before and it was indestructible. Now I have this and I can’t even set a glass of water down. How is this ok? Why are people (stone showrooms, fabricators, designers, GCs) even recommending this to customers? $25k just for the stone…for a kitchen I can’t even cook or eat in. Is there ANY option or cleaning solution that people have found to actually work so they can live with their kitchen? Thanks in advance.

@typeandrun, thank you for the response and feedback. Just out of curiosity, was honing an option when you were making your decision. This gives it the matte look but without the texture. We are going with a dark greenisland and warm white perimeter cabinets and I really like the Taj Mahal. I just want to make sure I get slabs that are more cream than beige. That's the toughest part b/c they look so different in the warehouses than they will in real life.

I have quartzite and it was (before discounts) $108 per foot for countertops. after discounts and some back and forth, I got it down to $76 dollars a foot. but that still means my countertop for my small kitchen was over $1000. porcelain tile is cheaper (depending on the tile you could do it for $20 to $40). but it's not great for resale. porcelain slabs are $60 to $100 per foot on average. quartz (as it's the IT material for the moment) is about $70 to $140 per foot. and solid surface can be between $60 to $80. and lastly granite between $68 and $108. now these are ranges in my area. but that varies based on where you are in the country and what exact style you want. the exact difference between any countertop choice would be know by your fabricator/builder. and you should always get estimates in writing so noone can come back and say you "misunderstood." the Quartz my partner like was more than $20 more a foot than my quartzite. So I got what I liked. and I won't change it for the world. But you first have to know how much more is to know if its in your budget or if you truly love it, how to shift other items to even out the cost. hope that was helpful and good luck!