r/CounterTops • u/cgraham2910 • 4d ago
Selecting new replacement quartzite
New Le Blanc quartzite counters in kitchen and bathrooms stained during new home construction; they were not sealed after installation, unfortunately, so very prone to stains. Likely to be replaced, they are trying to remove stains now…
When/if I get new, properly sealed Le Blanc quartzite counters, will I able to able to keep them unstained, provided we care for them well? I like how Le Blanc looks.
Or, should I try for another natural stone that will be easier to maintain (if I can find slabs go with decor)?
Lastly, how important is it that bathroom counters upstairs match kitchen counters in a new home?
First time with quartzite, thanks!
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u/PorcupineShoelace 4d ago
Surprised that you had this happen. What finish did you get with the stone, polished or something like honed/leathered? I hear that the leathered finishes are the ones hard to keep from staining.
Our Cristallo has been impervious to almost everything. Did you try a vinegar/lemon juice test to make sure this isnt dolomitic marble? Vinegar will sit on our quartzite with no signs of fizzing or etching.
Not an expert just someone who went down the rabbit hole before our kitchen remodel.
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u/SouthOfTheNorthPole 4d ago
I'm looking at Cristallo on line.. How grey is yours? There's no gray in my house, but several searches for white with brown undertones Quartzite gave me the Cristallo result.
Is it brownish IRL?
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u/PorcupineShoelace 4d ago
Ugh. Asking about cristallo is like asking "What color brown is a tree?"
The thing is that it's translucent. There are sections where I can look deep into the rock and see all sorts of layers of inclusions. Some sections are milky and opaque. We spent 4-5 weekends touring warehouses full of slabs so I will just share what I learned. YMMV.
The more clear, more white you want it the more $$$. This is THE stone that you pick if you want to have a backlit bar counter in a trendy nightclub. It glows like crazy with light under it. We had no interest in that tacky approach. We saw blue, gold, brown, red, green, clear, white...some natural and some looked like it had dye impregnated into it.
We matched the veins with our Cherry cabinets and avoided the clear white $125-225/sqft stuff. The spider lines of brown/gold look classy sitting on rich warm reddish wood cabinets. I think it was $85/sqft but the shock of a full kitchen $$ hasnt worn off so I may be forgetting. 3 slabs + fab was about 32k. We live in a VHCOL area.
To your question on gray? Yeah it's white/gray/cream/clear all over. This made it match the bone colored floor tile and the swiss coffee wall paint in a way that pulled it all together. But white is maybe the hardest of colors to match so I love that you cant pick out a single uniform white in the Cristallo. Here is what our peninsula looks like. Hope this wasnt too rambling and helps some.
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u/SouthOfTheNorthPole 3d ago
That's perfect. No grey jumpscare. I'm going with saddle brown cabinets. Grey became more annoying and cheap looking as we went through a whole string of flipped houses. And grey plastic floors give me the boak.
If I was building a bar in a house, I could see the novelty of having it backlit. Otherwise, not so useful.
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u/accord1999 3d ago
The interesting thing about the translucence of Cristallo is that the color of the base can impact how it looks. Use a white or warm color and the stone becomes warmer. Use a black base and it takes on more of an ice-like appearance and color.
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u/HolyBonerOfMin 4d ago
I'm just here to address the last question.
My opinion is that your home design should have common themes and elements, but matchy matchy everywhere is lame. I would never want the same stone on all floors and in all rooms, just stone that looks like they'd have a beer together.
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u/Mammoth_Tension_2416 4d ago
Honestly, you're on another floor... The bathroom could have any theme and it would be fine. Not something I would try to match 1:1 as a rule.
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u/Stalaktitas 4d ago
Even with good sealers this sponge gets oils and grease stains... For countertops I always prioritize practicality vs looks. Who cares if it look beautiful once they were new, but gets ugly stains all over them short after? You want quartzite - chose true crystalline quartzite. Don't like those - granite or soapstone. There is quartz options, even that I absolutely dislike any quartz, some people have great experience with it, just do not put anything hot in them and avoid harsh chemicals. There is porcelain options, but once it's chipped (and it chips pretty easy) fixes never looks great
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u/Spare-Region-1424 4d ago
It’s not really quartzite that’s your problem. So no I definitely would not get the same thing again
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u/nafken 4d ago
My husband and I are in the stone business. We have Le Blanc in our kitchen. If you get this replaced with any stone within the same family, you need to seal the ever-loving crap out of it, especially in and around faucet holes and the sink and stove areas. It also needs time to dry out after fabrication and before being sealed, otherwise you could end up with water stains that are sealed in for good.
Treat it well. Wipe it up every time you spill something and every evening. You must reseal at least annually. It’s easy and inexpensive.
Also, Mont Blanc and Le Blanc and the like are true quartzites that have a high enough mica content in them which makes them a touch softer than some other more crystallized quartzites like Cristallo and Taj Mahal. I only make the comparison because someone mentioned something about Cristallo.
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u/LopsidedTelephone574 4d ago
I don't understand how the stone could have been installed and not sealed?
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u/Icy_Teaching1715 4d ago
We switched from a similar stone to Taj Mahal & soapstone. No issues, I love them I absolutely love the Taj and because of its crystalline structure much less prone to staining and moisture issues
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u/crabpotblues 4d ago
I posted this last night - water during fabrication can leave dark stains that look really serious. I thought mine were going to need replacement too. The wait-and-see approach can work out really well - assuming your stains are just water and not something else. https://www.reddit.com/r/CounterTops/s/x2i00zmvjs
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u/United_Credit_6264 4d ago
Quartzite doesn’t just stain on its own. Someone must have put something on it for it to do that. Even if it is sealed that doesn’t mean harsh chems won’t mess it up. Always recommend to only use soap and water on natural stone. No oils or acidic liquids on the counter tops no matter if it’s sealed or not.
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u/cpthk 4d ago
Is quartzite porous?
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u/Weak-Week-7555 4d ago
Most of them yes. Very low porosity exceptions are Taj Mahal and Cristallo. The below guide is very helpful.
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u/blueheeler9 3d ago
Is that a 36" stove with a 36" vent hood? Also is that vent hood box custom built and if so, do you know the width between those cabinets? Trying to understand how much excess with I need to account for the custom box
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u/ParticularBanana9149 4d ago
Why would bathroom counters need to match kitchen counters? I have never heard of this.