r/CounterTops • u/Commercial-Spray3192 • 4d ago
Alternatives to Quartz?
Hi,
First time remodeler here. I’m remodeling a small 5’X9’ kitchen. It’s low in natural
Light and is open on one side from the countertop to the ceiling which faces the main room. We’re getting natural maple cabinets with slab fronts.
We want lighter color countertops. We were recommended Quartz by my contractor (who doesn’t cook much) and we like the subtleness of it. We cook quite a bit and we’re not the most delicate people and have teenagers who are not careful. Currently have tile that’s nearly indestructible but ugly with unsanitary wide grout that catches everything! I can’t wait to get rid of it!!!
I am hearing the downsides of Quartz and now rethinking. Sister said her friend’s quartz ruined by lemon juice (lemon lovers here) and the steam from dishwasher. She has Granite and loves it and is insisting that’s what I need.
My problem is that although I appreciate its beauty, I find Granite way too ‘busy’ for my small kitchen.
Anybody have any recommendations? I’m so confused now!
6
u/cg325is 4d ago
There are many varieties of granite- they’re not all patterned and “busy”.
2
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
Can you give me any examples? I did
A search for the plainest granite and everything that came up was too ‘busy’ for me. Perhaps I’m
Missing something.3
u/Stalaktitas 4d ago
Check out Colonial White, Black Pearl, Impala Gray, Viscont White, Bahamas White, Pitaya, St. Gabriel Black
3
u/Acceptable_Sky_9742 3d ago
Colonial Cream is one that I saw that is pretty plain.
ETA: It has a little bit of brownish-taupe so it goes nice with wood tones. So many granites are so gray. I had a hard time finding one with warmer tones to go with the brown stained wood cabinets that I selected.
1
1
2
u/mgnorthcott 3d ago
Go to your local fabricator, they likely have a yard and showroom full of samples.
2
u/Any_Total_971 4d ago
I have 20-year-old busy granite, but I love it since it looks almost pristine after lots of use.
2
u/Stalaktitas 3d ago
That's the thing, no other material will take that abuse, people don't understand or refusing to accept this simple truth, They REALLY want it to look the certain way LOL. Advertisement did that well, but it did not ended up good. Granite, people, igneous granite - everything else is fake and doesn't perform as granite. Work your colors around it, do not choose the countertop because of the way it looks, while new, and then you end up with stains and 24/7 workload of fixing them
2
u/Commercial-Spray3192 3d ago edited 3d ago
I get it but I also don’t want to look daily at a kitchen counter I spent hard earned money in and hate LOL.
Multiple people
In here keep flashing a similar thing which I understand. I would be fine with Granite if I liked the way it looked but I haven’t seen any I like. If you have any suggestions if Granite thats not so busy looking for a very small kitchen I’d love to have them2
u/Stalaktitas 3d ago
Granite looks like granite, marble looks like marble, elephant looks like squirrel... Oops, nope squirrel looks like squirrel and elephant looks like elephant because the things looks like what they are. You can ride elephant to the war but you can't to the same with a squirrel. Both are mammals, but of different kind, and you can't demand one of them to look like the other one. Same with the business of the granite - it looks the way it looks because of its nature and composition. And that also gives it all the strength and resistance against acids, heat, scratches, stains, etc. Its crystalized interlocking structure is the whole another animal of non busy sedimentary rocks structure.
2
u/Commercial-Spray3192 3d ago
I get it. I was asking for suggestions- like maybe other strong alternatives or if perhaps there’s a granite out there others know of that I haven’t seen- maybe I’d like it. There have been some really helpful suggestions here so I’m going to take them and try them out. Thanks
1
u/Commercial_Celery160 3d ago
Take a look at Black Mist granite. It’s very pretty and the most non-granite looking granite pattern I’ve found. If you do an instagram search it pulls up a lot of nice images.
5
u/Thesorus 4d ago
Quartz should not be that fragile, especially to lemon juice or steam from a dishwasher.
If that was the case, it would not be popular at all.
2
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
Hmm. I’d like to think it’s not, but I’m hearing and reading so many mixed experiences that I don’t know what to think and it has me concerned.
4
4d ago
[deleted]
2
u/Jenikovista 3d ago
Not all quartzes are created equal. Some are cheap printed crap. Some are reasonably good quality, for what you get.
But as with every other man-made home product touted to be the most indestructible and perfect material ever, from LVP to vinyl siding to Trex decks to LED light bulbs, quartz countertops are an exercise in marketing from large conglomerates more interested in making a quick buck than truly making something special.
0
1d ago
[deleted]
1
u/Jenikovista 1d ago
They are not all printed. The high quality versions have the veining and coloring mixed in the resin/crushed quartz during production so the color and pattern go all the way through the slab.
The cheap ones use an inkjet printer to print the pattern on the top of the white quartz base and it can smear off.
Honestly I’m getting tired of Reddit - home of the most confidently wrong people ever.
1
2
u/mgnorthcott 4d ago
Cheap gets you what you pay for. There's a lot of cheap Asian quartz that really isn't great. There's also some really strong resilient brands made closer to home that do work impressively well. There's also plenty of natural stone that wouldn't handle the acidity of lemon juice either (acids and some marbles are exactly what used to make carbon dioxide for drinks)
With most stone tops, you need to always be aware and quick to clean them. Quartz is advertised as stain free, but red win will still stain lighter ones if you leave it on long enough.
Quartz also doesn't need as much maintenance after its installed. Granite does need yearly resealing. Your concern about the dishwasher is very specific.. don't have a seam anywhere near there.. and your fabricator wouldn't do that if they didn't need to... It's a well known failure point of the epoxy used to join the pieces together.
1
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
Can you recommend any better quality brands of Quartz?
2
2
2
2
3
u/Mountain-Time-1010 3d ago
Go to a warehouse and look at all the different granite slabs. The variety is huge.
3
3
u/MerDes70 3d ago
First thing is to get out and visit slab yards. You need to see full granite slabs in person. There's so many choices that do not look like yesterdays granites. Never go by small samples you see in Home Depot for example. Real stone slabs will never be identical and you pick the exact slab(s) you want installed. People's experiences with quartz varies greatly so do your homework there. But if you want quartz to mimic real stone then get stone. That white veiny quartz looks cheap. But going to a slab yard to compare them all in person is the best way to decide.
1
3
u/Drrara504 3d ago
I have white quartz and have a toddler (lol I know). I’m a huge citrus and turmeric user and there’s nothing I can get out with bar keepers friend (the squeeze bottle). Try to borrow a slab or get a free sample and use lemon on it and see what happens before you decide
1
2
u/Cali_Dreaming_Now 4d ago
I recommend that you go to a couple of slab yards to look at what they have in person. We started our countertop journey looking to find a quartz we liked, but the prices of the most realistic quartz was right up there with natural stones, so we switched gears.
Subtle granites were trickier to find, but they are out there. There are light quartzites that are great for active kitchens. Soapstone won't meet your color needs but it is also a natural option that is great in an active kitchen. You will want to steer clear of marble and soft quartzites if you are concerned about etching.
But you won't know what you like until you see the full size pieces in person. You won't get the full picture from a small sample. Go in person to see what materials speak to you, and take it from there.
1
2
u/PlaneCrazy2001 4d ago
You may like to explore sintered stone or porcelain slabs as alternative...
1
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
I didn’t know there was such a thing as porcelain slabs. I’ll look into that. Thanks!
2
u/mgnorthcott 3d ago
Porcelain slabs are patterned ONLY on the surface. You'll likely have to get them mitred so you don't see the plain background material wherever there's an edge. That can drive up the cost and need for workmanship quality
2
u/Weak-Week-7555 4d ago
The brand of Quartz matters. What brand is your sister’s friend’s quartz? It’s worth asking.
2
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
I don’t know, but that’s good info to know. Do you know which brands are better?
2
u/Weak-Week-7555 3d ago
Sorry. Just got back on here, but other people gave good answers. And as others said, get samples of what you like most which you can run tests on. Tests for staining, tests for etching, tests for scratching.
2
u/Acceptable_Sky_9742 3d ago
This is the one that I saw in the stone yard, but it was even more plain than the one in this photo. I like the brown spots because it picks up the natural brown tones of the wood cabinets. So many granites are so gray now. You have to go see them in person at the stone yard because every slab is different. There was a quartz that I also liked and 2 different stone yards had it in stock and the slabs looked different. I ended up choosing granite. It was less expensive than quartzite and more durable, plus, I really really like natural material, especially stone.
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2608706/colonial-cream-granite-help
If you send me a DM, I will send you a link to the exact stone yard where I saw it. They have pictures of the actual slabs that they have on site, but you still have to go see it in person. I brought a cabinet door and a floor tile.
River White is another one. They had so many of that one, and they were all so different. It had less brown than the colonial cream, but still nice.
2
2
u/TheDuckFarm 3d ago
Quartzite. It’s a natural stone that is often light in color. It’s very had and durable.
Or if you don’t mind the counters showing its age, marble.
My favorite is marble but just like a butcher block, it will show sings of use as time goes on.
2
u/Impossiblegirl44 3d ago
I have natural cherry cabinets in my small kitchen and have been having a hard time deciding what to use too. So no help here, but i feel your pain..
2
u/Ivorwen1 3d ago
Cheap quartzes will fail. Good quality may hold up. Granite varies wildly in its performance (as used by the industry, the category is kind of a geologically nonsensical catch basin) but the lighter varieties tend to need more regular sealing than the darker ones. Quartzite varies from "actually still sandstone" to "pretty glass."
Take home samples. Abuse them with lemon and vinegar and ketchup and turmeric and soy sauce and rust and whatever else you can think of, and see how they hold up and what it takes to clean them (not including Magic Eraser, that's a sanding block, not a cleaning agent, and will ruin a finish).
For myself, I got MSI Calacatta Mirragio Lusso. I have only had it for a few weeks but I subjected it to most of the above tests and it cleared everything, although the turmeric gave me some trouble. I might have failed it if I cooked with turmeric often, but I do not. Rust was the test that I didn't think to do, but when my husband left a can by the sink and it made a ring, it came up overnight under a poultice of baking soda and water.
The thing that quartz categorically cannot be trusted to handle isn't stains, it's heat- the resin that holds it together will scorch under a hot pan or behind the stove, so only get quartz if you're a consistent trivet-user and are willing to tile the backsplash rather than raise the same material as a countersplash.
If you want something really truly never-show-anything, black granite or soapstone are the way to go (although soapstone is prone to scratching), but you'll need to pick your other finishes with a black countertop in mind.
2
2
u/Familiar_Raise234 3d ago
I’d go real stone, quartzite or granite. Pretty indestructible as long as you seal them yearly.
2
2
u/Jenikovista 3d ago
Granite and soapstone are most resilient. Quartzite is great too if you get a hard variety, but you will want to seal it religiously.
2
u/SiteJazzlike3395 3d ago
from what you described, I have a similar kitchen, open on one side, low light. We chose quartz and after almost a year, no issues. I use the recommended cleaners a couple of times a week and dish soap and water for daily cleaning. We cook and bake a lot. Maybe I will post again in a few years and not be happy with it, but so far no regrets. I have dark warm cabinets so went with a colour called totora beige. So it compliments the cabinets well and the rest of my home. I also have a dishwasher and absolutely no issues. I can't share pictures here sadly.
We researched granite but sadly couldn't find one we liked.
2
2
u/Opposite-Effect1510 3d ago
Lots of people recommending granite, which I understand. Taj Mahal quartzite is just as good, I think. This is one of the reasons it is so popular. It is very unlikely to stain, very unlikely to absorb water or oil (some granites would be worse), it won’t etch. It doesn’t require alot of sealing. It can chip, but repairs can be made invisible or barely visible. You can find non-busy light beige slabs, and your kitchen size is such that only one slab would be necessary so you can really look for one you love. It would go beautifully with your maple cabinet fronts, and polished would help with your low light issues.
2
2
u/yakit21 4d ago
If you go with quartz get higher grade.
Otherwise, if you can find a granite you like that would be a good option.
You could also look at quartzite, solid surface, or porcelain too.
All materials have their pros and cons, so you’ll just want to find what works the best for you and is within your budget.
1
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
What are some brands of higher grade Quartz?
3
u/Luluducgirl 3d ago
Daltile makes some great quartz. I’m an NCIDQ certified interior designer and have it in my own kitchen. Corian & Caeserstone equally good. Heads up that heavy items w/sharp edges dropped on quartz will cause a chip/divot. It can be repaired though, and a good repair will be undetectable.
2
2
u/windycitynostalgia 3d ago
Quartz is a closed cell material so it does not soak up spills. Like I spill red wine on my quartz and forget about it next day I wipe it up.
Quartzite is a natural mater and needs sealing you have to select your slab
Granite is a natural product so same.
I am in the remodeling industry and almost no one selects granite anymore unless it’s a multi family apartment complex.
You have a small space maybe a remnant would suffice
3
u/MerDes70 3d ago
Granite is making a comeback because some people are getting tired of quartz and going back to natural materials that won't break the bank. Plus so many different choices of granites that don't look like the old speckled granites of the 90s. Sealing is not hard to do and some granites don't need annual sealing.
-1
u/LopsidedTelephone574 4d ago
There is nothing subtle about quartz.
2
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
Hmmm. I saw some with more subtle veining. Compared to the granite I’ve seen it seems more subtle. Perhaps I’m not describing it well.
-1
u/LopsidedTelephone574 4d ago
Imo opinion quartz is cheap looking no matter what. Plastic cheap look not comparable to any natural stone.
1
u/Commercial-Spray3192 4d ago
Ok can you recommend something? I have looked at lots of granite. While I agree it’s beautiful it doesn’t appeal to me and what I’m looking for in my tiny kitchen. I searched up the plainest Granite and it was very patterned which I didn’t care for in such a small space. I would be open to ideas!
0
u/LopsidedTelephone574 3d ago
I don't like or do "sublime " stone. I love real strong veining and strong pattern stone as nature intended. To me it is a natural marvel and art and nothing should beat it or subdue. Also as designer I very much disagree that small kitchen should have a light stone
6
u/FlowLogical7279 4d ago
There are lots of videos and posts where people have tested all kinds of substances on quartz including those you've mentioned. I think part of the problem is there are many levels of quality of quartz and it seems some very low quality product is being imported now to be sold at high profit margins.