I love marble, but I want the durability of granite in my kitchen… What now?

The answer is Quartzite. Not to be confused with manmade Quartz products, natural quartzite is a very hard metamorphic rock consisting of a mosaic of inter-grown quartz crystals. Quartzite forms when sandstone is heated to extreme temperatures during metamorphism. It’s often white and grey in color, but blues, reds, greens, or beiges are not entirely uncommon. The formation process behind this metamorphosed rock tends to give it soft, somewhat linear veining that resembles marble.

Quartzite is a whopping 7 out of 10 on Moh’s Scale of Mineral Hardness. As a comparison, granite is typically between a 6 and a 7, and marble is only a 3. The density of natural Quartzite, which directly corresponds with porosity, can vary. Sometimes this stone is extremely dense making it practically nonporous, other times it is less dense and more porous. Try taking a sample of the specific quartzite slab you’re considering and testing the staining potential by leaving a colored liquid on the surface for 5-10 minutes. When you wipe off the liquid, if it leaves little to no color on the stone, the quartzite is probably very dense and an average sealer will suffice. If the liquid leaves a medium to bright color on the quartzite sample, you should probably consider a powerful sealer to help protect the stone.

Possibly the greatest benefit of quartzite in the kitchen over marble, is the greatly reduced potential for surface etching. Marble is a calcite, and calcite reacts with acids, so when you’re dealing with acidic foods or liquids on a marble countertop, you’re likely to etch the surface polish. Quartzite on the other hand, is made almost entirely of quartz, which does not typically react with acids. To be sure that the specific quartzite slabs that you’re considering for your project will not etch, use the same sample you used for your porosity test and try leaving a small puddle of straight lemon juice on the surface for 5-10 minutes. Wipe it off and check for any signs of etching (spots where the polish isn’t as shiny any more).

So, if you love Bianco Carrara Marble, but you have to have a stone that will withstand the everyday wear and tear of your family, Quartzite slabs like our Moon Light Quartzite are the perfect solution to your dilemma.

EleMar Oregon Granite & Marble
19723 SW Teton Ave Tualatin, OR, 97062 USA 
 • 503-692-8020

Beauty and the Shiney Little Beast

Bookmatch Pair

Juperana Persa - Golden Beach

In recent years, there has been an explosion of mid priced exotic stones on the market.  These stones can feature a lot of movement in wild patterns, huge quartz crystal features and striking color variations.  Many of these colors used to be more expensive because they were hard to work with, often breaking because of the very thing that makes them beautiful.  What changed?  Resin technology has made huge advances in recent years making these stunning colors more viable and stable.  So now many truly exotic stones colors are available at mid price ranges of $70-$95 per sq foot installed.  But there are a few things to keep in mind about natural stone.

The very thing that makes these stones beautiful is mineral variation within the stone.  With this comes variations in hardness.  Variations in hardness means there are areas of the stone will not cut or polish equally.  Good fabricators can deal with the cutting issue, but the polish issue presents another factor that may be a problem to some folks.  When you view slabs in a warehouse like ours, the slabs are typically tipped up, leaning on an A frame.  It’s a great angle for viewing slabs but it’s not the angle you will be viewing the countertops once they’re laid flat.  One important thing to consider when viewing polished stone countertops is the shine.  A high quality polish is something that we look for when selecting stone from our slab manufacturers.  But the fact is that natural stone with lots of material interfaces may have varying amounts of reflectivity.  In plain terms some areas of your countertop will be shiney and other small areas may be less shiney, or even matte finish.  Depending on the stone you may also see some micro-pitting.  All these things are normal and do not have any functional issues for your countertop.  Many folks do not have any problems with these variations while some folks do have problems with even the slightest variation in shine.  If you think you are worried about the polish feel free to ask to have the slabs viewed in good light.  Move around the slab and pay attention to the shine.  You may notice some matted areas.  If you do feel them with your hand.  Ask lots of questions.

In all the years we’ve been selling slabs we’ve only had a few folks who didn’t like the variation on their countertop.  But in those cases it was  a hard lesson because the countertops were installed before they decided the variations in shine were a problem.  It is so much easier to figure this out before the slabs are cut.  To date, I know of  no coatings or waxes that can even the shine out perfectly.  Taking a little time to understand yourself and your granite selection is a wise investment.  It’s an important decision.  You deserve to be happy with your choice.

What’s in a Stone Name?

We like to tell everyone who asks for a particular name in stone “names are a guideline”.  This is because the natural stone industry is a global business.  There is no single entity to govern stone names.  A stone name may be changed at the quarry because the color characteristics of their stone changes as they work through the vein.  As a block, a given stone may travel to a block yard in some other part of the world and sit there for more than a year waiting for a slab manufacturer choose it.  The block yard may change the name in their efforts to sell it.  Once the slab manufacturer has the block and cuts it into slabs the name could change again after getting a good look at the polished slabs.  Finally, when suppliers like me get the slabs the name could change yet again.  Some suppliers and big box home improvement stores and even fabricators will change the names so that their competition will have a harder time bidding against them.  This may seem a bit disingenuous but the name game really shouldn’t be a factor for home owners.  Why?

Stone is a natural product that changes even if the name does not.  That is why it is important for you to visit the supplier and pick the  exact slabs that will be used for your home.  Even with colors like Absolute Black.  Absolute Black is never absolutely black.  There are grey speckles and sometimes white speckles.  This can be a big deal to most folks when they expect one thing and see another as the countertops are installed.

Suppliers like us do our best to know all the alternative names there are out there and can help to cross reference names in most cases.  We also post photographs of our current inventory so folks can see what we have before driving out to our warehouse.  If you have any questions or need help locating a material it never hurts to give us a call.  We may be able to help you find your stone, or something similar.  But you may be surprised to find something you didn’t expect and you fall in love.  That’s the great thing about stone.

Soapstone Explained

Soapstone is quickly gaining popularity as a kitchen countertop material due to it’s soft feel and subtle colors.  It is primarily composed of talc, magnesite, dolomite, and chlorite.  Soapstone is completely non porous and totally resistant to acids.  Because of this inert quality, soapstone has been a material of choice for chem labs.  Even though soapstone is soft, it has the advantage of being easily repaired by light sanding.  Finally, the appearance of soapstone can be darkened with periodic applications of mineral oil or specialty stone waxes.  Over time the application fades but it can easily be restored with another application.  What about stains?  In the cases stains have been reported, the soapstone (true soapstone) was easily restored with light sanding and an application of mineral oil.

Soapstone has an exceptional array of uses.  It’s unique ability to retain and radiate heat has made it widely used for masonry heaters, stoves and even cook tops.  It’s malleable characteristics makes it popular for carved sinks, pots and pans.

Limestone Explained

Limestone is a sedimentary rock, mainly composed of mineral calcite.  The primary source of the calcite is typically marine organisms, which are deposited on the ocean floors as pelagic ooze.  Popular uses include flooring, interior and exterior cladding and exterior paving.  Travertine is limestone that is formed by geysers.  Manufactured as tiles or slabs, travertine is generally filled with cement and is then polished or honed. More common uses are for flooring and siding.  It is sometimes used for countertops.

Marble Explained

Marble is metamorphosed limestone, composed of very pure calcium carbonate. The softness of marble and it’s consistency makes marble very desirable for sculpture and building. Marble is essentially limestone, that has been subjected to much higher amounts of temperature and pressure during it’s metamorphosis.  Three primary locations for marble are Carrara Italy, Pentelicus Greece,  and Proconnesus Turkey.  Because of it’s maintenance requirements, marble is not often used for kitchen countertops in the US. In addition, marble is subject to stains from acidic foods and juices.  Some new sealers can retard staining.  However, for those who understand the maintenance requirements of marble, it can provide for a kitchen look that is like no other material.  Typical uses include floors, wall coverings, tabletops, bathroom walls, floors, vanity tops and showers.  There is no doubt, in the hands of the right designer, Marble can make a most stunning statement in your home.

Granite Explained

Granite is igneous rock with visible crystalline formation and textures. It is composed of feldspar and quartz, with small amounts of mica and other minor minerals. Granite crystallizes from magma that cools slowly, deep below the earth’s surface. The rate of cooling gives rise to various crystal grain structures. Typically, the slower the lava cools, the larger the crystals become. Granite, along with other crystalline rocks, constitutes the foundation of the continental masses, and it is the most common rock exposed at the earth’s surface.

Granite has greater strength and hardness than sandstone, limestone, and marble making it more difficult to quarry. Gang saws take up to 6 days running 24 hours a day to slice through a block. Slabs are numbered in sequence and polished. It is usually a good idea to select slabs that are from the same block for your countertop project. The variance in color patterns from block to block can be significant.

Granite as a countertop surface provides one of the most attractive and durable surfaces available. It is highly resistant to scratches, stains and heat and will last virtually forever. Granite does not harbor bacteria and resealing only needs to be done when water stops beading on the counter surface.

Alternative Finishes

Stone Finishes

Alternatives to highly polished surface are now becoming more and more popular, especially in the darker colors. This is primarily because darker stones tend to show streaking and fingerprints more easily. Matted and leathered surfaces help break up the light reflecting off the surface so streaks and fingerprints are less noticeable. The alternative surfaces also tend to be more tactile which many customers really seem to like. One thing to remember is that each stone type (color) has varying hardness and softness so there is no “single method” for creating these alternative surfaces. For example, Leathered Absolute Black is very dense and will turn out much smoother than a light granite that is leathered.

Polished surface

Large machines progressively grind the stone to a specular, mirror-like finish. Uses – low traffic indoor flooring, wall cladding, counter tops, vanity tops & decorative items.

Honed surface

This less formal, softer-appearing stone has a matte or satin finish.  Uses – high traffic indoor/outdoor commercial flooring, wash rooms, side walks.

Leathered or Antiqued surface

Many techniques are used to get similar tactile results on various colors of granite and marble. Wire Brushes, Flaming and Acid Wash just to name a few. Uses – external flooring, decks, pavements, side walks, curb stones, garden benches.

THE BIG BAD, BAD MONSTER OF SEALING GRANITE that never was.

Sealing Granite Countertops

Anyone who has asked the sealant question of more than one person in the stone business quickly realizes the answers can vary like the wind.  Some answers are more windy than others.  So we’ll try to keep this as straight forward as possible but it does require some explaining.

Why Granite is the way it is.

Granite is a natural product made up of interlocking crystals of feldspar, quarts and mica.  Other materials that were absorbed by the magma as it cooled helped to create all the color variations and patterns you see in the world of granite.  This is also the very reason why there are differences in density and porosity.  There also may be natural micro fissures and pitting at crystal interfaces within the granite.

A word on Resin.

In the old days a lot of granite was discarded because of fissures and pitting.  This was wasteful and caused granite to be extremely expensive.  Then came resin technology which not only helped stabilize existing colors, it allowed some very striking colors to become available and affordable.  These days most slabs are run through a vacuum chamber so the resin will flow freely into the voids like micro fissures and pits.  Once the resin has hardened the slabs are then polished back down to the stone surface.  So 99.9% of the surface you see and touch is the stone but any fissures or pits are filled with resin.  This is why resined stone is stable but not considered completely sealed.

What’s a Sealant?

So here’s the scoop on sealants.  There are many available on the market but the basic principle is the same.  Sealants are design to penetrate pores and repel moisture.  Some are water based while others use a petroleum or alcohol product to carry Silicon, Siloxane, Silane, or Acrylics deep into the pores.  Water base sealants are generally the least expensive, mild from a chemical standpoint and can be applied by the “do it yourselfer”.  Petroleum and Alcohol based sealants are typically applied by trained professionals and last longer.  Some products are claiming up to 15 years.

How often should you seal?

That depends on what type of granite you selected, what type of sealant you’re using and what you choose to clean your granite with.  Water based sealants can last between 1-2 years.  Petroleum and Alcohol based sealants last between 5 and 15 years.  All sealants will last longer if you wash your counters with mild soap and water.  Bleach, Ammonia and other harsh cleaners will not hurt your granite, but will break down your sealant much more quickly.  The best way to determine when you need to seal is to sprinkle water on your countertop.  As long as water beads up you’re fine.

DIY Sealing

Despite what you may have heard, sealing granite yourself is EASY!  If you can work a spray bottle, set a timer and wipe, you’re more than qualified.  Make sure the countertops are clean and dry.  Spray the sealant over the entire surface of the countertop.  Let it sit for 30-40 minutes.  Some areas may appear to be dry.  These are areas that need sealant the most so spray the dry areas again.  Allow the counters to set another 20 minutes and then wipe them clean.  That’s it.

How much does it cost?

A quart bottle of water based sealant cost in the range of $40 – $60 and will be enough to seal most kitchens.  Most fabricators will seal your countertops as part of your install so if they are new, you may be Ok for some time.  Just do the water sprinkle test from time to time.  Petroleum and Alcohol based sealants are usually professionally installed and can cost $200 – $500.

The Brass Tacks

Keep in mind that sealants are a fairly recent innovation to the stone industry.  Granite rarely stains easily even without sealants.  Sealants make staining even less likely.  By chance if you do manage to stain your granite don’t panic.  There are a number of granite poltice recipes that can extract some very tough stains from countertops.  If you’re not comfortable doing the poltice yourself, there are granite and marble restoration services that can do it for you.

There is no other surface on the market that can give you the natural beauty and the solid durability of Granite.  Engineered stone is in many ways a functional equal to granite.  So if you want the color options of Formica, then engineered stone may be for you.  As for the question of porosity and bacteria, both Granite and engineered stone are 1000 times cleaner than laminates.  Most of us in America grew up with laminate countertops without issue so it’s safe to say the bacteria claim on Granite is a non-issue.

So that’s everything you should ever need to know about sealing Granite Countertops.  If you ever have questions about the characteristics of a particular type of Granite please come and see us at EleMar.  We’ll be happy to explain the details.