Wife worried about quartzite's cleanability.

[tom]

She's wondering about it's porosity, being used as a backsplash over the kitchen counters. She can cook. Anyone ever had any experience with "copper honed" quartzite? Tom

[Roger Taylor]

Quartzite by definition is nearly impermeable and almost pure silicon dioxide, meaning it is extremely tough, durable, and solid, not unlike granites. Nevertheless, things sold as quartzite may have a small amount of porosity. You could get a broken chip or sample square at the supplier, then apply hot cooking oil or vinegar, and see if there is any residual stain, after leaving it on a few days. We chose stainless as a backsplash to our stovetop, and are very pleased with it. We, too, were worried about staining and ease of cleaning. The backsplash around the counters, away from the stove, is less of a problem for cleaning. For that, we used mosaic slate tile, and used grout and tile sealer to make for easy cleanup. So far, works great.

[Andy Hill]

All depends on the individual vein. Give a sample the ol' lemon juice test. If it absorbs, either look elsewhere or be prepared to seal it heavily every few years.

[Randy]

My sister has a white "quartz" sink, which has worked very well for about 7 years. It is very nonporous, but periodically you will have to remove slight staining. A little bleach does the trick in no time. I don't know if bleach works as well for other colors of quartz fixtures, but I had an off white Corian sink (more porous than quartz) which also cleaned up very well with bleach, so maybe so.

The downside to quartz is that, because of its hardness, it can crack if you hit it hard (drop a frozen turkey into the sink, etc). My sister's has several hairline cracks along the bottom which are annoying if you look closely, but don't affect its use.

Randy

[G Henslee]

down to "Know Your Stone"

[tom]

Thanks for the link, Mr. Hensley. More information than she should need! Stainless is thought to be a contender, too. Someday, she will decide. Tom