Quartzite
Metamorphosed sandstone — marble's look with granite's durability. The stone most often specified once a client understands what marble does in a working kitchen.
View quartzite in the catalog →Quartzite begins as quartz sandstone and is recrystallised under heat and pressure until the grains fuse. The result is a stone that frequently reads like marble and behaves closer to granite.
It has become the default upgrade path in high-end residential: the client wants Calacatta in a kitchen that gets used, and quartzite is the honest answer.
Where it performs
- Kitchen countertops and islands where marble would be a maintenance problem
- Waterfall islands and bar tops
- Vanity tops and shower surrounds
- Feature walls, particularly bookmatched
What to watch
- "Quartzite" is applied loosely in the trade. Some material sold as quartzite is a dolomitic marble and will etch. Ask, and test if the application is demanding.
- Harder than granite in many cases, which means fabrication takes longer and costs more. Tell the fabricator what they are cutting.
- Movement is often dramatic. Order enough for the job plus layout waste, from one block.
Do not confuse with engineered quartz
Quartzite is a natural stone, quarried in blocks. Engineered quartz is a manufactured slab of ground quartz bound in resin. Different products, different behaviour, different price. See the Quartz page.
Finishes
Polished, honed and leathered are all standard. Leathered has become popular on darker quartzites — it holds texture without the fingerprint problem of a polished dark surface.