Quartzite takes a pan straight off the burner, will not scratch under a knife, and looks like marble without behaving like it. Some slabs sold under the name are a softer stone that etches.
What quartzite countertops cost here
Quartzite slabs run from $$$ to $$$$ on the tier scale we use for every stone. Taj Mahal and Sea Pearl sit at $$$; Cristallo, Perla Venata and Mont Blanc sit at $$$$. The scale is explained once, on the pricing page.
Included in every quote: template, sink cutout, an eased or quarter round edge, delivery, install and hauling away your old counters. Adding to it: a cooktop cutout, a mitered or ogee edge, and support under a seating overhang. Each is named on the pricing page and appears on your written quote before you sign, never after.
Quartzite is the most expensive thing we cut, for two reasons that have nothing to do with markup. The slabs cost more at the yard, and the stone is hard enough that it wears out diamond tooling on the way through the saw. Any shop quoting quartzite at granite money is either quoting a softer stone or has not cut much of it.
See how the price is built, and what can add to it
The label on the slab is not a lab result
This is the part of quartzite countertops nobody at the yard volunteers.
Slab yards label by look and by trade name, not by geology. Several of the most popular white "quartzites" are dolomitic marble: softer, acid-sensitive, and they will etch under a lemon. Super White is the famous example. Others are genuinely quartzite and behave exactly as promised.
We test before you buy, at the yard, in front of you:
- Scratch test. Real quartzite is harder than steel. A knife blade drawn across an offcut leaves nothing. If it leaves a gray line, that slab is softer than the label says.
- Acid test. A drop of lemon juice on an offcut, left for a few minutes. If it dulls, the stone is calcite based and will etch in your kitchen.
- Water test. Shows how thirsty it is and how often it will want sealing.
If the slab you love fails, we tell you and then we tell you what living with it would actually be like. Plenty of people buy it anyway with their eyes open. That is a completely different outcome from finding out in year two.
Names people ask for
Taj Mahal, Sea Pearl, Perla Venata, Cristallo, Mont Blanc, Fantasy Brown, White Fantasy, Tahitian Cream, Opus White, Super White.
Taj Mahal is the one most Eastside kitchens land on: a warm cream and soft gold, close to Calacatta marble in the photograph and nothing like it in the sink. It comes polished and honed. Honed means matte, no shine, and it hides water spots better.
Who quartzite is wrong for
- Tight budget. It is our most expensive stone, per foot and in labor.
- You want zero maintenance. It needs sealing about once a year, like granite.
- You want a perfectly even color. Quartzite is quarried. Movement, color shifts between slabs and the occasional natural fissure come with it.
- You want it fast. Rare quartzite slabs are not sitting in every yard. Sourcing can add days before the template even happens.
Two slabs that have to agree
Quartzite has big, directional veining, so a seam in the wrong place cuts a vein and your eye finds it every morning. A seam that is not level does worse than look bad: it collects grime along the lip.
What we do about it:
- Buy consecutive slabs from the same block, so the two halves of your kitchen match.
- Lay them out in the shop and photograph the layout, so you see how the vein carries across before we cut.
- Send you a seam layout drawing after the template. No blade touches the slab until you sign off on it.
- Fill the seam with color-matched filler and set it flat. Run your hand across it at the walkthrough. If you can feel a lip, we fix it before we leave.
See how the template, the seam drawing and install day run
Sealing and daily care
Quartzite countertops want sealing about once a year. Test it with a spoonful of water: if the stone underneath goes dark, it is time.
Day to day it is soap and water. Quartzite takes heat, so a hot pan will not hurt it, but wiping up oil and wine promptly still matters on the lighter slabs.
Questions people ask about quartzite
What is the difference between quartz and quartzite?
Quartz is manufactured: ground stone plus resin, no sealing, scorches under a hot pan. Quartzite is quarried, harder than granite, takes heat, and needs sealing. Similar names, different products.
Which is more expensive quartzite or granite?
Quartzite, almost always. Both the slab and the fabrication cost more. A rare granite can beat a common quartzite, but that is the exception.
How much do quartzite countertops cost?
Quartzite slabs sit at $$$ or $$$$, and that slab is half the price. The other half is the work, with the cutout, edge, install and tear out already in it. You get the figure in writing after the free pre-measure.
Is quartzite better than granite?
Harder, yes. Better depends on the look you want. Granite gives you more color choice at a lower price. Quartzite gives you the marble look in a stone that survives a kitchen.
How much does a slab of quartzite cost?
Yards price by the slab and the spread is wide, which is why we name the tier at the yard rather than a rate per foot. We will show you the yard invoice for your slab if you want to see it.
Your next step
See what each material costs · See how the job runs, day by day · See finished kitchens in quartzite
Book a free measure. We will meet you at the yard, run the scratch and acid test on the slab you like, and email you an itemized bid.
Call (206) 643-9354 or tel:+12066439354 · 18856 72nd Ave S, Kent, WA 98032 · Monday–Saturday, 8:00 – 5:00