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Design Dilemma
kathouse

IS SUPER WHITE, granite, quartzite or marble?

kathouse
11 years ago
I am very confused to what "SUPER WHITE" is.. I was told it is quartzite and is as durable as granite....but now some else has mentioned quartzite is not, it is more like marble and not recommended for kitchen counter???? I am confused?? Any answers??
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    Vancouver Island Soapstone
    11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago
    Super White is a quartzite. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that started out as sandstone. Due to tectonic pressure and massive amounts of heat, the sandstone "melted" and transformed into a very dense, extremely hard stone.

    Super White, White Macuaba and Luce di Luna are all white quartzites with grey and limited other colours - lending itself to a marble look, but with none of the etching issues people normally associate with calcium based materials.

    Quartzite (on the left) - a natural stone - should not be confused with quartz surfaces (on the right). Quartz, going by trade names such as Cambria, Cesar Stone, Silestone, Quantra and many others, are oatmeal-y looking composites of plastic resins with ground-up bits of glass, shell or rock in there for colour

    Comments (218)

    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      6 years ago

      absolutely. that's a nice looking piece. what do they want for just that slab? (cash is king!)

    • Jenny
      6 years ago
      $2400 installed for my (basically) 10x3ft island.
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      And that's a leftover piece? If so, that's a bit high. If it's a solid slab, then it's ok.

      this was my leftover piece.

      he cut a 6' vanity top w/a 10"x6' back splash for my bathroom, and cut a 3'X12" piece for a makeup area. I think everything total came to 800 or so?? I know the slab itself was only a few hundred.

      However, your 10' is pretty large, but it's an easy fabrication.

    • Jenny
      6 years ago
      Wow! That sounds super cheap. Another place I called said it would be $3800 so this sounded like a great deal.
    • Gina Lisi
      5 years ago

      Is there any Quartz that looks similar to Super white Quartzite?

    • Karen Nottle
      5 years ago
      I would say use Danby marble. I used the super white quartzite in my kitchen. It looks amazing but it chips super easy. The Danby marble I used in my bathroom is quite strong.
    • mshutterbug
      5 years ago
      Old thread with so much good info! Just got off phone with a slabyard I’ve visited before. He said that they personally classify Super White as a marble because it contains calcium carbonate and WILL be prone to etch. I thought I’d solved my selection dilemma but I guess not. I love the look of it but I just don’t think it would hold up well to my family. Sigh. He suggested Sequel Super White quartz (photo below) which is pretty, but it’s not Super White quartzite/marble, which just has that natural and soft and dreamy look. Starting to think we’ll be stuck with no countertops forever!
    • Rosie Brunner-Menifee Memory Page
      5 years ago

      It’s quartizte but has marble properties. I have shadow storm quartzite and it chips like crazy!!! Each stone is different when it comes to its properties you need to test a piece of your stone prior to purchase. Look on YouTube! Mine does not etch but I also paid a lot of money for a lifetime sealer. It was a mistake using this stone in an active kitchen. I would go with quartz next time there are some beautiful marble like quartz counters now!

    • Yogita R
      5 years ago
      Our fabricator warned us for Super White quartzite. He said SWQ is only for people who don’t cook and use kitchen to showoff or to resale house. SWQ looks good, but not meant for kitchen daily use. Now, we’re stuck with either go with granite or quartz. Personally, I don’t like quartz. Granite don’t have much choices in white colour. In quartz, some what like the Viatera Karis. Anyone, who can tell us, how is LG Viatera ?
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      5 years ago

      180mik,,,Super White is a dolomite. some slabs act like a hard quartzite, and do not etch or stain. I have it and mine has held up beautifully.

      if you want a white granite, look at Princess White or Shadow Storm

    • Yogita R
      5 years ago
      Thanks Beth. They both look nice, where I can look at actual slab.
    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      5 years ago

      go to a stone yard (A company/seller of large slabs of natural stone, not a yard that carries bricks/stone for building materials) in your area. try and go to one of the larger yards since they will carry more of a selection. visit multiple yards for variation.

      they'll have slabs lined up and may even have pre-fab countertops (the smaller, pre-cut pieces)

    • Rachel Nye
      5 years ago

      We had mystery gold quartzite installed..So far super durable (red wine left overnight and kids hitting barstools on it) and no problems.

    • businesswomen440
      5 years ago
      I want to give some feedback after almost four years with Super White in my elderly mother’s kitchen, and in my daughter’s kitchen for about three years now.

      After some initial worries, my daughter who has two small children says “No worries. It’s kinda indestructible”. She and her husband are avid cooks and the counters get a lot of use. They don’t baby the counters but they do try to wipe things up as they go. So far no etching or issues. Same for my elderly mothers counters....and she doesn’t see that well to wipe up spills anyway.

      Here is my daughter’s kitchen:

      I would say that based on this experience , Super White is an excellent choice for those who want a marble look without the worry.
    • PRO
      D Old Granite LLC
      5 years ago

      great feedback businesswomen440

    • User
      5 years ago

      I'm late to the party, but is the super white quartzite acceptable for kitchens? I'm looking for something similar. Everything I love (white with veins is marble and is a no by my husband) I love the super white, and i love anything that looks carrara inspired. My kitchen is all white so the countertops can have some movement. Any suggestions? Also, any suggestions as far as where to look for stones in NJ?

    • Rachel Nye
      5 years ago
      Leana we have Mystery White Quartzite and it's been amazing. Even with small kids (egg coloring....markers...juice). We seal it every so often (it's due) but so far so good. Even red wine left over night removed with magic eraser.
    • PRO
      Cambria
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      Hello Leana Giannios, Cambria is made of natural quartz. It is stain-resistant and nonabsorbent. Quartzite requires sealing while Cambria is low-maintenance for life. We have a number of stunning designs in our Marble Collection and our dealers can be found by visiting our dealer locator. Hope this helps!

      Featured below: Cambria Brittanicca

      Cozy and Modern Mountain Home · More Info


    • Rachel Nye
      5 years ago
      Cambria I tried every piece of marble look you have. We have actual marble floors and the fakeness of the material was very sad. The veining seems very artificial and like spider veins. Also you should tell the person what else is mixed with the quartz.... (plastics). For your prices a natural stone is the better choice. Otherwise felt like good old formica would have worked if not wanting a natural stone.
    • PRO
      Cambria
      5 years ago

      Rachel Nye, we're sorry you were unable to find a design for you space. Cambria is made of natural quartz, pigment, and a binder, which is what makes our surfaces nonabsorbent. Cambria uses a Declare® label, which discloses a variety of details about our product. We are also listed as Health Product Declaration (HPD) v2.1 in the Public Repository. Unlike like other stone surfaces, we are NSF 51 certified safe for use as a food preparation surface. That's the same certification as stainless steel, there is no safer countertop for food preparation.

    • Patsy Cline
      4 years ago

      Kim DiSpirito, What was the "lifetime sealer" you used on your Shadow Storm?

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      businesswomen440 do you know where your daughter bought her Super White? There are so many review that say it etches and watermarks, etc. show on it. Did she do anything special to seal it?

    • businesswomen440
      4 years ago

      In response to Diane S:

      We purchased our Super White Select at Granite and Marble Supply of Illinois for one project and Terrazzo and Marble supply for the other.

      In both cases, the stone has performed extremely well. I might add, it both cases it was polished and not honed. Hope this helps.

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      Thank you businesswomen440! I have a Super White sample that I am testing. I cleaned it, sealed it, and let it cure for two days. I'm going to test it for etching and staining with vinegar, red wine and a lemon. I plan to let them sit overnight and see what happens. I've been to several distributors here in Boston and one distributor told Super White is a dolomite and that it's stronger than marble and the other distributor told me that it's closer to a marble and they've had complaints of etching and staining. As much as I love it, I don't want to end up regretting putting it in my kitchen...this is the last remodel for me. My bathroom is all marble and I have to say, I would not do it again. Thanks again for your input!

    • businesswomen440
      4 years ago

      To Diane S.

      I have marble in my kitchen, and I agree, it’s not for the faint-hearted. I ended up putting a superior grade of plate glass over my island. That eliminated the anxiety over etching the marble. And people comment how gorgeous it is. But I needed the glass...I would never put marble on the counters again if I had a choice. Mine etches within seconds, not minutes. I wish I had put the gorgeous stone on my backsplashes not the counters.

      As far as the Super White, no question, it is a Dolomite. It will not perform like granite or true quartzite, where you can leave lemon juice or alcohol on it overnight without harm. But it is definitely not as sensitive as marble. For both my elderly mother and my daughter with two young children, Super White has performed beautifully. They don’t have to worry about little spills.....it would take a long time for it to etch.....but they do wipe up after mealtime.

      It is quite likely that the Super White will etch overnight if you leave acidic liquids on it. I guess the bottom line is this: If you are looking for an absolute indestructible stone with a guarantee against etching, then you are going to have to choose a natural quartzite, granite or engineered quartzite. It won’t have the veining of marble or Super White, but you can sleep well at night knowing you can wipe off any spills in the morning without issue.

    • lorine1
      4 years ago

      Have had my super white quartzite for 3 years on kitchen counter. Lots of little scratches everywhere and we are very careful (no kids too). Bottom line it etches and scratches. Example; went shopping, unloaded grocery, places fresh tomato on counter for few hours and now large etch mark. Normally I know better, was thinking it was fresh etc,. hindsight; I should have gone with white carrara marble, it was a much better price, looks fabulous and wears the same.
      I was told this stone (super white) wears almost as well as granite, that's not true. I have carrara in all my bathrooms counters and on floors. It wears the same marble.
      Homeowners hope this helps,
      Lorine

    • Lydia Persky
      4 years ago


      I think it might depend on the particular slab you get and the composition of your slab. We purchased our slab in Dallas and I believe it came from Brazil. I'm not sure if that makes a difference (assuming they are not the only country that export it but don't know). I was really nervous about going with Super White after doing research online and hearing stories of it scratching, staining and etching. But I'm so glad we did because we've had no problems with ours at all and we've had our countertops for 2 years now. No scratches, chips or etches. Every stain, even left on for days comes right up and I haven't even sealed them yet. We use our kitchen alot and cook almost every day. My husband and I drink alot of tea and coffee and so we are regularly wiping up tea and coffee marks and they never leave a trace after I wipe them up with water or marble cleaner.

    • Tara Simpson
      4 years ago

      Lydia Persky,

      where in Dallas did you get your slab? I am currently looking. Thanks!

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      I'm looking for recommendations for a very reputable fabricator in the Boston area. Given what I've read, for me to consider Super White Quartzite countertops, it’s important to find a reputable fabricator who will be honest about the quality of their slabs before I invest in Super White countertops. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      Also, any thoughts on Fantasy Brown? Is it more durable than Super White?

    • Erika
      4 years ago

      Diane, I'm in Boston area too and love the Super White or Wicked White but I'm nervous with the etching. I have been to 4 different wholesalers but not sure which one to go with.

    • PRO
      Len NW 7a
      4 years ago

      Greetings Diane and others,


      I have had 2 negative experiences with Quartzite and discourage clients from using it now.


      In one case the moisture from the dishwasher (or perhaps the heat we will never know) turned the stone a dark mottled muddy color. No amount of polishing would change it, it was in the stone.


      The issue on the other project was visual...there were cracks and visual "flaws" in the product that were not structural but annoyed client. The cracks did not show when we looked at product in fabricator's yard.


      Talking to other people here in the Seattle area these are not isolated incidents. My advice is if you have to have white counters in a kitchen stick to man made materials.

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      Hi Erika,

      I have not made a decision as of yet on which wholesaler to go with. As much as I love the Super White, I am leaning toward going with quartz. I have found a few that I like from different companies, MSI, Caesarstone, and Silestone. Good luck with your search!

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      Len NW 7a, thank your for your feedback. I am definitely leaning toward quartz as I mentioned above I have found a few that I like from MSI, Caesarstone, and Silestone.

      I do love the natural stones but I do not want to deal with the disappointment should something happen. The fabricators I spoke with say that they would go with natural stone and that you just have to make sure you wipe things up and don't leave spills overnight however I do not live alone and cannot be sure that someone else won't leave wine or lemon, etc., on the counter over night. If there was light colored granite that I could find, I would consider going with that. So far, I have not found one that I really like.

    • Paru
      4 years ago

      I have white macaubas .It is quartzite .It has been 3 years and it has held up well. I do not baby it. It looks beautiful.

    • PRO
      Warestone LLC.
      4 years ago


      Our company has been fabricating quartzite and marble for 15+ years. Every stone is different. Even Super White, which we classify as a quartzite/dolomitic marble combo, is going to change from bundle to bundle. Sometimes it's harder and sometimes it's softer, but if the stone contains calcite which all marbles do, it'll etch and it'll scratch.


      Paru, we also work with Macaubus. Every time it comes through out shop, our team complains about the hardness of the stone because it tears our tools up so quickly. In my experience, it's a true quartzite which will hold up a lot better than Super White and most other natural stones.


      As for being a fabricator, we always share positive and negative experiences w/ our clients when it comes to each material/color that they choose. If it's a color that our shop or previous clients have had issues with in the past, we pass that info on. When we have non-stock material coming in from outside suppliers, we have to work with what comes in. Clients sometimes forget that we're fabricating the stone, and that we have no connection to the source of the stone or how the stone was created. The best we can do before we cut into it is inspect it and point out any areas of concern.


      To sum it up and hopefully help when it comes to natural stone, this is coming from an experienced fabricator and this is what I have to say:


      If your looking for a headache free, durable, natural countertop material, choose granite. It's so heat and scratch resistant, easy to repair if by chance it's chipped or stained, and a properly sealed granite top will require little to no maintenance down the road. Yes, there are hundreds of granite colors and every color has different mineral composition and characteristics, but to be categorized as a granite, it contains mostly quartz and feldspar. which means it's really hard. If you're concerned about chips, pick a granite that has a low mica content.


      If you're looking for color consistency and you don't mind the manufactured look, choose quartz. It's impact resistance is excellent and the resin used in quartz makes this surface nearly non-porous. They're also making sealers now specifically for quartz. I know, I know. The quartz companies have been telling you for years and it doesn't require seal treatment, right? It probably still doesn't, but better to be safe than sorry, right?


      If you have money and love the natural beauty of a true quartzite, do it. Installed, it may be the most durable of natural materials. Oh, and I'll mention it again- it's beautiful. Remember that bar top you've always wanted to do under lighting with? It's expensive though, and your fabricator may charge you a little extra to replace some of the damaged tooling.


      If you love the beauty of marble (including Super White, and my favorite- Fantasy Brown) and you don't mind the top showing some wear-and-tear, then choose marble. It's not durable and we tell our clients that, but that's okay with some people. I have good friends that did Carrara Marble for their kitchen island in their brand new home. They did the perimeter in a dark grey quartz and had the island honed (flat finish) to help against hiding etches. By doing only the island in marble, they'd created a beautiful focal point in their kitchen, but still had a contrasting quartz perimeter for food prep traffic, and what not, and in ten years if the island is beat to hell, they can just replace the island and not the whole kitchen.


      Please feel free to message me with any questions about materials and colors and I'll be happy to share our company's past experiences with those colors.

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      Warestone LLC., I love fantasy brown as well as super white however I had pretty much decided that I was not going to go that route and then I was watching a couple of videos online regarding countertops, one from this old house and they said that if the fabricator seals the product correctly it should hold up and that they are making great sealants now...it got me thinking again but practically speaking, I will most likely stay away from them.


      The problem with Granite is, I have yet to find a color that I like. You mention quartzite however I thought that quartzite did not hold up either, that it is the same as super white and fantasy brown, is that not the case? Or is there a quartzite that is stronger that you can recommend?


      Thank you for your input!

    • PRO
      Warestone LLC.
      4 years ago

      No problem! Happy to help! Yeah, I'm a marble lover. I have remnants of Fantasy Brown marble, (3" thick) Carrara White marble, and brushed Super White set aside for our next home. All are going in low traffic areas/bathrooms.


      Sealing marble correctly will help against stains, but not scratching or etching. Etching is caused by something acidic based eating away at the calcite in the stone. When you have something acidic spill onto a polished marble surface, it eats away at the first area of calcite that it's exposed to- your polished surface. A lot of homeowners confuse etches for stains. When it comes to repairs, in most cases stains are actually easier to deal w/ than etches.


      Granite and marble usually look nothing alike, so I can see how finding the right granite could be difficult. If you like the Fantasy Brown, check out a color called Monte Cristo. It's 'flowey' and has similar colors as Fantasy Brown. I'll see if I can post a picture of it before I leave the store today.


      A true quartzite would be ideal for a kitchen in most cases. Please remember that I had mentioned that we don't see Super White as a quartzite, we categorize it as a dolomitic marble and so do our local suppliers (now). A true quartzite should contain little to zero calcite. Fantasy Brown has always been a marble. I've read the arguments online that it's granite and/or quartzite, but we work with it all the time. Most of it has quartzite mixed in it's composition, but it's still calcite based making it a marble.

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      Warestone LLC.I will check out the Monte Cristo granite. Also, how do you know if you are getting a true quartzite? And what are the names/colors that you would recommend for me to look at? Thanks so much for your quick response.

    • PRO
      Warestone LLC.
      4 years ago

      This is a sample of Fantasy Brown on top of a Monte Cristo Island. Similar, but different. definitely beautiful. Definitely more durable.


    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      Awesome! Thank you so much!! I will see if I can find a slab/sample here in Boston.

    • Diane Sacchetti
      4 years ago

      So to clarify, the Monte Cristo is more durable than the fantasy brown? Fantasy brown etches like super white correct?

    • PRO
      Warestone LLC.
      4 years ago

      Yep. All of the Fantasy Brown that's ever come through our store etches. You're welcome! Good luck w/ your project! -Chris

    • ruth kagan
      3 years ago

      I was told white super is the name of my quartzite. Have you heard of this?

    • lorine1
      3 years ago

      I have super white quartzite in my kitchen. It will be 5 years in May 2021. It is just my husband and I, we consider ourselves very careful. It has small scuffs and etches everywhere 😕. Example; scratches will happen if cutting food in a plate, the bottom of plate will scratch stone surface. I feel like some of the different varieties of my white marble that I have in the house wear way better. Marble was cheaper too 🤔 Get a sample and see how easy it scuffs. I wouldn't make the same choice again for sure. But I was told it wears better than marble more like granite. That isn't accurate in my experience. I

    • Christopher Ware
      3 years ago

      Super White is a dolomitic marble. My experience has been, the more gray it is, the more scratch resident it is.

    • Christopher Ware
      3 years ago

      *resistant.

    • PRO
      Beth H. :
      3 years ago

      lorine, surprised that yours is like that. I've had my super white on this vanity for over 3 years and have had no etching or staining. I know it's not a kitchen, but with bathroom products, it still has a high exposure to a lot of things.


    • lorine1
      3 years ago

      Hi Beth, I guess there must be different grades. Your bathroom counter photo looks much darker than my counter. I would presume the darker the denser it might be (as one previous commentor said). Also my counter has the mesh backing, I wonder if that is standard for super white? Beautiful bathroom by the way.👏

    • Michelle K
      3 years ago

      @dianesacchetti did you find a fabricator/stone yard in the boston area?

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