Quartzite countertops in New Jersey — natural stone, harder than marble, one of a kind

What quartzite is — and is not

True quartzite is sandstone that was heated and compressed until the quartz grains fused: a dense, hard stone, usually white, grey, beige or soft brown, with veining that runs through it rather than sitting on top. It takes a polished or honed finish, holds a mitred waterfall edge, and shrugs off knives and lemon juice that would mark marble. It is porous enough to need sealing — once or twice a year — and some stones sold as "soft quartzite" are closer to marble, which is why we show you the slab, tell you which family it belongs to and test it with water before you buy.

The quartzites we sell most

• Taj Mahal — warm white and cream with soft gold veining; the stone in the Desert Oak kitchen's full-height backsplash. The most-requested quartzite in New Jersey.
• Fantasy Brown — a grey-brown-white swirl, technically a dolomitic marble sold as quartzite; dramatic, affordable, needs sealing.
• Super White and Calacatta-type quartzites — grey-and-white veining closest to marble.
• Grey and green quartzites — Sea Pearl, Cristallo and the like for islands and bars.

Quartzite kitchens we have installed

The Livingston kitchen has a quartzite waterfall island under Luna Dove and Timber; the Desert Oak kitchen runs a Taj Mahal-style slab up the range wall as one piece with floating oak shelves either side; the Chatham flush-inset kitchen has a quartzite backsplash behind the range. Each page names the stone.

Waterfall islands and slab backsplashes

Quartzite is the material that makes a waterfall worth doing: the veining turns the corner and runs down the end panel, book-matched where the slab allows. A full-height slab backsplash cut from the same block is the other move — no grout, one piece of stone from counter to hood. Both are quoted as lines on the estimate; we template after the cabinets are set and install about two weeks later. See the material comparison for how quartzite stacks up.