SFA: What's the Answer?
White Lux Quartzite Patchy
PGAG
I am a homeowner, just came across your website as I was researching 'stain' marks on our honed white lux quartzite backsplash just installed yesterday. They looked terrible! Don't know if they are water stains, silicon bleed or some other issues from the many posts I read here. Please help!! Fabricator and project manager insists that its 'the nature of stone' though the other 2 install (kitchen island and kitchen countertop) with the same stone he did did not have this issue. If there are any expert restorers near Palm Beach Gardens, FL, please send me your contacts. We are desperately needing help so we can finish our home. I am sending this website to the fabricator, installer and project manager. They need to learn from the Pros! Thanks.
Dave.Scott SFA Member
With the exponential demand for the "marble look" and the market's aversion to perceived problems with marble, many organizations have rushed to the market with many new "quartzites." My best guess is that the material you have is not a fully recrystallized quartzite, it is actually more like sandstone and is very porous in comparison to true quartzites like Taj Mahal or Macaubas. My guess is that what I see here is water that was trapped in the stone during wet cutting. It looks like the darker areas are by seams and the water is migrating back towards the cut edge via capillary action due to evaporation out of the edge. I'd give it some time and hopefully, it will dry out, maybe hit it with a heat gun to help speed the drying process. One question I have is: Has the stone been sealed? If it has, it will slow the drying, but, because of the porosity of the material it will dry out, just might take some time. David Scott Architectural Stone of Montana Slabworks of Montana Bozeman, Montana 406-522-9001 "What we leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, what is woven into the lives of others" - Pericles
PGAG
Thank you for taking the time to review and reply. It will be very disappointing to find out that White Lux is not a quality quartzite from Brazil. Fabricator mentioned they tried to use acid to remove the shine to hone the slab but it didn’t work as the stone was too hard so they had to use a machine and took more than 3 weeks. They said slab was dried for 2-3 days before they are sealed. I am still waiting for their response to remedy the situation.
Dave.Scott SFA Member
Did you buy the slabs from a distributor or did the fabricator provide the slabs? Only calcite containing stones (marble, limestone, travertine) will react with acid, sandstone and quartzite will not. The only remedy for this situation may be time. imho
PGAG
We bought our quartzite from a major stone distributor here in Florida. Installer came to remove backsplash finally to see what they can do back at fabricator’s shop. But they don’t know yet what they will do.
Alex DiPetro SFA Member
That material is exactly as Dave described. We tried to cut it once and had the same result. Moral of the story, the "whiter" the quartzite, the more problematic it is. My shop won't touch that material any more.
PGAG
Hi Alex sorry to hear that you had difficulty with white quartzite too. White quartzite is in every stoneyard that we visited with many different fancy names. If it’s so problematic to fabricate, how do we get this ‘buyers beware’ information out or instructions from experienced fabricators on how to fabricate it right. We bought 3 slabs and have now wasted 1.5 slabs with no solution to fix the problem and a stalled reno project.
Dave.Scott SFA Member
You do not have quartzite; it is sandstone. If the seller is not willing to guarantee that it is indeed a fully recrystallized silica then walk. Sorry, I don't know how else to tell you. I have been on a warpath lately with salespeople not knowing what they are representing, flat-out they are lying to get into your pocketbook. Many of the fabricators as well do not know; I was one until I searched out the information. If it is not Taj Mahal or Giallo Macaubas, make them prove to you that their product is quartzite -- not just that it contains quartz. When a piece is broken off of a true quartzite the break runs through the crystal not along the edge of the crystals. Better yet get a geologist to assure you that the material is.
PGAG
Thank you Dave. Guess the only way to find out is to call Omicron Granite & Tile and see what they say. Do you have any advice in terms of care for the island and countertop that has been installed. Is there a specific sealant that should be used? Thanks!