Cross Creek Ranch, Cross Creek West and Jordan Ranch are master-planned communities in Fulshear. A kitchen built there in the 2010s or 2020s may have an island long enough that its top needs either a seam or a jumbo slab to come out in one piece.
What quartzite is and how it performs
Quartzite is natural metamorphic stone: quartz sandstone fused by heat and pressure. It is harder than granite, handles normal pan heat and resists scratching, and it carries veining that reads like marble. It needs a sealer, which we apply at install. One caution comes with the name. Some stones sold as quartzite, Fantasy Brown and Super White among them, are dolomitic marble and etch from lemon, vinegar and wine, so it pays to know which kind a slab is before you buy it.
Quartzite next to granite and quartz
Next to granite, quartzite is harder and costs more, and it looks like marble where granite looks like granite. Both take heat. Next to quartz, quartzite is natural stone whose veins never repeat, and it takes heat and sun. Next to marble, true quartzite resists the etching and scratching that give marble its patina.
Where quartzite fits
Quartzite works on an island, a perimeter, a vanity, a fireplace surround and outside. It takes sun and rain on a patio where quartz cannot go. Islands show it off, since long veins need a large surface. Kitchens use 3 cm stone, and an overhang deeper than 10 inches needs support brackets.
Sinks and cutouts in quartzite
Quartzite takes undermount, drop-in, farmhouse and vessel sinks, and an undermount sink shows off the polished cut edge. The sink and cooktop openings are cut in our shop from the template. On a veined slab, we plan the openings so the strongest veins run clear of them where the layout allows.
Seams and edges in quartzite
Seams in quartzite take the most planning, because the veins run long. Where the layout allows, we put the seam at the sink or the cooktop, or along a vein where it hides best, and fill it with epoxy tinted to the stone. You see the seam plan at template, before anything is cut, and we cut the joints tight in our shop. Any of our ten edge profiles can go on quartzite, and the mitered edge is the one that shows off the veins.
Caring for quartzite
Quartzite care is close to granite care. Clean with warm water and a pH-neutral soap, wipe spills before they sit and reseal when a few drops of water darken the stone. Denser slabs need resealing less often than porous ones. If your slab is one of the dolomitic kind, treat acids as you would on marble and wipe lemon and wine quickly.
How a quartzite job runs
A quartzite job starts with a free estimate at the house, where we check the cabinets, look at the sink and the cooktop and bring samples. Quartzite is picked slab by slab at any stone yard: a photo of the slab tag tells us which one, and the slab is confirmed at template. Once the cabinets are set and level, our templater records the room with a digital template, and someone should be home to settle the seams and the overhangs. In our shop, we cut the quartzite to that template, polish the edges and cut the sink and cooktop openings. On install day, the crew removes the old tops and hauls them away, sets the quartzite, fills the seams and sets the sink, with the faucet holes drilled on site at install.
Where we work and how to start
Beyond Fulshear, our quartzite work reaches Brookshire, Katy and Cinco Ranch, and if quartzite is not the fit, we cut granite and quartz too.
If quartzite feels right for your kitchen in Fulshear, the next step is the free estimate. Use the form below or call us.