I am not going to lie….the limestone experiment rattled me a little. With two small children and a lifestyle that dictates our kitchen will be used frequently for cooking and entertaining….I cannot have a showpiece of a kitchen that falls short in terms of function and durability. I am designing this home as if we will be here a long while, but really I cannot guarantee this….so I am mindful of what my decisions might mean in terms of resale value. I called our realtor who is now a friend and she advised to keep the surfaces natural (e.g. no synthetic or man-made).
So, while I had a dream of the look of limestone on the perimeter and honed marble on the island….I found myself doubting whether or not I could even live with the maintenance of the marble. With that in mind, our builder and I headed back out to the stone yards last week. First, I stopped by her house to see her countertops and fell in love.
This particular stone is a quartzite which performs like a granite in terms of durability but has a look more like marble than granite (at least the particular quartzite I was looking for.) It seems to be called many things but in the yards we went to it is going by the name Bianco Macabus. Wouldn’t you know there is no stock nearby…..but some is due into port in Houston in the next week or so…..we’ve put it on hold for when it arrives. One thing I really love is how it can transition well between traditional and more contemporary spaces.
viaMy husband initially seemed a little frustrated with me that I couldn’t fall in love with a stone in the budget. So, I took him to take a look at the kitchen….and he was immediately sold. I also took an unsealed piece that our builder had left over from a project and did my oil/lemon/wine test and it performed well. The red wine did initially stain it but after leaving a cloth soaked in acetone on it for a while it was nowhere to be seen. And this was on an unsealed piece so I am more than confident that it will perform well for us.
Another big decision made, Yay!
5 Comments
The quartzite is really pretty! and I like the look of it as a backsplash behind the stove.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:29 amIt is gorgeous,AND I didn’ t know it had these properties! Janell
September 12th, 2011 at 8:49 amTHANK you for this post! Six years ago I ordered Vermont slate for my kitchen with yellow cabinets. Great except that the piece that arrived was green not grey. Pretty, except my cabinets were green – echh! I nearly cried but budget was budget so we installed them on the caveat to my husband that if I didn’t like them in 5 years I was going to switch it out for something prettier – it’s time but I couldn’t find a stone that would hold up – this Bianco Macabus is it! Thanks!
September 12th, 2011 at 11:11 amThis is very pretty and subtle. I think it will work with many colors if you decide to change your cabinet color.
We had a similar issue as Kim with slate for flooring in our mudroom. i was fine with the colors from magazine, brochures, and samples, but at the yards, most was green and gold. Not my colors and I don’t like the splotchy look – very unsettling to me. I told my husband I’d burst into tears every morning I had to get up and look at it. We chose small white hex tile with a black border and I love it.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:33 pmthat stone is beautiful – i’ve never seen it before but it’s now on my list for when we get to redo our kitchen!
September 12th, 2011 at 3:01 pm