Goooooood morning sunshine and happy Wednesday! OK, so today’s post is LOOOONG overdue. Like, I meant to post this four months ago kinda overdue. I know, I’m so bad. And to be honest, it’s actually one I’ve been wanting to write since finishing our kitchen makeover back in OCTOBER, but it just kept getting pushed off and pushed off. But today is finally the day my friends! I’m here to share an honest review of our white quartz countertops. I thought this might be useful for any of you that are planning out a kitchen makeover or looking to upgrade to some new shiny countertops. I’m chatting about the good AND the bad, as well as a few general thoughts on our countertops now that we’ve been living with them for over six months. Ok, so just for kicks how about we start with a before photo of our kitchen?
And how it looks now:
Quite the difference, right?! (These are quartz tops in Arctic White) I still can’t get over how different our kitchen looks now from when we moved in three years ago. It’s so much brighter, plus it has a cozy cottage vibe that I love.
THE GOOD
- This is the first time we’ve ever had quartz countertops. And I have to say, they are SO nice. They’re low maintenance, which I love, and very durable. When we were shopping around for different tops, I kept coming back to quartz because they are so easy and hassle free. Unlike granite, quartz is non-porous and it doesn’t need to be sealed, which is a big WIN in my book.
- It’s also scratch resistant, stain and heat resistant too–which is AWESOME. I still use a cutting board, just because it’s easier, but it’s nice knowing how durable they are. It’s held up great so far and we’ve had no issues at all.
- Another reason we went with quartz is because at the time I wanted white countertops with very minimal veins and no crystals or speckles at all. I basically wanted a solid pattern. But since granite is a natural stone that was almost impossible to find, even though the company we went with had tons of granite options. I honestly just didn’t love any of the granite tops I saw. So I kept coming back to the quartz because I loved the simple and clean look of the Arctic White.
- They truly are stain resistant. I’ve spilled just about everything on these tops (including lots of coffee!) and they do not stain at all, even though they are white.
- Immediately after our white countertops were installed, I felt like the kitchen looked 10 times bigger. I wasn’t really expecting that, but the white definitely made the whole space feel brighter and fresh.
THE BAD
- The bad thing about these white tops is they do show every little mark. I remember the third day we had them someone slid our crockpot across the counter and it left a large black mark. It wasn’t scratched, but the black mark would NOT come off no matter what I tried. I finally had to use a Magic Erasers to remove it.
- Aside from marks on top of the counters, I’ve also noticed dark marks on the front of the tops as well–they almost look like little pencil markings. It’s not super obvious, but it definitely bugs me. And again, the only thing that will remove it is a Magic Eraser. I don’t know if this is common with other quartz tops, but I’ve been surprised to see how easily marks are left on ours.
Overall I love my white quartz countertops. And of all the renovations and projects we’ve done in our home over these past three years, choosing to invest in our kitchen countertops was one of the best decisions we’ve made. They’ve not only completely transformed our kitchen, but they are SO darn easy and they really do require very little maintenance. I simply clean them with hot soapy water most of the time. My one and only regret is that I didn’t go with a shade of white that had a teeny bit more dimension to it. Given how easily these tops show any little mark, I think getting something with even a few veins may have helped disguise those marks a bit more, but maybe not. Either way, I love the simplicity of the white and I think it suits are kitchen well.
Well that’s it for my review! Please let me know if you have any questions or if you’d like to know more about something I didn’t cover. I’d love to chat!
More posts you might want to wander over to:
Farmhouse Master Bathroom Reveal
They look so pretty and really do completely transform your kitchen! Since I’m local do you mind sharing where you got yours from? We plan to do ours this fall and I can’t wait! 😊
Hi Sarah,
Did you paint back your kitchen cupboards.
I’m thinking of having mine repainted since I’m getting new quartz countertops. I’m getting Calcatta Gold. What colour should my cabinets be painted? I was thinking of a beige or cream. I love the colour of your cabinets with the white quartz. Please advise. My kitchen is really small.
In the stone industry for 20 years.
Msg me if u have any questions or just need advice.if u doing a new kitchen or just renovating . I do kitchen designing using 3ds designs with that extra modern touch.
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I like them alot! I wouldn’t have thought to go pure white but seeing them with the rest of kitchen they are beautiful! I think there are pro and cons to every type of material for counters. I love yours! Have a great day Sarah! xoxo
Are your cabinets antique white? I like the contrast with the white countertops and whatever color your cabinets are with the black handles.
If you wouldn’t mind me asking, how is the price of quartz compared to granite? My friend recently had granite countertops installed and they were pretty pricey. I love yours. I enjoyed your post. Have a great day.
Hey Becky, I would say it varies. When shopping for quartz, you will quickly notice large price deviations between the seemingly similar products. Quartz countertop costs are driven by many factors, with the largest being the manufacturer. Manufacturers use different techniques when producing quartz slabs, and this factor alone is enough to drive the prices higher. Check out this article I found that explains the different kinds of Quartz and how they price
https://marble.com/articles/guide-to-understanding-quartz-countertop-costs
I did quartz countertops in a white carerra marble look and I love them. Very easy to clean…I use a tiny bit of soft scrub with water when a stain is a bit more diffcult to clean and it comes right off!
I also have a ceramic farmhouse sink like your which I also love…any tips for keeping this from scratching and chipping over time?
Thanks Sarah…truly enjoy your posts.
Agree completely with your assessment of the Quartz countertops. I’ve had mine for about three years now and wouldn’t have anything else. I chose white with a grey vein to achieve the marble look. I had real marble in a previous home it is a nightmare. Also have Quartz in two bathrooms and they don’t stain with constant water mess. Love your posts Sarah.
I really like the quartz countertops, but was wondering are you happy with the wainscoting or do you wish you would of gone with a tile for a backsplash? I’m needing to do a backsplash and wasn’t sure which one I should do. Thanks for all your great post, always look forward to them.
I should do a review on that too actually! I have been REALLY impressed at how well they’ve held up. Even right behind the sink. There is no water damage or issues at all. It was a great, inexpensive alternative to tile backsplash which wasn’t in our budget at the time. And even though I love it, I do hope we can do real tile backsplash one day. I’d love to do subway tile!
I have the bead board backsplash too, and love it. I used exterior white paint on mine just to give it more durability, since homes get rained on all the time and exterior paint is made to stand up to it. I love your creamy cabinets with the white counters. As someone else said, Soft Scrub should work in marks. You could also contact your manufacturer (Cambria, LG, Cesarstone, Zodiaq, Silostone, etc) for cleaning instructions on their product, they test everything. Quartz is simple, and low maintenance for sure. It’s a cute kitchen, pristine and bright!
I get what you mean about the black marks. My recently remodeled kitchen has white quartz with “marble” veins that are somewhat muted gray. The design is subtle. (Some other designs had really big, bold, dark and busy black veins.) Mine still hides the light black marks that a stainless steel pot can leave because the marks blend in, but isn’t bossy looking with my white cabinets and white subway tile backsplash. I love mine and couldn’t be happier with how they look!
I found the marks on the edge of my Buttermilk quartz counters were the result of my husbands belt buckle rubbing against them. He tries to be more careful but it does come off with the magic eraser. Your kitchen looks great!
Yep, that’s what ours are from too. They look like pencil markings!
Glad you discovered the magic erasers for removing the black marks. I get marks like that on my white dishes, most likely marks from silverware scraping it when eating. Magic erasers work wonderfully, and as far as I know are non-toxic. Of course, I still wash the dishes after I use the erasers. I used to clean for a lady whose tub had marks on it from her kids tub toys, and she hadn’t had any luck removing them. I tried a magic eraser and it removed them! Great for marks on white baseboards, door and window trim, and tea and coffee stains in mugs.
Those little magic erasers really are superhero! I keep a box of them under our sink and ready to go at all times!!
hi ,I love my white quartz countertops also and just wanted to say I use a tiny bit of ceramic cooktop cleaner to remove black mars or smudges .. just thought I’d pass that along.. I really enjoy the blog!
Oh awesome, thanks for sharing Elizabeth!
Where did you get your coffee mug holder from ?
It’s an old one my mom gave me, but this one here is very similar! https://rstyle.me/n/c68avgb6hgf
I personally think that the kitchen looked better before all the white. The cabinets blended better with the backsplash and the counter top. Now the cabinets look like they are kinda yellowed from age. I know it is the paint color and I’m sorry. I just thought the backsplash you had and the counter tops look nice and blended well. I’m glad you like your new kitchen. I’m just watching from the sidelines and I personally think that all this hoopla about white and painting cabinets and white counter tops is going to come to an end and a lot of people are going to be sorry they went there. I have a white counter top and have had it since we built our house 21 years ago and it shows everything that lands on it. It isn’t hard to clean but white shows EVERYTHING. I also have white tile on the floor that was installed 21 years ago and I’ll be glad when all the white in my kitchen is GONE!!! I want something warmer!!
I can appreciate that feedback Anita. The cabinets actually don’t look so yellow in real life, but in photos they do come across as more yellow. They’re definitely a cream color in person. But I love it and I’m happy with how it looks. Thanks for stopping in!
I disagree. I think the before kitchen looks dated. Very 90’s. Looks so good now!
I don’t like the white with the cream cabinets. To my eye, the look is jarring not complimentary.
What is that big black thing sitting next to your sink. Unfamiliar with this but then again I do live in Tasmania lol. Xx
It’s just a chalkboard!
I’m a kitchen designer, and am glad to hear your reviews. Instead of a magic eraser however, try using Kenny’s Silestone Spot Remover. It’s formulated specifically for quartz and works great. And yes, I can attest to quartz’ durability. When Silestone first became popular 10 years ago and the white tops needed to be put to the test. We literally put hot burning coals from a wood fireplace on a white sample, and no mark!! We felt confident recommending the product to our clients for hearth stones too!
Your kitchen is beautiful! I love how bright and airy it looks. The countertop color with the cabinet color is PERFECTION!
Thank you Jenny! xoxo
Your kitchen is beautiful! We gutted and remodeled our very small 1962 kitchen last summer and I am so glad we chose quartz countertops. Mine are white with shades of gray and a tiny bit of black grain. I love them with the white matte subway tile and light gray grout. The cabinets are white shaker with bronze hardware,and the floor is dark engineered hardwood. The white cabinetry, along with the stainless appliances, bring much needed light.
Two weeks after the contractor left, we found a small chip in one of the counters. The counter guy came back, put a dab of superglue in the chip, scraped the excess with a razor blade, and I honestly cannot find any sign of the chip! I have never regretted the choice. Enjoy your kitchen!
Use barkeepers friend. Brilliant at getting black marks off of anything like this and china.
In the second last paragraph, last line, you wrote, they suit are kitchen, it should be “our” kitchen.
Hey, Sarah!
Love your remodel!! You have a great taste!
I’m about to install pure white quartz in he kitchen.
Designer tried to convince me that quartz c speckles or veining is better choice.
please, elaborate more on what would you’d rather install. I love your counters, but now have almost a panic attacks – thinking that its a wrong choice.
I looked at cloud white quartz, but love the pure white.
My husband says, that it will be boring. I’m worried about every crumb/ spots multiply due to it been so white.. but speckled counters look dated to me..
Can you be so kind to reply ?
Beautiful transformation! May I ask, since you have a large window in kitchen as I do, have you noticed the areas of your countertop that get daily, direct sunlight exposure turning yellow? It’s the one thing that is giving me pause to use quartz. Thank you!
I had Blanco Zeus installed 10 years ago, and it started turning cream / yellow soon after. Wish I had known about the UV discoloration before I chose a white surface. Am looking for suitable replacement options now.
Quartz is NOT stain, or scratch resistant. Dont be fooled by a good salesman trying to sell you something just because it’s more expensive than granite. Anyone will tell you whatever they think you want to hear. Quartz is man made with 80% glue, and 20% granite pieces crushed up. And the material that scratches, stains, and discolored from heat and natural light over time is the glue it’s made of.. not the granite pieces. NEVER clean your counters with anything other than soap and water. WHEN you get a mark or stain, call the company who installed it and have them take care of it for free. Dont ruin your finish by scrubbing the deck with a magic eraser. Or softscrub.. bad idea..
I want to thank you. I have beige yellowish weird color cabinets. I chose a white grey veined quartz. There was no matching those cupboards and my large island was black. Too dark. I will repaint but brightening the room was first priority. As I have to budget and must save and have a 2 yr old ,painting is not prudent at this time. But I saw your kitchen and it is lovely just as it is. So beige and white here I go. I nodded to the white mantle on grey stone fireplace.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful designs!! I have also installed a sparkling black countertop in my kitchen with the help of pros at Legacy Marble and Granite, and dust is the main issue I am facing. Even a small amount of dust is very noticeable. Is there any way to overcome this problem? Looking for professional advice. Thanks!!
I adore your kitchen! It’s not exactly all white but close. Do you know the color of your cabinets by chance?
I have white quartz too, and I’m pretty sure the “pencil” looking marks on the edge are from my jeans button closure when I lean on the counter lol
Hi thanks for this post! I am I. The process of deciding on a new countertop type. Do you have to cleanup things like coffee stains or wine immediately to prevent staining? I’m just a little concerned they will stain and as a mom I sometimes don’t get things wiped up immediately. Thanks!
Not so! White quartz does stain. We are renovating our kitchen and I brought some quartz samples home. On one of them, I used a fine point permanent marker to make a small line at one of the top corners as I wanted to see if I could remove it. The marker did stain the quartz and cannot be removed. I want to live in home and not have for show only so, we not going with white counters.
What did you get instead?
Koehler cast iron sink cleaner will take every imaginable mark off of white quartz (and a white farmhouse sink). Give it a try!
I also went with white counter tops , I noticed I got waters stains and impossible to get rid off
I’ll never buy quartz again. it chips on the edges, All I use are plastic plates. I guess they’re too hard for quartz.
I does stain. For the money it cost I’ll never buy quartz again. Oh and just try to get anyone to do anything about the chipping, Its like when you buy a car the sales person tells you if you ever need anything just call, good luck with that, buying a quartz counter is the same good luck no one will stand by what they tell you not even the people that make the quarz.
Waste of money
I just want to say wow on this cozy and beautiful kitchen. Installing pure white quartz in the kitchen is a one of the beautiful transformations. Keep it up!
Hi, I really love the look of these countertops and your kitchen overall!
I’ve been trying to create a very similar look for my kitchen – the closest I could find to your surfaces was these:
https://www.crlquartz.co.uk/collection/polar-white/
Did you get your surfaces from the same supplier (thinking they may have updated the name since you bought yours!)?
Hi,
I am late to the dance here. LOVE your kitchen redo.
Everything I have read about the Quartz says that it is NOT heat resistant, yet you said your quartz countertops are heat resistant. It this a specific type of quartz that can be resistant to heat?
thanks!
Marsha
I love your blog! We are redoing our kitchen right now and we are considering a quartz countertop. I just read that it is a good idea to put something under small appliances, like a coffee maker, toaster, crockpot because of heat. Do you find that to be true. I really don’t want to put anything under my coffee maker and toaster.
Btw- we also installed a farm sink like yours 🙂
Thank you,
Rebecca
Love the makeover! What color are the cabinets and cabinet pulls?
Hi there, Beautiful kitchen!! I really want to use white quartz and looking for a modern Scandinavian design so want a simple calm counter. But, now I am a bit worried that the gray marks won’t come off. I tried to get off my sample with a magic erase without luck. Would you get them again or what else would you get? Thanks.
I love the Antique White of the Kitchen cabinets. We are getting ready to have our cabinets painted. What is the exact color and what brand is it?
Wonderful information about an honest review of our white quartz countertops, thanks a lot for sharing kind of content with us. Your blog gives the best and the most interesting information. I wonder if we can gather such practical information about it, a great post definitely to come across. One must check this https://www.thebenchtopguys.co.nz/ it gives us more info on this topic.
Hello do you still have white quartz countertops? I am very interested in your review this many years later! Thanks, Emma L
We moved from that home, but while we had them I loved them!
Thanks for guiding through the pros and cons of white quartz countertops!
I just had a quartz counter top installed and having abit of buyers remorse (mostly fear). I got the Galant Grey which is sort of a swirly white/gray, very pretty. But now I am worried as I juice every day (carrots etc) and wondering what to use on the countertop to prevent problems (some alternative to wood cutting boards?) and place my juicer on and for other things that might stain. thnx
Hello,
We are in the process of renovating our kitchen, and are supposed to get white quartz countertops like yours. How often would you say the scratches build up? We’re a bit on the fence with it because of backsplash. We’re torn about marble picket backsplash, and textured subway tile by Kohler. Depending on our final decision we may have to change counter top patterns, as our cabinets are pure white.
Thanks!
I love it too…I am trying to find a color similar to your cabinet colors as this warm creamy kitchen is exactly what I want! I am going with white quartz (maybe with a few flecks) after seeing yours. Would love to know color of countertops as well as where you sourced your island?
We got white quartz last year. I use Barkeeper’s Friend for all “spots”. It comes in a dry form (like comet) or liquid (like softscrub). It’s great, no problem with stains at all. Problem is, I did get a crack and don’t know how or why and it turned dark. I haven’t found anything that will “clean” it so it’s very visible…darn it!
Could you share what color your kitchen cabinets are painted?
I do Indian cooking every morning and evening. Does it remove stains of turmeric and other spices easily or gives permanent stain marks?
Not that we’ve noticed!
What is the color of your cream kitchen cabinets with the white quartz countertop? Thanks!
How do you get tea and coffee rings off your white quartz worktop? Even wiping them off immediately they leave a stain. I wish someone had warned me before I bought it. I regret enormously buying white quartz.
Lovely and so helpful!!! What is the brand of your countertop?
Thanks for your review! I’m really thinking of replacing my granite counters with quartz and your review helped a lot.
Hello, Sarah,
Just finished reading your review about your pure white quartz kitchen countertops with the accompanying lovely photos of the install with the cream-colored painted cabinets. I am about to order pure white quartz countertops for my kitchen and will paint adjacent cabinets. Can you advise the paint brand and color you used?
Thanks,
Janet
Hey frist of all thanks for your reviews. It gives me a lot of clearity. Actually we are planning to purchase quarts .is it a good decision or not. And if yes it is a good decisoon can you please suggest us some color combination for our kitchen. I was planing to purchase browninsh look quarts. Is it good??
Hello,
I just bought white Calcutta Alabaster quartz countertops they are new design I’m told. I’m in love with them however in the creamier white areas on an angle it looks like circles or peoples or water spots? They are saying it’s the stone look trying to make it look as natural as possible but driving me crazy! Do you see any of this on your white? Looks like water circles but it’s not? Thanks in advance for your feedback.
I have had permanent marker stains twice on our pure white quartz counters in our bathroom. I was mortified, but, without checking to see if it’s okay-which I do not recommend-I put rubbing alcohol on it. I had tried everything else, so just poured a puddle on the stain and left if for about 10 minutes. I came back and wiped it up. It took two times and the stain was completely removed. The only thing that I notice is the marks like you have shown and they come off with Scentsy counter clean or any other cleaner I’ve used with a microfiber cloth. I think your kitchen looks beautiful. Enjoy!
Where do you get the magic erasers from. Warm regards
Helen
I was considering a plain white quartz countertop. Do you still love them? Is magic eraser considered safe to wipe off marks?
I love the white quartz countertop above images, infact I also installed White quartz for my kitchen with the help of DialAWorkTop and they are worth the spending.
Thank you for sharing such a detailed review of your white quartz countertops! I love the transformation of your kitchen; it looks so bright and inviting. I appreciate you highlighting both the pros and cons—it’s always helpful to hear real experiences. The durability and low maintenance of quartz sound fantastic, but I can see how those marks could be a bit annoying. Your insight about choosing a shade with more dimension is really valuable! I’m considering quartz for my own kitchen, and your tips will definitely help in my decision-making. Thanks again for the great post!