Quartzite Countertops in North Charleston, SC

Quartzite is a natural stone, and North Charleston Countertops sets it on kitchen counters, islands and bathroom vanity tops all over the city. Before any slab gets cut, we come out, measure your cabinets and ask whether the sink, the cooktop (the burners set into the counter) or the outlets are staying where they are, because that decides whether the city gets involved.

A natural stone, not a factory mix

The U.S. Geological Survey describes quartzite as a rock made mostly of quartz that formed from sandstone. It says rocks like this form under high heat and pressure, which does not melt them but turns them into denser, more compact rock.

Quartz and quartzite sound alike, but they are not the same stone. NIOSH says engineered stone is also called quartz, and OSHA describes engineered stone as man-made. So a quartz top is made in a factory, and the quartzite we fit is cut from natural stone. If a man-made top suits you better, we fit quartz countertops as well.

We'll have you see and approve the actual slab before we cut it, so the top in your kitchen is the one you picked.

When the sink, pipes or outlets move

A new top on the same cabinets is a simple swap. If you also want the sink moved to a new island or outlets added along the counter, we check these North Charleston permit rules with you first.

• Plumbing. The City of North Charleston has its own plumbing permit and says no work can be done until it is issued. The application asks for a proposal or contract that lays out the scope of work, with the cost of materials and labor.
• Sewer. The city says any work on the sewer needs an extra permit from the sewer district.
• On the job site. The city says the permit card goes in a permit box posted where it can be seen, and an inspector won't inspect if the site is missing the permit drawings and the permit box.

We'll tell you at the measure whether your layout touches any of this, before you sign anything.

Keeping the dust down on cutting day

OSHA links the highest levels of crystalline silica, a mineral dust, to quartzite and to certain engineered stones. Breathing that dust in can cause silicosis, which NIOSH, part of the CDC, calls a lung disease that cannot be reversed.

OSHA says the dust is made when stone is cut, ground, edged and contoured, both in the shop and at the home where finishing work gets done. Its advice to countertop shops is to do as much of the work as they can in the shop instead of at your house, to avoid dry cutting, and, when some finishing has to happen on site, to work outdoors and use water to hold the dust down. As you collect quotes, ask each company where your slab gets cut and what they do about dust.

How we put your quote together

We quote quartzite after we've measured your kitchen or bath, and the quote comes to you in writing. Four things move our number: the slab you pick, how much counter we cover, the edge profile (the shape of the front edge), and how many cutouts we make for the sink, faucet and cooktop.

A written quote from any company should spell out:

1. The quartzite's name, the slab thickness, and which slab is yours.
2. A layout drawing showing where the seams (the joins between pieces) and cutouts fall.
3. The edge you're getting, and whether the stone gets sealed, and with what.
4. Whether pulling out and hauling off the old tops is included.
5. Who unhooks and hooks back up the sink, faucet and cooktop.
6. Where the cutting happens, in the shop or at your house.

Still deciding? We can price quartzite next to granite or marble on the same visit.

Questions about quartzite countertops in North Charleston

Book a measure for quartzite

Call us, or fill in the quote form with your ZIP code and which rooms you're redoing. We'll come measure, go over slab and edge choices with you, and send a written quote. Our other countertop materials are on the North Charleston Countertops home page.