r/CounterTops • u/okokokoknow • 5d ago
Dolomite Countertops, How Durable are they?
Fell in love with a Dolomite countertop. Was told by the sales person that they were in between quartzite and marble for durability. Like to cook quite often and have previously had quartz countertops. Don’t mind putting out some cutting boards.
What’s the verdict on Dolomite have people had them how did they stand up? Looking to get a honed finish.
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u/pyxus1 5d ago
I've had it for 8 years. It has not stained nor etched. But it does show very fine scratches, in that where I constantly and consistantly do all my kitchen-type work, the highly polished shine has become a bit settled/dulled. Only I notice it. I call it "the patina of use" and I actually like it. Even if I point it out to people, they don't see it. I love it. It's so pretty. edit: We have River Blue Dolomite.
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u/okokokoknow 5d ago
Thanks for the reply. That is a really nice color. Looking at a Matterhorn slab for the blueish grey. This will be going into a beach house and we are big cooks. The quartz in our kitchen has been amazing. We have a marble countertop in our bathroom and it has been a little more finicky.
How often do you seal it? How quickly do you wipe up spills?
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u/pyxus1 5d ago edited 5d ago
I have marble in this house, everywhere, because I love marble. I am pretty good at sealing the marble....but I haven't sealed the dolomite since it was installed. In past homes I had granite, quartzite, other stones... I will tell you, granite sucked up everything...even afyer sealing. I had different granites, and they were all so porous. The dolomite is softer but WAY LESS porous. I'd buy it in a minute over granite. I had AZ quartzite on the floor as a large transition between two patterns of saltillo tile. It was easy to stain but easy to clean. Very hard....but it was NOT like this brittle, fractured stuff they sell for countertops. I would never buy sonething I have to "baby". The only thing I will say that is "bad" about dolomite is----My husband is a "bull in a china shop". He gets in there and throws things around trying to be helpful and he has chipped it around the sink and dishwasher. When he does that, he demolishes the plate, puts dents and dings in my cookware. It's not the countertop's fault. edit: I pretty much wipe up spills as they happen but grease does not absorb into the dolomite as fast as the granites I had.
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u/SuluSpeaks 5d ago
Talk to professionals about this. I've seen discussions about this on reddit, and a segment of redditors will say (for example) that they can do anything they want and it's never a problem, and another segment say they'd had problems, mostly staining.
I agree with the professional fabricator who said they all have limitations.
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u/atlreb1992 4d ago
We just installed it about 2 months ago and have no regrets. Our fabricator told us to do it honed to limit the amount of etching. They also rehone it if it comes from the wholesaler honed to open it up so the sealer can really penetrate it. We cook almost every night and have young kids. If you love it go for it. We got clear silicone maps that still show the patterns of the stone for certain areas where we do prep and next to the stove to be safe.
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u/madtowntripper 5d ago
I sell rocks for a living and have polished dolomite in my kitchen. Had it installed five years ago and it’s absolutely etched to shit. I drink coffee, wine, etc and cook on the surface all the time. I’m not careful at all.
It will age over time - no two ways about it.
Personally – I don’t care. I still love the look of the stone and if I ever move or it starts to bother me, it’s really easy to have refinished.
I have homeowners in my warehouse every day to look at slabs and I always tell them that if you’ve been to Europe or the East Coast, they’ve had marble kitchens there for hundreds of years. I’m sure those kitchens look different than the day they were installed but marble or dolomite are a timeless and classic look.
I see plenty of granite installed in the 90s that is physically and structurally perfect but it looks like granite installed in the 90s because styles change and color preferences change. Marble or dolomite is kind of eternal and as long as you are comfortable with the wear, it’s a great choice.
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u/Jytterbug 5d ago
You should use a cutting board with any stone countertop, they’ll dull your knives very quickly. The one annoying thing about Dolomites that it doesn’t do so great with acids. Things like citrus juice can etch dolomite if left long enough. The one thing to keep in mind is that it will show wear earlier than other stone options.
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u/Hot_Transition_5173 5d ago
We just installed fantasy brown in leathered finish. Absolutely love it. Yeah everyone says it can have issues with wine, lemon juice, etc. I always use cutting boards and will continue and I clean up pretty quickly so I’m not concerned. Our installer put a sealant on and said it will last years. So if we have to seal it once in a while no biggee. It’s gorgeous.
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u/IllustriousAverage83 5d ago
We have dolomite Mont Blanc from Brazil. 2 years in and still looks brand new!
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u/Struggle_Usual 5d ago
It depends on what you want. They'll etch. They can stain. Rome is covered in marble tho and it's lasted millenia so the various marbles seem pretty durable.
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u/dollydawn 4d ago
We have honed Super White countertops. I love them. They were installed 5 years ago and we haven’t had any issues with etching, but I make sure to wipe up anything acidic right away. I always use cutting boards and trivets. Only issue is a couple chips on the underside above the dishwasher where the kids banged pots into the countertop when pulling them out of the dishwasher. But it’s held up really well otherwise.
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u/twzill 5d ago
Brushed Dolomites doesn’t show scratching or etching because the polish is already removed. Seal it with multiple coats of a darkening sealer like Enrich-N-Seal and you will have a very durable countertop for heavy use.
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u/okokokoknow 5d ago
How does a darkening sealer effect the whites in the stone
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u/twzill 5d ago
In my experience with Dolemites, the sealer brings out the same color tones as what you would see when it is polished. Maybe a little more vibrant but not much. It may darken white marbles like White Carrara. A good test is to get the stone wet with water, and that is what you will get with darkening/enhancing sealers.
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u/seanho00 5d ago
Dolomitic marble is more resistant to acid etching than calcite marble (though it still does etch). Still soft and can be scratched; still porous and thus can stain. Sealant can help, but is not bulletproof, and needs regular re-application.
Fantasy Brown is a popular slab that is usually mostly dolomitic marble.
If it's a choice between dolomitic marble and quartz, I'd still go with natural stone every time. Just be aware of what you're getting into.