Dolomite Countertops
All you need to know about Dolomite countertops and if they are durable to use in your kitchen?
Welp, I did it! After months and months of looking, I finally have my new counters (for the second time). It was a rough road getting here. You can read more about that rough road here (what you should know about Quartzite countertops)
I learned quite a bit these past few months. I think I learned more than I care to have learned about counters but here we are. On the bright side of all of this, another blog post was born.
Here’s a quick recap of the past 6 months…
I wanted to get new counters in the kid’s bathroom (more on that later)…
Which led me to convincing my husband (begrudgingly) to get new counters in the kitchen (he wasn’t really on board but I proceeded anyways)…
New counters were installed (they were awful and needed to be replaced)…
Went back to the stone yard another 256,789 times to look for another stone to replace the awful ones…
Found one I liked finally (got a call a week later that they had pitting and needed to go back)…
Went back to find another slab and ran straight into this slab which was completely different than what I went to look for.
It stopped me in my tracts…literally. So I circled it 564 times and texted my poor friends that I dragged through this mess with me.
A few weeks later, it was installed
Now I know you are on the edge of your seat wondering what stone I picked for my second time. Ok, maybe you aren’t on the edge of your seat but let’s pretend that you are.
Let me introduce you to my new friend…Dolomite.
(My backsplash tile can be found here or here.)
(This post contains affiliate links. You can see my full disclosure here)
What is Dolomite
That’s a very good question actually. I don’t really know either. Ha! Kidding. I can give you the Wikipedia definition but I don’t want to bore you with those details. It a nutshell, Dolomite is a hard marble. Which I know will lead you to your next question
Are Dolomite counters durable?
Yes (and slightly no). Should you bang a hammer on them? No. Can you live your life with them in your kitchen? Yes. Unless you bang hammers on kitchen counters for a living.
As far as hardness goes, granite and quartzite are going to be your harder stones followed by dolomite and then marble.
I’m going to be honest too. I have had my counters for only a few weeks now so I can’t give you the best review so I promise to update you as I go.
But if it’s any indication, they are already holding up better than the quartzite I had before. Much much better.
Can you use Dolomite in your kitchen?
I sure hope so, because I just did. I think I have said this before but if you ever want to start a fight on FaceBook just ask about marble (or dolomite) kitchen counters vs Quartz counters.
Yowzers…some people are very passionate it about this.
It all boils down to a personal preference. I know I wanted a stone (not quartz) in my kitchen. Any stone counter has it’s pros and cons. Some stones need to have some more personnel attention than others.
I knew what I was getting into when I decided on Dolomite being apart of our family. I will give my counters as much attention as I give our dog…and that’s too much!
Are Dolomite counters heat resistant
Yes! That was the biggest reason why I wanted a stone in my kitchen and especially on my island. I have taken cooking sheets straight out of my oven and placed them onto my island.
(Did you know they are called “cooking” sheets and not “cookie” sheets. I just learned this information the other day and I am shook)
Back to the counters…
Do Dolomite counters scratch easily?
Not easily but they can scratch like any stone. Dolomite is softer than granite and can scratch easier than granite. Just like I wouldn’t bang a hammer on my counters I wouldn’t cut a watermelon with a chain saw on my counters either.
Do Dolomite counters stain
Yes, they can. Any stone counter can stain and I learned that the hard way with my quartzite counters.
Stones are porous and therefore prone to stains. Some counters are more porous than others. And each stone has it’s own personality. The lighter stones seam to stain easier…even white granite can stain. The best thing you can do is catch the stain as soon as you can.
And if you do get a stain on your counters, do not try to DIY it out. I tried the whole baking soda pumice to get a stain out of my quartzite counters and it made it worse.
Find a professional and have them do it the correct way.
I know most people want nothing to do with babying their counters but I have also witnessed Quartz stain. It happens to the best of counters.
Which brings me to likely your next question…
Should you seal Dolomite Counters
YES! And that’s a yes with all letters in caps. I learned this the hard way once again. I have no idea what happened to my quartzite counters or if they were properly sealed at the fabricators.
And there is a good chance whatever your fabricator uses to seal your counters is not enough
I took no chances this time and had my counters professionally sealed shortly after I had them installed. It was pretty affordable and worth the piece of mind. I paid about $5/sq ft of counter to have them sealed.
Yes, you can buy your own sealer on Amazon and do it yourself and I highly considered it. I still might buy extra sealer.
The gentleman that sealed my counters gave my counters 8 applications of sealer. Yes, you read that right…eight. It took 3 hours. I would have never had that patience and would have likely done one or two coats and been done.
It needed the eight coats.
What is the price of Dolomite counters
Dolomite counters are actually pretty affordable. I was surprised to see that some marble and dolomite counters were in the same price range as “entry level” granite.
The dolomite I chose is called Dover White and It was pretty middle on the road. If you are looking for a stone counter, can’t find a granite you like and want to not have to sell any of your children for new counters, then dolomite might be something to explore.
Funny thing is that this slab was saved on my phone from one of the first times I went slab shopping and it’s the same stone as what I have now in my kitchen. It just goes to show you how differently a stone can look from slab to slab.
Here is another view of the slab I have
Does Dolomite etch?
Yes, unfortunately it can and I am fully prepared for it to happen to mine. It hasn’t yet but it will happen, I’m sure. If you can, find a dolomite or marble that is honed. Honed dolomite will show the etch less.
Do I secretly hope that this fact is false? Yes. And if it is, I will update you!
Dolomite vs Marble
These two stones are like brothers that look alike except the one is a tad bit stronger than the other. Like I said, Dolomite is like a hard marble. Both can stain and both can etch but dang both can be so pretty. Here is a pretty marble that I loved as
Dolomite vs Granite
Granite is definitely the winner in this category when it comes to durability. Granite is harder and less porous than Dolomite. When it comes to looks, these two stones are polar opposites. You will have an easy time differentiating between the two. Finding a white granite that isn’t busy looking is almost impossible. If you want a white stone with little movement in it, Dolomite is your friend.
Dolomite vs Quartzite
If you would have asked me this question 6 months ago, I might have given you a different answer. However, after I have lived with quartzite counters for 6 months, who really knows. My quartzite was behaving like a dolomite anyways.
The text book answer is that quartzite is much harder and less scratch resistant than Dolomite. However both are very porous and one might argue that quartzite is more porous than dolomite.
Quartzite does not etch and should NOT etch. If your quartzite does etch, then you do not have quartzite but instead you have a marble.
Dolomite vs Quartz
This is kind of comparing apples to oranges in my opinion. Dolomite is a stone and will behave like one. Quartz is man made and will behave as such
Quartz isn’t porous so stains can be scrubbed out. Quartz is not heat resistant like Dolomite is. I put quartz in my kids bathroom and it is really pretty but nothing is as pretty as the real deal in my opinion.
So yes, I will spend extra time wiping off my counters and babying them but I will do it with a smile on my face!
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