Before you try anything: always speak to a professional before cleaning, treating or applying any product to your stone. Every slab is different, and the wrong product can cause permanent damage. Contact us or a qualified stone restorer first.
Quick answer
Super White is commonly marketed as quartzite, but most slabs are dolomite or dolomitic marble, which etch from acids (more slowly than marble) and can stain. If your Super White has dull rings or drip marks, that is etching. Clear protection film stops it completely and removes the guesswork about what the stone is.
Key points
- Frequently labelled quartzite, usually tests as dolomite.
- Etches more slowly than marble, but it does etch.
- Pale colour shows oil and turmeric stains.
- Film protects whatever the stone turns out to be.
Quartzite or dolomite?
Super White comes from Brazil and has become one of the most popular "quartzites" in Australia. The confusion comes from trade naming. Geologically, most Super White is dolomite, a calcium-magnesium carbonate that is harder than marble but still reacts with acids. It will not scratch glass the way true quartzite does, and a drop of lemon left for a few minutes usually leaves a faint dull mark.
That does not make it a bad stone. Dolomite is denser and tougher than most marble. It simply needs to be treated as an etchable stone, and many owners were told it did not.
How etching shows on Super White
Because dolomite reacts slowly, etches on Super White tend to be subtle at first: a faint haze where a glass of wine sat, or a dull patch where a spray cleaner was used daily. Over months they build into an uneven, patchy surface. Film stops that progression and lets you clean with ordinary products.