Frequently asked questions

The Dallas showroom is open Mon – Fri, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm; Sunday, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. It is closed on Saturday.

KLZ is a single showroom in Dallas, Texas, not a chain. It serves the wider Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, including Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Arlington, and Southlake. The Dallas showroom is the one place to visit.

You take the slab you choose to your own fabricator. Pick it up from the Dallas showroom yourself, or have your fabricator pick it up for you. KLZ supplies the slab; your fabricator cuts and installs it.

Every slab in the showroom carries a tag number. Once you have chosen one, give us its tag in the showroom or by phone. We will set that exact slab aside for you.

No. KLZ Stone Supply sells stone slabs, tile, and pavers, and nothing else. Separate family businesses cover the rest: Splendor Sink for sinks, KLZ Diamond Tools for cutting and finishing tools, and American Quartz USA for finished quartz countertops.

They sound alike but are different materials. Quartzite is a natural stone quarried from the ground; engineered quartz is manufactured from crushed stone bound with resin. Quartzite is hard and heat-resistant but porous, so it needs periodic sealing. Quartz is non-porous and never needs sealing, but tolerates heat less well and is best kept away from hot pans.

For a working kitchen, quartzite is usually the more durable choice. It offers the flowing, marble-like veining many people want, but is considerably harder and more resistant to scratching and etching. Quartzite is mostly quartz, which is 7 on the Mohs hardness scale; marble is mostly calcite, which is 3. Marble also etches from acids such as lemon, wine, and vinegar. That is why it is more often chosen for vanities, fireplaces, and lower-traffic surfaces than for busy kitchens.

Source: Mineralogical Society of America, Mohs Scale of Hardness

Granite is a natural stone, quarried and cut into slabs. Quartz is engineered from crushed stone and resin. Granite handles heat better and each slab is one of a kind, but it is porous and needs periodic sealing. Quartz is non-porous, needs no sealing, and offers a more uniform, repeatable look, but is more sensitive to heat. Both are hard and well suited to kitchens: granite is mostly feldspar and quartz, which sit at 6 and 7 on the Mohs hardness scale.

Source: Mineralogical Society of America, Mohs Scale of Hardness

Yes. Sintered porcelain slabs are non-porous, UV-stable and highly resistant to heat, scratching, and staining. They come in large formats, which suits countertops, outdoor kitchens, and facades alike. Because they are non-porous, they never need sealing.

Dolomite is a natural stone made mostly of the mineral dolomite, a calcium magnesium carbonate. It sits between marble and quartzite: dolomite rates 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs hardness scale, against 3 for the calcite in marble. It suits a kitchen that is used with care. Like marble, it etches from acids such as lemon juice and vinegar, but more slowly, and it needs sealing. Some stones sold as white quartzite, Super White among them, are dolomite.

Source: Wikipedia, Dolomite (mineral)

True quartzite does not etch. It is made of quartz, which household acids do not attack. The Natural Stone Institute puts the rule plainly: "Stones that contain calcite or dolomite will etch from contact with common acids." So a stone that etches is not quartzite, whatever its label says. Some slabs sold as quartzite are marble or dolomite. Test an offcut before you commit: leave a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar on it for 5 to 10 minutes. A dull mark means it etches. Real quartzite also scratches glass.

Source: Natural Stone Institute, How to Be Your Own Stone Sleuth (2020)

Thickness. A 2cm slab is about 3/4 inch thick and a 3cm slab about 1 1/4 inches. A 3cm countertop usually sits straight on the cabinets. A 2cm top usually goes on a plywood subtop, with a laminated edge to make it look thicker. 2cm is also the usual choice for backsplashes and walls. Weight follows thickness: granite weighs at least 160 pounds per cubic foot, so a 2cm slab weighs at least 10.5 pounds per square foot and a 3cm slab at least 15.7.

Source: ASTM C615, Standard Specification for Granite Dimension Stone

Polished stone is ground with finer and finer abrasives until it reflects light. It shows the most color and veining, and on marble it shows etch marks most. Honed stone stops before the shine, so it is smooth and matte, and it hides etching better. Leathered stone is brushed after honing so the surface follows the stone's texture. It has a soft sheen and hides fingerprints and water spots. Honed and leathered surfaces can need sealing more often than polished.

A semi-precious slab is made of pieces of agate, amethyst, quartz crystal, or other gemstone, set in clear resin and backed for strength. Light passes through the crystal, so these slabs are usually lit from behind with LED panels, as a feature wall, an island face, or a bar front. Onyx is backlit the same way, because it is translucent too. Plan the lighting with your fabricator before the slab is cut.

Choose the actual slab, not a sample. Bring your fabricator's layout, so you know how many slabs the job needs. Take every slab for one job from the same bundle, because the next bundle will not match. Look at the whole slab, front and back, in good light. A fissure is a natural feature of the stone; a crack is a break. Ask your fabricator if you are not sure which you are seeing. Then note each slab's tag number so it can be set aside.