Quartz Countertops Q&A: Cost, Install Day, and Honest First Impressions of Our Signature Series Quartz
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a soft white kitchen with warm white countertops
I have gotten a lot of questions about our kitchen and countertops. If you’ve never shopped for countertops, you may not know where you start, and if you have, you know it can be overwhelming experience as there is so much that goes into the process you don’t know about.
It can be really overwhelming shopping for such a big purchase, plus you will live with it for a long time, so you want to make sure you really like what you chose because it’s not something you can return or exchange.
We went with Calacatta Oasis from Accent Countertops' Signature Series 3cm quartz, fabricated and installed by their team out of Murray, Utah. Here's everything you asked, answered honestly.
Full transparency, Accent Countertops and I partnered together to complete my kitchen countertop project. However, none of my countertop content is sponsored and this is my honest feedback.
THE BEFORE
The before is a drastic difference from the after. We had a drop ceiling, tight spaces, lack of storage, a weird cut out to the dining room, and a wall separating the two spaces making the kitchen feel dark and closed off. Everything was original to this 90’s home and had never been updated.
How much did the quartz countertops cost?
This is the number one question everyone asks, and the answer is always going to be “it depends.” Every fabricator charges differently as well so you have to factor that in. I prefer working with someone that charges by the square foot like Accent Countertops does because the price feels more transparent. Other companies charge by the slab. Calcutta Oasis starts at 89.99 sq ft.
A few things that affect the price: the color you choose (marble-look patterns like Calacatta Oasis tend to run [mid-range / higher] within the Signature Series), your edge profile, cutouts for sinks and cooktops, and how many slabs your layout needs. Get an itemized quote so you can see exactly where the money goes.
They do have an order minimum of 600 dollars.
Why did you choose quartz over granite or butcher block?
Two words: zero maintenance. Quartz is an engineered stone. It’s crushed quartz bound with resin so it's non-porous. No sealing, ever. It doesn't harbor bacteria, it shrugs off coffee and wine, kids spills and the pattern is consistent across the slab so you know exactly what you're getting.
I am not a fan of butcher block and it didn’t fit my style, and I definitely was not doing laminate, but for our main kitchen work zones I wanted something I never had to think about. Granite was a close second, but it needs periodic resealing and the marble-look options in granite couldn't match what quartz offers. I also did not want anything high maintenance, especially with kids. Quartz felt like a perfect fit for our needs.
How did you pick Calacatta Oasis?
My inspiration pictures were full of natural stone, subtle veining and warm. I knew I wanted a calacatta look. Think warm white background, flowing gray-and-taupe veining without the price tag or the babying that real marble demands.
I looked at the full slabs to get an idea of exactly what I liked, and Calacatta Oasis was the perfect fit. It actually had been a few months in between picking that color so I forgot what it looked liked. I had to run into Accent Countertops again to finalize a few things and it ended up being the exact same color I chose again so that confirmed I made the right choice.
My biggest tip: never choose from a 4-inch sample. Veined patterns look completely different at full scale. Go see a full slab in person before you commit. You can see all the slabs at Accent, just ask and they will take you back and show you around!
Why Accent Countertops? How did you choose a fabricator?
I originally began visiting slab yards to get an idea of what I wanted, and while visiting a slab companies website, I found a fabricator that way. I typed in my zip code and a few places popped up, but Accent Countertops got back to me the same day.
They are also a local business and I love supporting my local community anytime I can. I spoke with Kevin, their top salesman and it ended up being a perfect fit for my project. We worked really well together, I honestly won’t go anywhere else now and will always request Kevin on my projects if I can.
While I could have shopped around, I really didn’t want to. Accent Countertops had a lot to offer especially with their in house Signature Series. I really liked how it was an in house series custom made for their brand, and it came with a quick turn around time, as little as two weeks! Mine did take a but longer as the scale of the project was longer, but I still waited less than 6 weeks.
What happens at the template appointment?
A technician comes out and creates an exact digital measurement of your cabinets — every wall wave and corner. Two things to know: your cabinets need to be fully installed and level before templating, and you'll need decisions made that day — sink model on site, faucet hole locations, edge profile, overhang depth. This is where having a knowledge salesman like Kevin is helpful. He went over so many details I had never thought of, so making these decisions was really easy.
What was install day actually like?
About a week before install, Accent reaches out to get you on the schedule and they will call you once they are on the way so I had about an hour heads up. You will also want your sink faucet handy so the installers can make sure they drill the right amount of holes and get placement correct. I stayed home to watch the install and it blew my mind how fast yet precise they were. I was their third install of the day, and they were done by 2pm. It was seriously so entertaining to watch them work, and I loved chatting with them. They also cleaned everything up so well, I couldn’t even tell they had been in my home other than the fact my kitchen now looked ten times better.
Where are the seams? Can you see them?
We have only one seam! It’s located behind the kitchen faucet. I barely notice it, and the color match to fill in the seam was flawless! A good fabricator places seams in low-visibility spots and color-matches the epoxy.
What edge profile did you pick?
We went with eased edge. It’s timeless, simple and kid friendly, but looking back I wish I would have picked something like a Cove Ogee edge as it leans more traditional and can add a beautiful design element. Simple edges are usually included in the base price; fancier ogee-style profiles cost more. Either way, you can’t go wrong with any option.
What did you do about the sink and backsplash?
This all comes down to personal preference, but an undercount sink is the only option in my opinion. It gives you a more custom and finished look and really blends in with the countertops. I chose a farmhouse sink with a ribbed detailing on the front for visual interest, and I love having one big sink verses it being split in two like our old one. It makes doing dishes, and cleaning so much easier in my opinion, especially with having kids and messes piling up fast.
Plus, with an undercount sink, everything is so much easier to wipe straight into the sink and clean up! Kevin also came over to template my kitchen and had some really great suggestions for where the sink should sit compared to the countertop, the edge profile, and more. If you want to read more about that, you can check out this blog post here. It walks you through the entire process from picking out countertops, to installation day and might answer more questions you have!
When it came to backsplash, I opted for a simple pre-pasted breadboard wallpaper. It only cost me 30 dollars, and was a temporary option until I could figure out what tile I wanted. while we had our countertops installed in September of 2025, I didn't install the zellige tile until April 2026. Everything takes longer with kids, but once I picked a tile, it was also on back-order for a few weeks, of course! I’m really happy with how the tile turned out though.
How do you clean and maintain quartz? Does it need sealing?
No sealing. Ever. That's the whole point. I have an all natural cleaner I use for everything and it cleans the countertops well. If something is stuck on, I simply spray, let it soak, and come back later to scrub it off. It also doesn’t stain which has been amazing, because again.. I have kids and they are messy. Strawberries, tea, spaghetti sauce, you name it, nothing has stained in! Even markers, or the arts and crafts haven’t caused any issues. Truly amazing!
Can you put hot pans on it? Does it scratch or stain?
Quartz is very scratch and stain resistant, but the resin can be damaged by direct high heat so no, don't set a pan straight off the burner onto it. Trivets, always. Since having our counters however, I haven’t had any issues with hear, scratches or stains.
Anything you'd do differently? Was it worth it? Would you choose quartz again?
I would definitely pick a different edge style! It never occurred to me during the process to ask about this, but now that i’ve seen other options, I think it could be so fun and pretty to something you typically don’t see often and lean into the traditional style I love.
It definitely was worth it. I think for our current lifestyle and the design we were going for, everything turned out perfect! And, I would definitely choose quartz again, especially when it comes to the signature series collection. There are so many amazing options to choose from and it’s not something you are going to see anywhere else, so it feels really cool to know it’s a slab style that’s unique.
As I mentioned before, I wanted countertops that were warm, and soft. the Calacatta Oasis Quartz matched exactly what I wanted.
If you’re local to Utah (or Nevada) and thinking about new countertops, I can’t recommend them enough.
You can view their Signature Series line and start your project here.
And as part of this collaboration, if you mention my name at Accent Countertops, you’ll receive 10% off your Signature Series countertop purchase.
Have a question I didn't cover? Drop it in the comments and I'll add it to the post. And if you're local to the Salt Lake area and want to see Calacatta Oasis in person, Accent Countertops' showroom in Murray has full slabs on display.
