1- IS FANTASY BROWN A GRANITE, MARBLE, QUARTZITE OR DOLAMITE?
Fantasy Brown is definitely not a granite. It is not a hard quartzite either. Fantasy Brown is marble, but there is more to it; Fantasy Brown is harder than regular marble because it went through the dolomitization process. In my opinion, it is best to call it a “hard marble” to keep the language simple. It would also be correct to call it a “dolomite” or a “dolomitic marble.”
It is also common that Fantasy Brown is categorized as “soft quartzite” In reality, there is no such thing as thing as “soft quartzite” or “hard quartzite.” Quartzite is quartzite, and it is always hard.
Some slab yards came up with soft quartzite terminology to emphasize that Brown Fantasy is harder than your standard marble, such as White Carrara Marble, Crema Marfil Marble, Calacatta Gold Marble. They also wanted to convey the message that it is not as hard as true quartzite, so they named it “fantasy brown soft quartzite” There are more examples of this; “Super White Soft Quartzite” (actually super white hard marble/dolomite) or “Shadow Storm Soft Quartzite” (actually Shadow Storm Hard Marble/Dolomite)
Some Brown Fantasy Slabs have harder parts of the stone which is more like hard quartzite. For this reason, there are also some industry experts that call Brown Fantasy a “combo stone”
We named our blog “Fantasy Brown Granite” because we saw that 64 % google searches were done for “fantasy brown granite,” only 18% of the Google searches were done for “fantasy brown marble.” Only 17% of the google searches are done for “fantasy brown dolomite.” Google did not show any searches for “fantasy brown dolomite” due to low search volume. We wanted to make sure that our article reaches the majority of the people looking to get information about Fantasy Brown. This misconception was one of the reasons that we decided to write this blog.
Granite vs. Brown Fantasy – Granite is an igneous (volcanic) rock; brown fantasy is a metamorphic rock, so they are not the same. Granite Countertops are etch-resistant and scratch-resistant, where Fantasy Brown can get etched, and scratched.
Quartzite vs. Brown Fantasy – They are both metamorphic rocks. Marble consists of some calcite (what makes it more fragile) while quartzite does not. Quartzite is a harder material than marble. Quartzite is scratch and etches resistant. Brown Fantasy is a softer material than quartzite; however, both quartzite and Fantasy Brown marble are a kind of limestone that are altered under heat and pressure over time.
Marble vs. Brown Fantasy– this is the closest match, but still keep in mind that Brown Fantasy is harder than traditional marble.
Quartz vs. Brown Fantasy – Quartz is a manmade stone. Brown Fantasy is a natural stone.
2- WHERE DOES BROWN FANTASY GRANITE (ACTUALLY BROWN FANTASY MARBLE) COME FROM?
Brown Fantasy Marble comes from Paloda India.
3- IS BROWN FANTASY MARBLE SCRATCH-RESISTANT?
Brown Fantasy is not a scratch-resistant stone. It does not get scratched as easy as tractional marble will, but in the meantime, it is not a scratch freestone like granite countertops. We recommend choosing honed or leathered finish material to camouflage any future scratches.
4- WILL FANTASY BROWN MARBLE ETCH?
Brown Fantasy marble will not etch as easy as regular marble, but still, it is not an etch-resistant material. We recommend choosing honed or leathered finish material because future etches will not be as noticeable as they are on a polished finish.
5- IS IT EASY TO POLISH BROWN FANTASY MARBLE IF IT GETS SCRATCHED OR ETCHED?
Yes, it is easy to polish Fantasy Brown countertops; however, it is definitely not a DIY project. It requires special tools and experience to make it look consistent throughout the top after polishing. It is best to hire a stone restoration company to re-polish your Fantasy Brown marble countertops.
6-WHAT FINISHES DOES FANTASY BROWN COME IN?
The most common finish is polished. It also comes in Leathered, and Honed (honed very rare)
Read our blog: honed vs polished countertops
7- WHAT APPLICATIONS CAN BROWN FANTASY BE USED FOR?
The most common Brown Fantasy applications are kitchen countertops and bathroom vanity tops. Brown Fantasy can also be used for bar tops, fireplace surrounds, shower walls, tub surrounds, and more.
8- IS BROWN FANTASY GOOD FOR KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS?
Marble countertops are not the most durable countertop options, but they are beautiful. In deciding whether if it is a good choice for you or not, you should consider how often you cook, how careful you are in the kitchen if you have children, and if possible future scratches and/or etches would bother you.
The price point is another factor to consider in deciding. Most of the stones that look as nice as Brown Fantasy cost a lot more per Sq. Ft. than Brown Fantasy, so from the pricing standpoint, Brown Fantasy may be the best bang for your buck.
9- HOW MUCH DOES BROWN FANTASY GRANITE COST INSTALLED (ACTUALLY BROWN FANTASY MARBLE)
The Brown Fantasy will cost anywhere between $50 to $70 sq. Ft. based on the particular slab you choose.
10- WHAT LEVEL IS FANTASY BROWN GRANITE? (ACTUALLY MARBLE)
Fantasy Brown marble is usually level 3 or 4 depending on the stone yard’s leveling, and pricing policy.
11- IS FANTASY BROWN MARBLE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN GRANITE COUNTERTOPS?
It depends on which granite you want to compare Fantasy Brown with. Granite price starts at $35 per sq. Ft. And can be up to $300 per sq. Ft. while fantasy Brown is usually around $60 per sq. Ft.
12- IS FANTASY BROWN MARBLE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS?
Brown Fantasy is usually less expensive than quartz countertops, but it also depends on the particular quartz color for comparison.
13- WHAT COLORS ARE IN BROWN FANTASY GRANITE? (ACTUALLY A MARBLE)
Brown Fantasy marble will have cream, white, brown, red, pink, gray, and green colors in it. Every slab is different, so not all the slabs will have all these colors in them.
14- DOES FANTASY BROWN VARY SLAB TO SLAB?
Brown Fantasy varies slab to slab by a lot. It is highly recommended that you choose your own slab, and visit the granite fabricator to approve the final layout before any cutting takes place.
15 – WHAT IS THE MAINTENANCE ON BROWN FANTASY MARBLE?
We recommend that you reseal your Fantasy Brown Marble every year or so. Always do the water test on it. If your marble countertops are soaking water, they will soak other liquids as well, so it is time to reseal them. Water should bead up on a well-sealed marble countertop.
16- DOES BROWN FANTASY MARBLE HAVE NATURAL FISSURES IN IT?
Brown Fantasy will have a lot of natural fissure lines in it (yes cracks) We highly recommend that you closely inspect your slab before placing your order and approve the final layout before fabrication.
17- WHAT ARE SOME OTHER NAMES FOR FANTASY BROWN MARBLE COUNTERTOPS?
Fantasy Brown is the most common name for this particular marble. The second most common name is Brown Fantasy. Some other names are; Mascavo, Canyon Dawn, and Terra Bianca.
18-IS FANTASY BROWN MARBLE RECOMMENDED FOR OUTDOOR USE?
Fantasy Brown marble is not recommended for outdoor projects due to its fragility.
19-WHAT ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES TO FANTASY BROWN MARBLE COUNTERTOPS?
Shadow Storm Dolamite (hard marble), Super White Dolamite (hard marble) are some of the alternatives to Brown Fantasy Dolamite (hard marble) countertops.
20- FANTASY BROWN MARBLE REVIEWS
“FB definitely etches since it is marble. I would just learn to live with it – that is just the nature of the stone, and it IS a beautiful stone.”
“Seal it properly, only use Dawn type dish soap and water or granite cleaners, and I have no etching. Never use windex, all purpose surface cleaners etc. I usually just wipe it with water and dry with microfiber.”
” I have had leathered FB in my bathrooms for 2 1/2 years and it’s doing great, no issues. I have wiped up nail polish remover and hydrogen peroxide, salicylic acid and various soaps. “
Bonus 1 : Brown Fantasy Marble Two Our Stain Test
Lots of 24 hour tests were done on Fantasy Brown marble already so I decided to do a two- hour test instead since we will clean anything that spills on kitchen countertops probably sooner than even two ours. I did the test using orange juice, olive oil and vinegar. I made sure that the sample is well sealed before doing the test. Orange juice and olive oil was not able to stain the stone in two hours. Vinegar was able to leave a light etch mark (hard to see)
Bonus 2: Brown Fantasy Marble Heat Test
The tea pot placed on Brown Fantasy marble countertops for 15 minutes did not cause any damages to the marble
Conclusion
Brown Fantasy Marble is beautiful and inexpensive but it is not indestructible. Feel free to use it for your kitchen countertops only if you are careful in the kitchen, and if possible small staines, and etch marks would not bother you. We always recommend that you take sample of the stone and test it for yourself using dressings that you use.