We only do stone counters: quartz, quartzite, granite and marble. Here's how the four compare, plus a word on the other materials people ask us about and why we don't install them.
Quartz
Engineered stone: crushed quartz held together with resin. Non-porous, so it doesn't need sealing and doesn't stain easily. Consistent color and pattern, which people either love or find a bit flat. The weak spot is heat. The resin can discolor or crack under a hot pan set straight on it, and it's not for outdoor kitchens because sunlight yellows it. The most popular counter going in right now, for good reason.
Granite
Natural stone, every slab different. Handles heat well, hard to scratch. Needs sealing every so often depending on the stone, and it can chip at an edge if you hit it hard. If you like the look of real stone and want to set a hot pot down without thinking, granite is still hard to beat.
Quartzite
Also natural stone, and not the same thing as quartz. Harder than granite, often with the veining people want from marble. Needs sealing, costs more, and some slabs sold as quartzite are really marble, which etches. Ask the yard to test a sample with a drop of lemon juice before you commit. We do.
Marble
Beautiful and soft. It etches from anything acidic, so lemon, wine and tomato sauce leave dull spots, and it scratches. In a kitchen you have to be OK with it aging. Some people are. If you want the marble look without the upkeep, that's what quartz and quartzite with marble veining are for.
How the four stack up
| Quartz | Granite | Quartzite | Marble | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | Careful. Use a trivet | Fine | Fine | Fine |
| Stains | Resists them | Seal it and it's fine | Seal it and it's fine | Stains and etches |
| Scratches | Resists them | Very hard | Hardest of the four | Scratches |
| Sealing | Never | Periodically | Periodically | Often |
| Look | Uniform, made to order | Natural, speckled or veined | Natural, often marble-like | Natural, classic veining |
| Price | Mid to high | Mid | High | High |
Where we buy stone
We've built relationships with stone suppliers around Central Florida, and when you buy through us you get our pricing. You pick the slab, we handle the rest. If you've already been to a slab yard and have a quote, bring it.
Materials we don't install
People ask about these, and they're fine products. They're just not what we do.
- Porcelain slab. Thin, tough, handles heat and sun. Edges chip and it takes a specialist fabricator.
- Solid surface (Corian and similar). Seamless, repairable, not heat resistant.
- Butcher block. Warm and cheap, needs oiling, doesn't like standing water.
- Laminate. Cheapest by far, can't be repaired, heat damages it.
What people regret
- Marble in a busy family kitchen, without knowing it would etch.
- Quartz next to a window that gets full afternoon sun, or outside.
- A slab with a lot of movement chosen from a small sample. Go see the whole slab.
- Not thinking about seams. Long L-shaped runs need one somewhere. Ask where.