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Granite vs marble

J

Joyce

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
530
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23
Location
Farmington, CT
Time for new counter tops. Any preferences? We have been looking at Loews but think it might be wiser to go to a specialty company that does counter tops and appliances. Just started looking and suggestions would be a big help. Hope all my tugger friends are doing well. Of course we have to discount the market! Jane
 
Marble is porous. Think very hard sponge. As such, it absorbs stains. It's also soft, and scratches fairly easily.


We have 1&1/2" bamboo. Love it. Absolutely beautiful, and not in every other home.
 
Quality is important

Hi. Marble will be damaged by acid...think lemon juice or tomatos......I would think in a bathroom marble would be perfect.

Granite comes in different grades....be careful of poor quality granite from overseas....well ok China.

We found a granite store that had lots of granite leftover from larger commercial jobs. They had 2 pieces from the same quarry that was extremely beautiful and great quality. The way our kitchen is formatted the two pieces worked beautifully. Cost us about 1/2 price...we have had it almost 3 years and have not resealed it. Also the installer was a professional stonemason and we were very impressed with his skills. Very happy with our choice.

Now granite has a strong pattern and some people think it will date itself....but expensive shoes never go out of style....I think granite might have that quality too....anyway, there are many choices out there.....have fun searching and educating yourself about the benefits and pitfalls of each one.
 
We have quartz and love it. It's non porous so you don't have to seal it or worry about staining.

We had a great experience using a decorator. The woman that we used price matched anything that we found at an outside vendor, but her professional advice was no additional cost. She helped me narrow down my choices and made sure that everything looked great together. I used to think that I didn't need any advice, but after working with her, I wouldn't hesitate to use a decorator again. In the long run it saves you money by keeping you from making a bad choice.
 
We've had granite for 5 years now and love it. Haven't had any problem with spills. Even the tangerine that went rotten and sat there for a couple days didn't stain it. Don't just settle for "oatmeal" granite like you'll find in hotels and condos. If you have a granite warehouse or outlet store where you can look at the slabs, you'll be amazed at the variety and selection.

montg-granite-countertops.jpg
 
There is nothing wrong with Chinese granite. It is 3/4 inch thick with a 3/4 inch front and side edges. I have done hundreds of installs with it, and have it in my own home for the past 15+ years.
Since it comes from china, you are somewhat limited to what is stocked, as shipping time is 6to8 weeks.
Prices should run from 30 to $55 per square foot.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
Hate Hate hate my dark granite that was already in my developer spec built house.

It shows dust and has to be dusted frequently. Shows dirt and crumbs and finger prints easily.

In my last house, I had silestone, a quartz product, in a brown stone like color, LOVED it. It never showed dirt at all. It could have been full of crumbs and you could never tell unless you ran your hand over the countertop.

I would stick to NON dark or or NOT very light.

http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/color/zirix/ something like this.
 
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Joyce said:
Time for new counter tops. Any preferences? We have been looking at Loews but think it might be wiser to go to a specialty company that does counter tops and appliances. Just started looking and suggestions would be a big help.
Click to expand...
I used US granite in Danbury. Very happy with their granite installation and knowledge of the products they sell. They have very competitive prices also.
 
I have marble, quartz and granite installed. The quartz is my favorite as it doesn't need sealing while granite does need to be sealed. Marble is beautiful but is highly subject to acidic staining.

The countertops are all single 3 cm thicknesses with 2 cm backsplashes. IMHO, use of 2 cm goods on countertops looks cheap, while 3 cm backsplashes is too much.

If you select granite, make sure you can pick out the full slab and specify the section to be used. The variability can be extreme where some sections of the slab are not so good.

Make sure you shop around for quality and pricing. The Italian granite slab in my Master Bath cost $22/sf plus $250 for installation (2015). Each sink hole and under mount was an extra $150.
 
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I don't know where you live, but if you have some new developments go look at model homes to see what things look like. If you have a true super store you can see lots of different counters with back splashes, etc. together with cabinets. You will never really get an idea of what things look like by looking at little blocks of stone.

Also the pricing is based on three main things:
1) type of stone including dimensions
2) fabrication of the stone
3) installation of the stone.

The folks that buy the actual sheets of granite make all of their money by effectively using the entire huge sheet and not wasting much. Large dimensions with straight cuts are the cheapest. Most of the time they fabricate it at the stone storage location with some minor fabrication being done on site. You will pay much more for an ogee edge versus a straight edge. Installation should be relatively the same price regardless of stone type.

Find places where you can buy the stone directly rather than from a place that sells you the stone (but never owns any of it).

Granite and marble will have the most beautiful natural patterns. Quartz is very durable and comes in many colors.

Don't rule out concrete. I've seen concrete counters that are amazing.
 
Silestone(quartz) is supposed to be the best.

I would not do marble unless you don't mind it getting messed up like in Italy where their standards are different from ours. If their marble is messed up they actually like it- shows it is used.

I have granite in my kitchen. I originally wanted soapstone, but I am glad I went with granite as soapstone scratches easily. Granite can chip so you have to be somewhat careful.

I picked from a few small hand held samples from some that were included with my kitchen remodel.I didn't want to take a day off from work and drive two hours to a place in Jersey and from what people tell me you get overwhelmed the more slabs you look at. What I picked (2 different granites- one for the island and the other for the counters) goes so perfectly with my 3 different colored cabinets and people always compliment me on them.

I am very fanatical and I still protect the granite with coasters and place mats and dishtowels down, etc. I use a spray cleaner/sealer maybe twice a month- just wipe- easy peasy.

I have marble in my master bath for the counters and it is a marble with limited integrity (crema marfil zafa from Spain) so I am also very careful there as well. But I am a neat freak.
 
Be aware of the difference between quartz and quartzite.

Quartz a/k/a engineered quartz is a manufactured product, sometimes branded as silestone or caesarstone. Engineered quartz is a composite made from crushed quartz. The crushed stone is bound together with a resin or cement. About 93% of the product is crushed stone and 7% is resin.

Quartzite a/k/a natural quartzite is a rock mined from the ground. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock, very hard/durable but not as hard/durable as igneous granite.
http://www.archcitygranite.com/quartz-vs-quartzite-what-are-they-and-whats-the-difference/
 
Another vote for quartz: easy to maintain, easy to clean and easier on your dishes. With granite, you have to be careful with any good china or pottery dishes; it will chip them very easily.

I did a quick update to my kitchen before putting it on the market and used solid surface (essentially a cheaper version of quartz). However, the big thing I don't like about solid surface is the built in sink. It shows marks from any metal object like pots and pans (so no setting a pot in the sink to soak). So while it seemed like a good idea at the time to get the sink without additional cost, I would go with quartz and an undermount stainless steal sink.

The other issue is how high your countertops are. My 1979 kitchen counters are too low for me and the next house is getting a decent kitchen with countertops that don't give me a back ache from bending over the sink. I'm at a timeshare now with higher ones (I think 36") and they are great. When they put in the solid surface ones, I asked about raising the height up and they said you can add an inch or so between the counters and the cabinets for a little extra height.

In a previous house, I put in new countertops put in and didn't do anything with the cabinets. After, the cabinets looked really old and I wished I had done something. You might think about at least painting the cabinets, though make sure it's done right with lots of sanding, priming and good quality paint. I did this with the house getting ready to sell and it looks brand new.

Sue
 
I put quartz in my kitchen and bathrooms. No routine maintenance!! One consideration is that quartz, being man-made can be very uniform and if you like the unique look that granite or marble provides, you might be disappointed. I feel the pattern I chose has enough variation, others may not. Happy shopping!!
 
Marble in bathrooms only, never in kitchen.....too porous and absolutely will stain.

Granite is awesome, wouldn't change at all. Patterns way too beautiful to consider anything else .

Does it date itself, as someone said? Well I guess so---it's thousands of years old! And the guy who made it was an "Old Master". It never looks boring to me.

If you get the one or two that EVERYBODY used in spec houses, maybe so.....these were way, way overused (but the contractors got it cheap, that's why), but select something beautiful----- never too dark, never too light...something in-between and with unusual and gorgeous movement.

Granite is a most incredible "art form"----I loved visiting the "local" granite companies when we re-did our kitchen 3 years ago....most of it comes from a town called Elberton, GA. Love ours every day. We settled on one particular granite after anguishing contemplation, but I could have continued looking for weeks.



.
 
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We have Corian countertops and it looks great.

Corian is a manufactured material made from polymer resins mixed with minerals and colorants. It is durable, nontoxic, hygienic, nonallergenic.

In addition to being man-made and therefore abundantly available unlike natural stone, Corian is:

Nonporous, making it resistant to stains and easy to keep clean.

Solid. There’s no veneer or coating; no matter how you slice it, it has the same composition and color throughout.

Infinitely Repairable. It’s scratchable, but thanks to its solidity, scuffs, dents, and burns can be sanded out.

Seamless in appearance. Corian countertop pieces can be tightly glued together then sanded so that the seams disappear.

Fully Customizable. It can be carved, sanded, and heat-shaped to create, among other things, integrated drain boards, curved sink openings, and sinks themselves.


Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
 
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sue1947 said:
Another vote for quartz: easy to maintain, easy to clean and easier on your dishes. With granite, you have to be careful with any good china or pottery dishes; it will chip them very easily.

I did a quick update to my kitchen before putting it on the market and used solid surface (essentially a cheaper version of quartz). However, the big thing I don't like about solid surface is the built in sink. It shows marks from any metal object like pots and pans (so no setting a pot in the sink to soak). So while it seemed like a good idea at the time to get the sink without additional cost, I would go with quartz and an undermount stainless steal sink.

The other issue is how high your countertops are. My 1979 kitchen counters are too low for me and the next house is getting a decent kitchen with countertops that don't give me a back ache from bending over the sink. I'm at a timeshare now with higher ones (I think 36") and they are great. When they put in the solid surface ones, I asked about raising the height up and they said you can add an inch or so between the counters and the cabinets for a little extra height.

In a previous house, I put in new countertops put in and didn't do anything with the cabinets. After, the cabinets looked really old and I wished I had done something. You might think about at least painting the cabinets, though make sure it's done right with lots of sanding, priming and good quality paint. I did this with the house getting ready to sell and it looks brand new.

Sue
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I would not raise the cabinets from under the countertops. The best was is to raise the cabinets at the floor with 3/4 inch plywood cut to fit. Then, there are matching kickplates that trim them out. If your floor is not level you need them anyway. If new construction, make sure they install the cabinets LEVEL.

PS today's cabinets are 36" high.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
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Quartz is great for kitchen countertops - we used Cambria in our kitchen remodel, but Silestone is also good. Theses two brands have the highest hardness factor.

Make sure you also consider edging style - there are multiple types.
 
I also have Corian. Felt Granite was too formal for our condo. No complaints for Corian. Would do it again.
 
I did granite for kitchen when we remodeled a few years ago. Really like it. We have tones of black, brown, gold, and more with lots of "movement." The pattern means you never see fingerprints or marks...I have to wipe carefully or I can miss crumbs! It's been very durable and stain free and I cook a lot.

We did a tile backsplash in a neutral tan that matched the granite and inserted a few rows of contrasting glass tiles as an accent. We added undercabinet downlighting, too, and it really makes the granite pattern look lovely.

We went to a couple of big granite warehouses that our contractor used to pick out ours. We needed two slabs, so wanted to be sure we loved it. It was fun to see all the different options.
 
TUGBrian said:
this is high on the list for our new countertops...trying to convince the wife they wont "rot away" after a few months! I absolutely love the look.
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Rot away!!!

You need to clean and oil high use areas monthly. Other areas less frequently.

This is 1 3/4 in. When me and a buddy hauled this upstairs his comment was that it was the heaviest piece of timber he had ever carried.
 
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