Countertop materials

Quartz

Quartz is about nine parts ground natural quartz to one part resin and pigment, pressed into slabs. It is non-porous, so it does not need sealing and shrugs off coffee, wine and oil. It is not made for direct heat: a hot pan goes on a trivet.

• Cambria
• Caesarstone
• Silestone
• MSI
• Viatera
• HanStone
• Wilsonart
• Vicostone
• Cosmos
• Vadara
• Valiant
• Variant
• Raphael Stone
• Stratus
• Ultra Stones
• Topzstone
• Spectrum
• Zodiaq
• Pental
• Aggranite
• Enigma
• Mikado
• Curava
• Symphony by Aurea
• Zeal

Granite

Granite is cut from the quarry in blocks and sawn into slabs, so every slab is different: you choose the one that becomes your kitchen. It handles heat, knives and decades of use. It is porous enough to need sealing, usually once a year or two depending on the stone.

Quartzite

Quartzite is sandstone turned by heat and pressure into one of the hardest stones used for countertops. It carries the long, soft veins people love in marble, without marble's softness. It still needs sealing, and the slabs vary a lot, so seeing them in person matters.

Marble

Marble is softer than granite and quartzite. Acids like lemon and vinegar can etch a polished finish, and over years a marble top takes on a lived-in patina that many people choose it for. A honed finish hides etching better. It is at its best on vanities, fireplaces, baking areas and backsplashes.

Porcelain & Dekton

Porcelain and sintered surfaces like Dekton and Neolith are fired at very high temperatures into thin, dense slabs. They take hot pans, UV and freezing winters, which makes them a strong choice for outdoor kitchens. The pattern is printed through the body or on the face, so edge choices are more limited than with stone.

• Dekton
• Neolith
• Stile
• Teracanto

Soapstone

Soapstone is a soft, dense stone that acids and stains don't touch. It scratches easily, but scratches sand or oil out, and the stone darkens to a deep charcoal with mineral oil. Many owners love how it ages.