Marble & Granite

Granite – Granite is visibly granular but can have a lot of movement.  It consists primarily of quartz, mica and feldspar.  Granite is the hardest architectural stone and the least porous.  It is highly recommended for kitchen countertops and it works well for any other applications.

Imperfections – Mineral spots are inherent to granite.  These are small spots that can show slightly lighter or darker in any given area but can make the countertop one-of-a-kind.  “Fissures” are often mistaken for cracks in the stone.  These are not cracks or defects, but rather a natural part of the stones beauty.

Surface Finishes – There are a selection of finishes that are available to change the look or feel of the surface of granite including; polished, honed, caress, antiqued (leathered), Tuscan or bush hammered – ask us for details.

Color Variation and Veining – All natural stone slabs will vary in color from one slab to the next and will also vary in color within the same slab.  No two slabs of the same color will be exactly the same.  All natural stone will have some veining within the slab.  This is a normal characteristic of the stone and is not considered a defect.

Thickness – All natural stone slabs can vary slightly in thickness within the same piece.

Marble – Marble is a metamorphic rock found in the mountainous regions of most countries of the world.  Marble quarried in India, China, Italy and Spain repersents the majority of marble, in terms of volume, that is utilized worldwide.

These stones are typically composed primarily of carbonate minerals, calcite and dolomite, either singly or combined.  These stones are much softer than granite and consequently will scratch, dent, chip and cut much easier than other stones.  They are also more porous and will stain and watermark easier as well as acid etch with some common drinks like soda pop and orange or grapefruit juice.  

Marble is not recommended in a kitchen application, but work well in both bath and entry ways.

Polished Marble or Honed Marble?
If you actually want to use your marble countertop and not just look at it, the best advice is to choose honed marble. This material has a matte finish because the final polishing step is skipped. Polished marble has that lovely shiny look, but every drop of alchol, perfume, tomato juice or lemon juice will leave spots on the finish, and you’ll be spending all your time trying to get them to sparkle again.