5 Countertop Materials & How to Choose the Right One For You

Today we are going to be talking about countertop materials.

To begin the discussion, we're going to go over the pros and cons of the various types of countertop materials that I usually spec in my projects and those that are the most common for people to use in their kitchens and bathrooms at home.

After our talk, you will have much more insight into the best countertop material for your next project.

1. Quartzite

Quartzite is one of the hardest materials that you can get in a natural stone. It is even harder than granite. It is also able to withstand high heat due to the pressure that is naturally occurring in it, giving it that hardness, as well as the heat that is used to make this product in nature.

One of the pros for me with quartzite, on top of the fact that it's such a beautiful stone, is the coloring. They are mostly available in lighter colors, like beiges and grays.

Now, keep in mind that with any natural stone, you're going to get variation from slab to slab and also from block to block.

One of the cons to using natural stones, then, is that there isn't consistency, so if you realize a year later that you want to add on, you're not going to get a good match.

Another con for quartzite is that it is quite expensive. It's on par with granite and some marble, but the actual fabrication cost is more expensive because it's such a hard material, that it requires special blades to cut through.

2. Marble

Let's talk about marble. Everybody's afraid of marble for three reasons: etching, scratching, and staining. Scratching can easily be avoided by using a cutting board when chopping and cutting your food products.

I recommend this with any countertop, regardless of the material, because any of them are susceptible to knives.

Etching happens when the polished finish of the stone is etched away by acids. Coffee, tomato sauce, wine, lemon juice, that sort of thing. The acid etches the stone. And then staining is another big one.

Because marble is one of the softer stones, it's very porous. So if you spill something on it and you leave it to sit there, it is going to be absorbed by the stone and that's how you get the staining.

There's a simple way to remedy that and that is to seal it. Sealers minimize staining by providing a barrier on the stone, sealing it literally, so the stone is no longer absorbent.

3. Granite

Granite is harder than marble, less porous, less resistant to scratches, and less resistant to staining. The problem with granite, and why we've sort of shied away from that especially right now trend-wise, is that it is usually found in darker colors and is very busy as opposed to quartzite and marble materials.

Again, if you have a granite countertop and you want to make it look more current, I suggest you have somebody come in and hone the finish down. What honing does is that it softens the graining and the intensity of the color.

4. Quartz

Our next most popular countertop material is quartz. Remember, there's a difference between quartzite and quartz.

Quartzite is a natural stone and quartz is a man-made product. With quartz, you cannot put a hot pan directly on the counter.

5. Porcelain

The other material that is really gaining in popularity right now is porcelain. The pros to a porcelain countertop are that it doesn't scratch, doesn't stain, is heat resistant, and can also be used outdoors because it is UV protected. Extremes in temperatures will not cause any damage to a porcelain product.

Now, in terms of price, porcelain is actually one of the cheaper ones that you can buy, but because it is such a hard material, special machines and cutters are needed to fabricate it. So your price is going to go up to at least the cost of granite, sometimes even the cost of marble.

Now, the problem with them as a countertop is that you need to go with a half-inch slab for an under-mount sink and that is going to push your price up a little bit in terms of edges.