Natural Stone Comparison

Marble

Ideal for foyers, bathrooms floors, and hearths

Marble is found in the mountainous regions of Canada, Italy, Germany, Spain, the U.S., and other countries worldwide. Because of its beauty and elegance, marble is a popular choice for countertops, floors, foyers, fireplace facings and hearths, walls, and window. Marble adds a sophisticated element to your home, and its wonderful appearance, superior engineering characteristics, and ease of maintenance make it a natural choice for floors, wall coverings, table tops, and bathroom walls, floors, varity tops, tub decks, and showers.

Marble should be eared for as you would a fine wood finish, Using counters and table tops and cleaning up spills immediately will preserve marble's natural beauty.

Another option for marble-loving homeowners is using another natural stone-serpentinc-for kitchen counters. Sometimes called the "green" marble, serpentine is not a true marble but offers a marble-;like look, And, because it is magnesium-silicate based, it is not sensitive to citric acid and other kitchen spills.

Granite

An excellent choice for kitchen countertops, floors, and other heavily used surgaces.

Granite, quarried from the mountains of Italy, the U.S., India, and dozens of other countries around the world, is one of the most popular natural stones on the market.

Available in a striking array of colors, granite's durability and longevity make it ideal for kitchen countertops and other heeavily used surfaces, including table tops and floors while some synthetic surfaces easily and melt under hot cookware, granite resists heat. Granite is also one of the most bacteria-resistant kitchen surfaces, and it is not affected by citric acid, coffee, tea, alcohol, or wine. It is also nearly impossible to scratch, and with proper cleaning, will not stain under normal use (ask your professional contractor about scalants available to further improve resistance to staining)

A leading consumer magazine recently compared granite with engineered stone, ceramic tile, laminate, butcher block, and other manufactured surfaces, Granite received the highest overall performance rating as a kitchen countertop material. Because of its exceptional strength, granite is well suited for exterior applications such as dadding, paving, and curbing.