Granite, marble or quartz?
When selecting a stone worktop for your kitchen or bathroom it pays to keep in mind practical considerations regarding the physical properties of the material, including resistance to scratches, heat, soiling and wear.
Since worktops are frequently the central design element in kitchens and bathrooms, it is important that the worktop also forms a complete whole with the design elements and colour solutions used in the interior.
A durable granite worktop with a unique pattern
Granite is a strong material. In general, a simple rule applies: the darker a granite surface, the stronger and more durable it is. Light and colourful granite are usually a bit softer and more porous, which makes them more receptive to mechanical damage, and they may more easily soil due to carelessness.
The biggest advantages of granite are its unique patterns and natural character. Our product selection also includes a wide selection of granite worktops – the external appearance of worktops varies from exotic wavy patterns to dark fine grained patterns.
Granite Viscount White
Marble worktops – an affordable choice offering a luxurious appearance
Marble is a very popular and widely used worktop material. Even so, when using marble one must take into consideration the fact that it is a material that requires attention and care.
As opposed to granite, marble is easier to scratch; in addition, marble is sensitive to several kinds of common acidic food products. When selecting marble, greater attention must be given to preventing stains, although with the help of preventive care and regular impregnation a marble worktop will also last for a long time. Impregnation is necessary only once every couple of years, depending on the frequency of use.
The majority of marble types are not suitable for use in the kitchen, but look good in the bathroom, as windowsills or fireplace stones. The main advantage of marble over granite and quartz is the unparalleled luxurious exterior, as well as the more affordable price.
White Marble Bianco Carrara C
Inspired by nature, quartz is modern, practical and durable
Quartz, or artificial stone, is a several decades old product that has proven its practical value. Quartz worktops are strong and non-porous, which means that they are difficult to scratch and permanent soiling is nearly impossible. The selection of artificial stone allows for different and unique design solutions, since colours which do not occur in nature are also offered. In recent years artificial stone manufacturers have brought several new nature inspired materials to market, which combine the practicality of artificial stone and the unique beauty of natural stone. The best of both worlds!
Quartz is best suited for a modern kitchen or living room. Quartz is not suitable for use as windowsills, since long-term UV-radiation may affect the colour of the material. The artificial stone is also not suitable for use in front of a furnace or fireplace, as glowing embers may leave burn marks on the material.
Quartz stone Harmonia Dolomites
We hope that our advice helps you to make a decision regarding which stone worktop is best suited for your wishes and needs. If you are still in doubt and have any additional questions, then ask for detailed information from our experts. We deal with stone worktops on a daily basis, and over the years we have acquired a great deal of experience and clever tips on how to help bring you a step closer to achieving your goal – the ideal home.
Take a closer look at our extensive selection of and prices for stone kitchen worktops and bathroom worktops.
Order a new worktop today!
Granite
Marble
Composite stone (quartz)
Limestone
Artificial stone (Terrazzo, cement marble)
Ceramic worktops – beautiful, trendy and extremely durable
What does “2 weeks from measurements to installation” mean? Is it a definite promise?
In the interest of customer satisfaction, Granitop has polished its process of ordering a worktop over the years, so that everything goes smoothly and with minimal stress. Generally, the preparation and installation of a stone worktop doesn't take more than 14 days and in exceptional cases we have performed miracles and been even faster. This 2-week installation deadline is a priority of ours and applies to stock materials that are on the product list, including the price per square meter. For special order stones, the period may be slightly longer. There have been a few cases when (for reasons beyond our control) it took longer to complete the order, nor can we keep our promise, if none of the offered visit times is suitable for the customer. Granitop logisticians agree the time for measuring and installation by an hour (e.g. from two to three) - this does not mean that the team will arrive at exactly 14:00, but that our specialists can be expected between 14 and 15. From time to time, some schedule changes may occur due to the previous site taking a little longer, because no one is protected from surprises.
What should be considered upon ordering a background stone and edging?
As is the case for the worktop, the length of the background is limited by the length of the stone slab. Whenever possible, we will make the background stone from the same slab, to maximize similarity to the worktop. For some materials (limestone, marble, terrazzo), full-length edging is not possible due to the brittleness of the stone, especially if the background stone is less than 100 mm high.
The TOP-10 of our most popular materials in 2021
Our statistics summary from last year tells us that almost half of all the stone worktops we sold last year were quartz, and out of those quartzes the Noble collection proved to be the most successful one. Next up were the granites (close to 20%) and limestones (close to 12%), followed by marble and terrazzo (both at just a bit under 10%). Our top-10 fit five different types of quartz, three kinds of granite, one limestone (the number one spot Jura Grey) and naturally the white Bianco Carrara C marble.
Our TOP-10 stones
Jura Grey
Bianco Carrara C
Mystery White
Noble Ivory White
Noble Concrete Grey
Nero Assoluto
Noble Carrara
Noble Supreme White
Steel Grey
Viscount White
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