Differences Between Granite, Marble and Quartz Material

While I do not profess to be an expert in the areas of kitchen and bathroom tile and stone choices, I have personally been challenged in home remodels by the differences between granite, marble and quartz material.  My times of frustration at making the decision of which way to go in my kitchen or bathrooms, I have listed just a few significant considerations that are really at the heart of making the decision of which material to go with. 

I am hopeful that this short list will save you a lot of time and stress in making your choice.

 

GRANITE.  This is a natural material and being so there will many differences between different slabs you will look at.  Almost like a fingerprint.  Being so, it is important to actually physically see the slab before they start cutting it up for your home.  Samples are just that, an indication of what it will look like.  Granite is made from lava and mineral cooling, which creates quartz deposits making the material very hard and durable.  Depending on the final material chosen here, granite is somewhat pourous and will need to be sealed and maintained.

 

MARBLE.  Also a natural material, with many differences in slabs, as in granite, it is natually made by compression of material and mineral layers in the Earth.  Being so, it is softer and absorbs more elements than granite.  There are however extremely beautiful slabs of marble where you can physically see the compression layers of different colors and designs, like wood grain.  Marble typically always gets sealed and does require some ongoing maintenance due to its porous nature.

 

QUARTZ.  This is a man made product which uses quartz as its base, which is the hardest part of the granite stone.  The quartz is a clear material but is mixed with pigments to bring out different designs and colors and can also be mixed with other products to create even more complex designs and patterns.  There is very little maintenance and asborption in quartz products.  There are various companies that sell quartz slabs, such as Caesarstone, Hanstone, or Silestone.  Unlike Granite and Marble, which can have naturally differing slab sizes, quartz slabs are typically fixed sizes.

 

With the above general simple information about each product I think you will be a bit better armed with some knowledge to help you make your choice between granite, marble and quartz materials before you walk into the stone stores.

Differences Between Granite, Marble and Quartz Material

 

JAY & MICHELLE LIEBERMAN Broker Associates Coldwell Banker Westlake Village Cell: (310) 849-2282  Office: (818) 874-9441 DRE #01874717  |  DRE #01910290 info@teamjaymichelle.com www.teamjaymichelle.com

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