Granite, marble and quartzite are quarried, cut and polished — not manufactured. Every slab is different, which is the whole appeal and also why the selection process matters more than the brand ever could.
For any figured stone we take clients to the yard. Which part of a slab your island comes from changes the result completely, and that is not a decision anyone can make from a 100 mm sample chip.
Granite, marble or quartzite?
Granite is the practical natural stone: hard, heat-proof, and only needs sealing every one to three years. Quartzite is harder still and behaves like granite while often looking like marble. Marble is the softest and the only one that etches — permanently, from any acid.
| Granite | Quartzite | Marble | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed cost/sq ft | $85 – $160 | $120 – $250 | $140 – $300+ |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 6 – 7 | 7 | 3 – 4 |
| Sealing interval | 1 – 3 years | 1 – 2 years | 6 – 12 months |
| Etches from acid? | Very rarely | No | Yes — permanently |
| Heat | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Look | Speckled to dramatic | Often marble-like | Soft veining, luminous |
| Honest verdict | The practical choice | Marble looks, granite behaviour | Beautiful, high maintenance |
Quartzite is the answer for most people who want marble. It is genuinely harder than granite, does not etch, and many quartzites are visually very close to Calacatta.
Will marble etch, and can it be prevented?
Yes, marble will etch, and no sealer prevents it. Etching is a chemical reaction — acid dissolving calcium carbonate at the surface — which leaves a dull mark where the polish was. Sealing reduces staining, which is a different problem entirely.
Lemon juice, wine, vinegar, tomato and many household cleaners will all etch polished marble. On a working kitchen counter, that means visible marks within the first year, and more of them every year after.
There are two honest ways to live with it. Choose a honed finish rather than polished — etching is far less visible on a matte surface — or accept the patina as part of the material, which is how marble counters have looked in European kitchens for centuries.
If neither appeals, the alternatives are quartzite or a marble-look quartz. We would rather tell you this before you buy the slab than after.
Selecting slabs at the yard
Natural stone is sold by the slab, and slabs from the same quarry block vary. For any stone with visible movement we go to the yard with you, tape off where the island and the run will be cut from, and reserve those specific slabs.
- See the full slab, not a sample chip — a 100 mm sample tells you nothing about movement
- View it upright and wet: water approximates how it will look sealed and polished
- Reserve consecutive slabs from the same block if you need more than one
- Mark the island cut on the slab itself; the drawing is overlaid on a photo of it
- Check for fissures and resin fills — normal in natural stone, but you should know where they are
- Confirm slab dimensions against your island; a seam on an island has nowhere to hide
Book-matching, and when it is worth paying for
Book-matching means two consecutive slabs are opened like a book so the veining mirrors across the joint. It costs $2,000 to $6,000 more and is worth it on a strongly figured stone used somewhere visible — a full-height splashback or a large island.
It only works if the slabs are reserved together before fabrication, so it is a decision made at selection, not at installation. On a quiet, low-movement granite the effect is barely visible and the money is better spent elsewhere.
The most striking use of it is a book-matched full-height splashback continuing the island’s veining up the wall — see luxury kitchen renovation.
Sealing and maintenance, honestly
We seal every natural stone counter on installation and give you a written schedule for your specific stone. Granite is typically every one to three years; marble every six to twelve months.
The test for whether it needs resealing takes a minute: put a few drops of water on the surface and leave them for fifteen minutes. If the stone darkens underneath, the seal has worn and it is time. If the water still beads, it has not.
Sealing is a homeowner-level job — a bottle of impregnating sealer, a cloth and twenty minutes. We will show you how at handover rather than selling you a maintenance contract.
