Marble vs Granite Kitchen Countertops

How To Tell The Difference Between Marble and Granite

Using granite and marble for flooring your house, bathroom, and kitchen countertops is obvious these days especially if you are buying a new house. However one often gets confused when asked to differentiate between the two. Both granite and marble are poles apart and their difference is age-old especially when it comes to their origin.

Granite is a type of intrusive, felsic igneous rock that is granular and crystalline in a texture consisting mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar. Marble on the other hand is a non-foliated metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite and dolomite. When it comes to using as a countertop material one should be aware that granite is resistant to acid, strains, scratches, and heat; marble conversely is sensitive to acid and certain acidic foods such as tomatoes, lemon, wine, and vinegar. Marble is also extremely sensitive to mildew removers and tile cleaners.

What is unique when you use granite is that granite is a highly versatile stone that can be used almost anywhere; it is suitable for enhancing both the indoor and the outdoor beauty of your house and your workplace. Marble being susceptible to scratching and staining as compared to granite is thus low on the versatility scale. Moreover, marble also weathers in the outdoors.

Both marble and granite flooring undoubtedly adds a unique glory to your flooring and are so durable that they last for a lifetime, but when compared granite has extra durability and granite is also highly resistant to stains. Marble tiles are stained much more easily than granite tiles and stain on a marble flooring or countertop should be removed as soon as possible. What can be done to reduce the possibility of these stains on your marble flooring and countertops can be sealed with a penetrating sealer that reduces the porosity of the stone thus increasing stain resistance. These penetrative sealers can help to prevent the stain from setting into the marble for up to 24 hours; this of course depends on the spill and sealer type one uses.

When it comes to sealing, marble should be sealed every year while granite needs to be sealed once in two years; it is thus well understood that granite involves less maintenance as compared to marble. Present-day sealers are highly effective, and in cases of stains occurrence, they can easily be removed with a ready-made poultice.

When it comes to buying marble you should consider buying C class category marble because it is much more resistant to stains as compared to the A and B class available in the market. Needless to say, granite is highly resistant to stains, and buying from a good dealer is all you need to take care of.

Yes, it is true that choosing granite over marble is a better option but both marble and granite rules the market as compared to other synthetic stones. Whether you choose granite or marble you are ensuring durable and sophisticated flooring or countertops for yourself.