Stone countertops are very popular in the kitchen for their durability and natural beauty. Often, selection among the many choices is emotional, given the aesthetic allure that many natural stones possess.
Apart from the subjective considerations, there are reasons for choosing one over another. Let’s compare and contrast Granite and Marble materials.
Appearance and Basic Makeup
The two materials are easy to distinguish. Granite tends to have darker tones, while marble is characteristically white with grey-black swirls or veins.
Marble does actually come in other colors than white, such as black or green, but those are so rare in the countertop market, we’ll just stick to what is most common.
Pure marble, as evidenced by many famous statues is entirely white, and is available as a countertop choice, though most prefer the granular lines and vein look.
Granite is chock full of imperfections, or granular ingredients that make for diversity in just about every slab ever produced by it’s manufacturer, aka Mother Earth. It consistently has specks of many materials visible on its surface, with highly unique patterns. Packing all the materials together makes for a more dense, stronger stone than marble.
Both stones are porous, which means at the microscopic level they will allow air, water, and other fluids to permeate their structure. Marble more so than granite. The porosity factor of both is an item that comes up in many ways when comparing stone countertops and we’ll address that further as we go along.
In general, marble is considered a luxurious, high end stone countertop, while granite is viewed as the strongest and fairly economical choice.
Costs and Installation Considerations
Buying stone in slabs invariably saves on costs for the material itself. Though transforming that slab into a suitable countertop is quite expensive. A slab of granite for example is say 10 by 6 feet, or 60 sq.ft. and would cost between $45 and $95 per square foot. Marble runs about $65 to $150 per sq. ft.
Continue reading “Granite vs. Marble Countertops Cost and Pros & Cons in 2022”