What Type Of Stone Should You Use For Kitchen Countertops?

In most kitchens, the countertops are a high-traffic area. On any given day, they'll see food and drink spills, utensil scrapes, heavy bags, and hot pans. At the same time, countertops take up a lot of visual real estate, and the color and material you choose contribute in large part to the style of your kitchen. But that choice isn't an easy one. There are a lot of different materials suited to countertops (laminate, butcher block, tile, concrete, stone, delicate glass countertops — the list goes on), and even if you've narrowed it down to the beauty and functionality of stone countertops, you have to find the type of stone that will best fit your kitchen's needs.

Truly, that is the crux of this choice. From granite to marble to everything in between, each type of stone will have its benefits and its downsides — so when you're deciding which stone to use for kitchen countertops, you have to balance your desires, your demands, and your budget. Consider the cost of the material itself and its potential installation. Make sure the stone and its available colors work well with the rest of your kitchen. Depending on how often you'll be using the countertops and the way they'll be used (like, how frequently you'll have to remove pesky ketchup stains), decide whether their durability and maintenance will live up to your lifestyle. But once you have the stone that checks the most important boxes, your new kitchen can start to come to life.

Granite is an enduringly popular choice for kitchen countertops, and with good reason. Not only can you find granite in thousands of colors and patterns, mostly in natural and neutral shades, but the material is relatively affordable and comes in a wide range of prices. The style can also be quite versatile to match many kitchen designs.

A key element of any kitchen countertop is functionality, though, so let's talk durability. Granite is very resistant to scratches, chipping, heat damage, and general wear and tear. However, if the countertops aren't sealed about once a year, the material can stain.

If the thought of annual sealing doesn't appeal, you might want to try quartz countertops. This engineered stone, which is made up of small bits of quartz held together by resin, is very durable and impervious to scratches, wear, acid, and staining. Because of the resin, though, it doesn't hold up as well to heat as granite and other natural stones, and burn marks will appear if you set hot objects down on it directly.

Since quartz is manufactured and not natural, countertops can come in almost any shade imaginable and are easy to match to your kitchen's style. The versatility will be an investment, though; the cost of quartz is relatively high.

Quartz countertops may be engineered, but quartzite is a natural stone that comes in lots of colors and patterns (many of which look similar to marble). The material, which is created when quartz-rich sandstone undergoes metamorphism, is very durable in terms of scratching, chipping, and hot surfaces.

The material is generally considered high-end, and the price can reflect that luxury. However, the stone will easily stain if it isn't sealed, sometimes as frequently as twice a year. So the upkeep of sealing, too, is another cost to consider.

Marble is beloved in luxurious spaces for its natural beauty. However, what you gain in aesthetics, you typically sacrifice in functionality. Marble is particularly porous, so it needs to be resealed frequently so that it won't get stains. Even with a religious resealing regimen, marble will discolor over time from contact with other materials (even just your skin). Marble is heat resistant but is fairly soft for a stone, so it can be easily damaged by scratching, wear, and even acidic foods and cleaners.

Despite a generally low durability, marble is still popular because of its solitary style and longevity. Depending on the type of marble you're looking for and its grade, it can be less expensive than quartz and granite.

Its grey and white swirls are reminiscent of marble, but dolomite is a little more durable. It won't chip easily, but it is soft enough to be scratched, and you'll definitely want to stick with a cutting board for cooking. Dolomite is quite heat resistant, but it will need to be resealed to avoid any stains — and acid-based cleaners and acidic foods will cause damage (so as great as lemons are for natural cleaning, they won't help dolomite).

If you had your heart set on the look of marble, though, dolomite is a good alternative. It tends to be more affordable, and it won't be as easy to harm.

The typically darker shades of soapstone are eye-catching, so this countertop material needs a very particular style of kitchen to feel at home. If that's your kitchen, though, it can be a beautiful and relatively affordable addition that won't stain easily and doesn't need regular resealing.

You will need to oil the surface, though, to keep it looking like new. Composed primarily of talc, soapstone is also softer than some other stones, so it is very likely to get scratched and chipped — but the oiling will help get rid of those imperfections, as will gentle sanding.

Available in a range of textured, neutral tones (and even sometimes yellow and red), limestone and its matte surface are an attractive pairing for more rustic kitchens. The material is resistant to heat and relatively affordable for stone countertops.

Although it likely won't be hurt by a hot pan, limestone is still fairly delicate. It can be easily scratched and chipped, and acidic cleaners and foods will cause damage. Limestone will also have to be resealed every year, because the porous rock absorbs stains.

A relative rarity among kitchen countertops, onyx stands out as the striking centerpiece of any space. The stone, often a soft green with brown and white veining but available in a wide range of bright colors, is slightly translucent, so when onyx catches the light, it gives off a muted glow.

There's a reason that onyx isn't often used for kitchen countertops, though. It's a high-end, delicate stone that will become scratched and worn with use, and its calcium composition makes it susceptible to damage from acid-based cleaners or acidic foods.