Take a look at this island, what kind of stone is this?
We get this question a lot when helping customers with ordering countertop: which stone is the best?
If not knowing much about countertop, many customers would refer all natural looking countertops as "marble". But in fact, a lot of them are granite or even marble-looking quartz. Only a few stone slabs are actually marble in a stone shop. Marble slabs can come with cracks hidden underneath. When looking closely, you can see them with your bare eyes. When flipping the slabs to select or during shipment to the warehouse or your home, they can break into pieces with a slight vibration. Not to mention when contractors drill a hole for the sink or faucet.
Quartz is durable
Marble may look high-end, but if considering durability and sturdiness, quartz as a man-made countertop is the most durable one, so sometimes come with highest cost. Quartz countertop is man-made countertop using high pressure to combine the natural stone quartz with resin. To quickly gauge if the quartz countertop is of high value, just look at the size of the quartz and the amount/density manufacturer use. Since quartz is one of the hardest materials on the earth, so it is hard to be able to scratch the countertop.
Granite is a natural gift
And then the second choice comes to granite. According to wikipedia, Granite forms from silica-rich (felsic) magmas. It is one of the hardest stones abundantly found on earth. But since granite is natural stone so they can contain cracks during formation. After exposing to different things like water, acid or high temperature, the stone can wear out and cracks may surface. When water is present, the heat resistance of granite drops drastically. Then, anything liquid can get into the stone, causing pollution and damage. Another thing is the radiation. A lot of people ask about the radiation for granite. The reason granite can be so colorful if because of the different metal or materials inside the slab. So if you think these elements can cause harm to your body, then this is something you should consider. But generally, as far as I am concerned, getting 2-3 pieces of granite stone at home is not harmful. Granite is unique, each piece is different and has its own style. It is more like a gift from the earth and time, so carefully picking out your stone is highly recommended to match your home decor with your other pieces of countertop.
Marble is your designer bag
I personally think marble is very good looking but also needs extra care and even luck. It is more for customers who like a pretty kitchen, rather than a heavy duty kitchen. As mentioned earlier, getting a crack-less marble piece is not easy. They naturally are more fragile and the texture is semi-see-through. If use at other area like windowsill or as a decoration, there will be no problem at all.
So, to answer the question at the very beginning of the article, it is a quartz countertop. Since quartz countertop involves man-made process, they can have various design but still remain an identical look. So for homes with simplicity style, quartz is your easy solution.