Need advice for kitchen countertop

Hey guys! I came across with this thread looking for some advice on deciding between quartzite and marble for kitchen countertop. They have both their own unique color and strengths, but the price is also a factor for choosing. If you guys may know a source that could give me further information about their available color and prices of each. Can you please share?

Are there no kitchen remodeling stores in your area?

Have the salesperson give you suggestions, then shop around for the best deals on countertop materials and installation.

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Marble is generally NOT a good fit for kitchen: It’s prone to stains, can’t take acids (lime, vinegar,…), etc. … Marble is for show kitchens where people don’t actually cook. Considering it’s for your AirBnB, your guests won’t take good care of your precious marble.

A well sealed granite is probably the better option, because granite can also take the heat of a cooking pot. Truth be told, most granites can be quite fugly. And many marbles are really beautiful, but then again, what is beauty if a guest decides to cut a beetroot on your countertop and it all of a sudden turns pink. Or another guests decides to make a pisco sour and your countertop loses it’s shine because of the lime eating into it.

I’m not familiar with Quartzite, but a quick read suggests that it’s heat, scratch and etch resistant. I don’t know about staining.

Composite materials are great on everything except heat. Although they can take a bit of heat it’s better not to put a pot directly from the stove onto the countertop. Guess what one of your guests sooner or later will do? :wink:

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He is correct.
It is petty though…

I went with granite because:

  1. Durability
  2. Cost. ($23/sq ft installed). Other solid surfaces were 2x or 3x the cost.

On this website, you will find endless stories of careless guests so durability is key. Also for me it was a cost/benefit analysis. Since I didn’t live there, would I be able to recoup the cost of the renovation either by rental fees or in property value/ease of resale? If it was for my personal home I wouldn’t be so analytical and install what I liked and was in the budget.

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I will never cease to be amazed at the number of people who cut directly on the countertop Instead of using one of the 3 cutting boards in the kitchen!!!

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When I had a consulation to re-do my kitchen, I walked in wanting quartz counter tops and after listening to the pros and cons, walked out with granite. Don’t regret it. It’s beautiful and durable.

In my home I have silestone and am so pleased with it! I installed it about 6 years ago and I heavily use my kitchen and it still looks great.

We have Stainless steel counter tops. They don’t stain, a hot pot is not a problem and once they get scuffed up a bit of wet sanding with 400 grit waterproof sand paper makes them look new. (Just rub parallel to the front edge). Most professional kitchens use stainless steel.

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I have quartz (Silestone brand) countertops in my home kitchen, with quartzite in the island. The quartz is more durable. I got it in a white with little flecks of silver and grey. Red wine? Comes out with a little bleach. Watching from acids such as lemons? Nope. The quartzite is beautiful, but I’m happy I got it in a honed finish. It definitely scratches more and gets etched with acid.

We are going to try concrete countertops in our next place.

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It’s hard to recommend when we know so little. How much worktop do you need? Where in the world are you? Are you fully booked and have back to back guests? Are you in a tourist area where guests are out sightseeing all day? Do you attract guests who want to cook?

What problems have you had with your current worktop? Are you determined to pick either of the options you mentioned or prepared to look for alternatives? Will you take the advice of strangers from all over the world? How much wear does will the countertop get? (How many people does your rental sleep?) Are you supplying cookware for guests to cook elaborate meals or just for heating up stuff? Are you prepared to replace the countertops in a certain period of time? Are you okay with repairing minor problems yourself?

Phew.

Not an easy question!

Marble with stain and etch, quartzite will not. However, many stone yard sales people frequently sell marble as quartzite(either intentionally or through ignorance) and then people get all upset at the damage it sustains. So whatever you pick, take a sample home first and test it. Put wine, lemon juice, turmeric, and such to be sure. I’m updating my place. My personal kitchen will get quartzite, the kitchen in the rental will get quartz. No marble anywhere in the rental. I belong to an online community for design and building. There are many threads there (by geologists no less) that explain more in depth if you are interested.
Talking rock

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Don’t go marble. It’s muuuuch more expensive, and is much more fragile, as others have mentioned. You should be able to find a good Quartz/Quartize that looks like marble (if that’s the style you like) and it’s much more durable. Lighter colors can accept stains a little more, but we have white quartz in our kitchen and it still looks brand new. Granite is great too, but take maintenance (especially if it’s a lighter color). It can show rust stains (I once had a dog sitter leave a cast iron skillet in our counter top and now there is half of a ring left that I cannot for the life of me get off), wine stains, etc. if not properly and regularly resealed. Quartz does not require any maintenance, which may make it more favorable. IMO, I’d go with a darker color so that if and when you do get stains, they won’t show.

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I agree with most of what has already been advised

As @jaquo has suggested, it would help to have more specifics, including where you are located and the style of property.

Form vs Function. For an ABNB you need both. since much of the prior discussion has been on durability and cleaning, I’ll add comments about aesthetics

What I can add is that if you’re looking at trends / resale in the short term. …
A lot of articles are suggesting that granite fad is past; that homebuyers are looking for Quartz. I see it different … certain granites (and marbles) are dated but from a design perspective some are timeless
-> Classic Carrara marble never seems to go out of style, and there are now some quartz materials that emulate it without the concern about staining;
->however there are some marble and granite colors and styles that scream 1990’s or 2000’s. (i.e. White/grey speckled granite).

Visit a Home Depot or Lowes, or a Countertop Stoneyard to get a sense of what your budget and design options are.

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no no no MARBLE!!! I had it in a bathroom and it was trashed after 6 years.

There is a lot of stores that can give you information about countertops. But this one is personally from my experience way back when I was planning to replace my kitchen countertop. They totally provided me a lot of information about the kind of surface you might be needing. Including the price and designs for you to choose. Take a look at this! hope this could help.

https://marble.com/articles/marble-countertop-cost

Marble is the best for candy making. But it chips, cracks, and stains. Quartz is harder and wears better, but costlier to install.

We went to a national tile distributor and poked around the end of lines. We found a very rich granite tile for 75 percent off. You could link the tiles to form a pattern. Then we set and grouted everything. It’s been 4 years and it still looks lovely.

I’m a designer who works on a lot of luxury apartment complexes so hopefully I can help. We would never use marble for any countertop. Marble is extremely soft and porous and stains/chips easily. Most of the marble countertops you see are going to be quartz or large format porcelain. If we want the carrara look we’d use quartz made to look like marble. In fact we use almost exclusively quartz (which runs you $60-$80 sf in my area) and occasionally granite if it’s a lower budget project.

I’m an architect. Do you mean quartz (man-made product) or quartzite (natural stone product)?

Durability-wise, quartz or any of the many composite stone products will be your best bet. They are nearly 100% non-porous and almost indestructible.

Quartzite is another 100% natural stone products, so it is porous and requires sealing similar to granite or marble. It is generally harder and more durable than most granites.

Looking at granite, medium-toned colors are easiest to keep looking clean. Dark granite picks up rings and streaks easily, so it’s more difficult to keep looking clean. Granite also comes in a surprising range of porosity. A good stone yard will be able to point you in the right direction.

Marble definitely has it’s place, perhaps a cottage or farmhouse type space where a softer lived-in look is desirable. It will definitely develop a patina over time, and I would not recommend it if you’re a sticker about things staying pristine. It is fantastic for baking! Like granite, there’s a range of porosity depending on the specific type.

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Also for a moderately priced Airbnb, laminate could be considered. It’s come a long way since the mid 20th century in terms of looks and durability. I’d rather see a white laminate than many of the granites I’ve seen, like this one:

red

Granite and quartz are durable but if you are going to want to change your colors or styles every few years, is that what you really want?

One can save enough by installing laminate to upgrade in another area that might actually matter more to a guest or to make a place look more modern like getting rid of that cultured marble bath vanity top. LOL.

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My last renovation I ran out of money. I put in nice laminate countertops for $300.

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