Natural stone countertops are very popular in modern kitchens. Using natural stones for your countertops can elevate the look of your kitchen from average to classy and expensive. No matter which natural stone you choose for your countertops, you’ll be adding a touch of elegance to your kitchen. With that being said, if you’re considering using natural stones in your kitchen decor, you should know some information about the stones you’re considering. They require a lot of maintenance and some stones are better suited for certain situations than others.
Classifying Your Stone
It’s key to know how stones are classified because this will help you understand how they are cleaned and cared for. Natural stones fall into three categories: sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. They can be further divided into two sub-categories: calcareous and siliceous. Calcareous stones and siliceous stones may be two terms you won’t hear too often when shopping for natural stone material for your counter tops, but they are two terms you should be familiar with. Calcareous stones are considered to be more difficult to clean than siliceous stones. This is because calcareous stones are highly reactive to the acid in many cleaning solutions. Don’t let this discourage you from using calcareous stones on your counter tops. You’ll simply need to use alternative cleaning methods.
A Note About the Hardness of Stones
In 1812, Friedrich Mohs developed a scale to determine the hardness of certain stones/minerals. The scale goes from one to ten, with talc being the softest (1) and diamond being the hardest (10). A stone can be scratched by other stones or objects that have a higher rating than it. For example, some soap stones have a rating of one, but your fingernail has a rating of 2.5. This is something to keep in mind as you shop for stones for your counter tops.
Seven of the Best Natural Stones for Counter Tops
1. Granite
Granite is a very popular siliceous stone. It is a composite stone being made of quartz, feldspar, and other various minerals. On the Moh’s hardness scale, granite comes in at about a six and a half. Granite is a plentiful stone and is used in a wide variety of residential and commercial applications.
Granite is very durable, easy to clean, and extremely versatile. It comes in a huge variety of colors. Granite can be used in quite a few different areas in your home, making it one of the most versatile stones you can use. Granite also tends to be a bit more affordable than some of the other popular stones, so this lends a hand to its popularity.
2. Marble
Marble is a calcareous stone that is known for its beautiful lines and natural high-polished look. It’s essentially limestone that has been heated and compacted for hundreds of years, so it’s harder and more durable than limestone. The rating on the Moh’s scale can vary from three to five depending on the circumstances of the stone.
Marble naturally comes in many different colors. It’s often used in applications such as statues and headstones, and can be a great stone to use for your counter tops. Marble is popular for kneading dough, but is softer than most sharp knives so you’ll definitely want to use a cutting board. Marble can also be notoriously high-maintenance, so be willing to put some work in to keep it beautiful.
3. Quartzite
This is a siliceous stone that is extremely durable and hard to stain. It looks similar to marble but in some cases, can be a less expensive alternative. It’s also easier to care for than marble, so if you are looking for a low-maintenance counter with that type of appearance, you may be attracted to this one.
Quartzite can stand up well to UV rays, so it’s great to use outdoors or in rooms that are exposed to a lot of sunlight. What it does not stand up to well is sharp objects like knives, so you’ll want to avoid cutting directly on the surface. One downside to it is that it does not have a lot of color choices. It naturally occurs in gray or white, with various shades in between. You may come across some that is slightly tinted, but this is more of an exception, not a norm.
4. Soapstone
Soapstone gets its name from the fact that it feels similar to dry soap. It’s is a softer type of natural stone. In fact, it’s the softest out of all the stones on this list coming in at an average rating of 2.5 to three. The softness of soapstone is due to the fact that it has a high talc content. This means that it can chip easily, especially if you drop something heavy on it like a pot. It may seem that this softness is undesirable for a kitchen counter top, but it has other qualities that makes people opt to use this stone anyway.
For one, soapstone is extremely heat-resistant. It is often used in building fireplaces. This means that you can set hot pots and pans on it and not worry about damaging your counter top. The particles of soapstone are extremely compact, so it’s much easier to wipe clean and less prone to being contaminated by germs and bacteria. As long as you’re willing to put in some effort to prevent damages from heavy usage, soapstone will give you a beautiful, eye-catching counter top.
5. Limestone
Limestone is a siliceous stone that is great for indoor or outdoor use. It is often used in creating stone architecture. This beautiful and brilliantly colored stone is fairly soft coming in at a three on the Moh’s scale. The colors and fossilized-like patterns of limestone vary, mostly between white and off-white. There can be shades of yellow, light brown, tan, or other neutral colors.
Limestone can be difficult to maintain, but with some vigilance, your counter tops can maintain their beauty. It is porous so it can absorb liquids and stain easily. It can be damaged by acidic foods such as citrus fruit and cleaners with acid. Because of this, it must be sealed often. There are cleaning sprays that contain sealer that are specially formulated for this stone.
6. Quartz
Some people confuse quartz with quartzite because they have a similar appearance and because the names are so close to each other. These are two, very different types of stones. While both are naturally siliceous stones, quartz is sort of “manufactured” from natural silicon dioxide and other materials. It’s is very durable–it is a hard stone but not harder than quartzite. It rates at a seven on the Moh’s scale. Although it can withstand extremely high temperatures, the resin used to manufacture it is plastic and shouldn’t be subjected to temperatures over 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Quartz tends to be a cheaper alternative to quartzite because it can be poured into a mold. If you want the quartz/quartzite look, but want to save money, quartz would be the way to go. It also has more color options than quartzite.
7. Slate
Slate is a siliceous stone that is suitable to use indoors or outdoors. It is in the middle of the hardness scale coming in at a 5.5 rating. Slate can come in a smooth or cleft finish. If you prefer a more uniform appearance of your counters, slate can offer this. The colors are varied and can include shades of white, black, gray, brown, red, green, and more. It doesn’t reflect light so it will have more of a matte appearance than a polished one.
Of all the stones, slate is probably the most affordable. It is probably the easiest to maintain. Since it isn’t porous, it doesn’t stain easily and you just need to wipe it down to clean it. There aren’t too many downsides with slate other than the fact that it is more brittle than the other stones and the edges can be sharp. This can be remedied by getting the edges/corners rounded.
Natural stones are great choices for any kitchen counter top. They can upgrade the look of any kitchen, giving it an elegance that no man-made material can come close to. No matter which of the natural stones you select for your kitchen, you must remember that they all require a bit more TLC than other types of man-made counter tops. If you’re willing to put in the effort of maintaining them, these stones can give you beautiful counters for decades to come.
