Colors
Natural stone is quarried all over the world and is available in hundreds of colors. Color and availability of a stone are factors that affect the price. Because stone is a natural product, variations in the tone and grain structure exist from slab to slab. Since some stones vary a great deal in pattern and color from slab to slab, it is best to complete your whole stone project at once. We offer digital images of available inventory to help you in choosing your stone.

Engineered stone is very consistent in texture and color. What customers see in samples is exactly what they get in finished products. To provide customers with the maximum color choices and textures, we carry many manufactured quartz stones.

Options for Stone
Granite is the most popular choice for solid surface countertops on the market today. It is the choice we recommend most often for a variety of reasons. Granite color choices and patterns are extensive and varied. Granite is heat, stain, and scratch resistant. It is easy to maintain, requiring sealing only once a year with a liquid sealer. Sealing takes between 10 and 15 minutes.

Quartz or engineered stone is a man-made product that is composed of 93% quartz and 7% polymers. It has the same properties as granite but requires no sealing. There is a wide range of colors and these colors tend to be more consistent than natural stone. The gloss on quartz stone is not as high as granite.

How are Natural Stone and Quartz-Based Countertops Different?
The difference between the two is that the quartz-based material is a man-made product. It is made from natural stone with a petroleum-based resin mixed in to hold it all together. Many manufacturers of these man-made products down-sell the durability of natural stone and claim that it is high-maintenance. In fact, granite is primarily composed of feldspar and quartz, which is what these man-made products are made from, but granite doesn’t have resin in the mix. People generally select man-made products because they provide colors that aren’t available in granite. The installed price between the two products is similar.

Marble. Slate, and Travertine
These products are other products that can be used for stone projects. They are used in bathrooms, vanities, fireplace surrounds, and tabletops. These natural stones are softer than granite and quartz and are not as durable. These stones can be used in kitchens but take more work to maintain than granite and quartz.

Soapstone
Soapstone is a good choice for countertops because it is very durable and dense and therefore is not easily stained. You do need to oil soapstone so it darkens evenly, otherwise it will darken at different rates. You can not over oil your soapstone countertop with mineral oil. It is very heat resistant and a light sanding will take out any scratches you get because it is a softer stone.