Seacoast Stone Blog

Countertops are the focal point for both kitchens and bathrooms. The eye is naturally drawn to the counter when you enter either of these rooms. With the seemingly endless possibilities for your countertops, we are here to help you understand the differences between natural stone countertops and man-made stone countertops.

What to Consider When Choosing a Countertop Material

When it comes to maintenance, cleanliness and aesthetics of your countertop material choice, the following considerations need to occur:

• Maintenance – It you know your family is spill and stain prone, opt for less porous stones. Red wine, oils and acidic fruits can easily stain poorly sealed man-made and natural stones.
• Cleanliness – Some natural and man-made stones are more likely to harbor bacteria than others. If you often cut on your countertops or have young children, it is in your best interest to go with a countertop that is less porous than others.
• Aesthetics – If you want to keep with traditional or contemporary styles, consider countertops that only come in a few colors. If you want to go bold, turn to countertops that have a range of colors.

Among all of the things to consider, the biggest decision is to figure out if you want a man-made stone countertop or a natural stone countertop. Natural stone brings beauty, class, and elegance into your home. Man-made stone allows different colors to be brought into your home that can’t be found in nature.

Available Countertop Choices

Let’s take a look at countertop materials:

• Granite Countertops – Granite is a natural stone that comes in a range of colors, so anyone can find a countertop that goes with their style. With stain- and heat-resistance qualities, it’s easy to maintain your countertop. Granite countertops do require a yearly seal to maintain its luster and anti-staining qualities.
• Marble Countertops – Like granite, marble is a natural stone, no two slabs are exactly the same. Your countertops will be unique. Marble countertops stain easily and cannot have acidic items laid on them, but it does bring in a modern, beautiful touch to your home, so many homeowners opt for this particular stone.
• Quartz Countertops – This man-made stone can be engineered in nearly any color, cut, and size. Quartz countertops have high anti-scratch qualities. While it can resist some heat, you should avoid placing any hot pans directly on the countertop.
• Soapstone Countertops – For those who want an antique feel in the home, soapstone countertops are the way to go. This strong natural stone does scratch easily, but it adds to the antique look and feel over time.

The debate for natural stone versus man-made stone is longstanding, and likely will continue for years to come. Natural stones are easier to clean and do not contain and unnatural materials. However, man-made stones are readily available and often more customization for homeowners.

Is Natural or Man-Made Better?

At the end of the day, there isn’t a right answer. It boils down to your personal tastes, preferences and needs. We offer a range of granite countertops, marble countertops, quartz countertops, and soapstone countertops to meet every style. Be sure to visit our showroom in Seabrook, NH and speak with one of our countertop professionals and view stone selections in person.

The bathroom countertops you select will have a lasting effect on the room’s appearance and functionality. Knowing the differences between each type of material will help you decide which type is right for you.

When choosing the countertops for your home, consider the appearance, maintenance and functionality of each material. How long will the material last? What kind of maintenance does each require? Answering these questions and others like them will help you choose the countertop material that will suit you best. Below, we’ve listed some of our most popular countertop material types.

Quartz

Quartz is one of the most popular types of countertop material available to consumers today. Some think that quartz is an all-natural stone, but it’s actually a combination of resins and crushed stone powder. Because it’s made from crushed stone, it can be colored to match nearly any homeowner’s tastes. It also comes in a variety of different colors and patterns. Quartz can be made to resemble marble or granite, but it’s more durable and needs less maintenance. Unlike granite or marble, quartz never needs to be sealed.

Marble

Marble is a romantic and beautiful stone with a long history of use in homes and buildings. Marble can be found in mantels and on old staircases. It’s a soft stone, and it can contain iron. When unsealed and exposed to moisture, some marble may turn a slightly rusty color. To keep your marble looking as beautiful as the day it was installed, it needs periodic resealing. Marble is often white and gray, which is very fitting for modern aesthetics.

Granite

Granite was the preferred countertop material for a long time, and it’s still very popular with homeowners. It’s very hard, durable, and scratch-resistant. It also comes available in a variety of colors and patterns. Granite adds value to your bathroom. It’s also very low maintenance, only needing regular cleaning and periodic re-sealing to keep it looking its best.

Most granite comes in neutral colors like beige, cream and brown. Some types of granite come in bolder colors like blue, green and red. If you want granite countertops but don’t want your counters to look like everyone else’s, ask your countertop supplier to show you the more colorful options available.

Soapstone

Soapstone is easily recognizable because of its matte finish and gray or beige coloring. It’s a harder material than marble and less susceptible to etching, but can still be vulnerable to some scratching. Soapstone is known to darken with time. This aging process is natural.

Contact an Expert Countertop Material Supplier

At Seacoast Stone, we sell a variety of countertop materials for homeowners. Our bathroom countertops options are top quality. If you’re remodeling your bathroom, you may find yourself wondering what is the best countertop material for a bathroom? We can answer your questions about our materials and help you through the purchase and installation process, so contact us.

This Portsmouth, NH customer just scored a kitchen remodel for the ages. This gorgeous “all white” kitchen was outfitted with new flooring, new custom cabinets, all new stainless steel appliances (including that double oven, I want that), built-in stove top with custom backsplash and all new lighting.

The new layout includes an L-shaped countertop with available seating along the outer perimeter and a spacious kitchen island with an interior sink. The Qstone quartz countertops in Venice add the clean and elegant beauty that homeowners yearn for. Don’t you just want to glide through this kitchen with an espresso martini in hand? Oh yes.

Later winter last year, our neighbors in Hampton, NH suffered a devastating fire that ravaged three quarters of their home. It took many months of demolition and reconstruction to rebuild the main structure which included the kitchen, first floor living areas, master bedrooms and bathrooms.

Because the interior design could be started from scratch, the homeowners opted to alter the main kitchen and living areas to create a much larger, open area for family visits and entertaining.

The kitchen now serves as the central hub of the home hosting a large kitchen island which includes a sink and prep area along with a wrap around bar height counter all in Summerhill quartz by Cambria.

Just look at these photos after installation and after the rebuild was complete. Gorgeous. Home sweet home.

Do you have annoying hard water stains on your beautiful marble and granite surfaces that are marring its magnificence? Luckily, these types of imperfections can be easily remedied.

What’s a hard water stain?

First of all, let’s identify what a hard water stain is, and what it’s not. It’s important to know the difference so you don’t use the wrong method to correct your stain, causing the surface additional damage.

A hard water stain is a buildup of mineral deposits on your kitchen countertops. It looks dull and feels slightly raised to the touch.

A hard water stain is not an etch mark, which can often be confused with each other. An etch mark is caused when an acidic agent (certain foods, citrus-based cleaning sprays, etc.) chemically reacts with the marble or granite and literally eats away the surface, causing a slight indentation that feels rough.

What causes hard water stains?

Hard water stains on your marble countertops are caused from hard water (water containing minerals including calcium and magnesium) being allowed to dry on the marble surface—as the water evaporates, the minerals are left behind. Once the minerals have adhered to the marble or granite surface, it becomes easier for more and more buildup to occur causing those tell-tale dull spots.

How can you remove water stains?

To remove hard water stains, try using cleaner specifically made for marble or granite countertops (not an all-purpose surface cleaner) and scrub with a dry towel. Ask your granite or marble provider which brands they recommend.

You may also try using a fine steel wool grade #0000 by wetting the stain and lightly rubbing the steel wool in a circular motion over the stain until you are able to buff out the dullness.

Another common remedy is to create a thick paste using water and baking soda. Rub the mixture onto the stain and rinse away with water. Dry with a clean, soft towel.

How can you prevent hard water stains?

Preventing hard water stains is easy, you just need to be conscientious about keeping your marble or granite countertops dry and clean.

The most obvious areas to have a buildup of hard water stains are around your sink where water is constantly splashing onto the sides and backsplash of your granite or marble countertops. Be sure to dry those areas completely with a dry towel following sink use. Similarly, don’t leave water to dry naturally anywhere on your countertops—even thin, wet smears will eventually start to dull your surfaces.

Is the stain still there?

If you have tried the various methods above to remove your hard water stains, it’s possible you have misidentified the stain and it is, in fact, an etch mark. But don’t worry, etch marks can also be removed. See our article on removing etch marks and you’ll be on your way to gorgeous countertops once again.

Marble countertops are absolutely gorgeous and anyone who has spent the money on marble countertops wants to keep them looking gorgeous. Forever.

Impossible? No!

You simply need to be aware of 1) what kinds of stains can occur, 2) how to prevent them, and 3) how to fix them if you have them.

Marble Stains

There are two types of marble “stains”. One is true stain which occurs when a substance is absorbed into the pores of the marble leaving a dark or colored mark.

The other type of “stain” is called etching which is not an actual stain but rather damage to the stone’s surface that occurs when acid comes in contact with the marble and literally eats away at the stone. This creates dull spots that may look like scratches or rings—this is called etching.

True Stains

A true stain on your marble countertops will look like a dark spot (if stained by oil) or can take on the color of the spill (of something extremely pigmented in color like food coloring or cumin). Simple contact with these liquids will not result in a stain so if you clean up spills after they happen—even a little while after they happen—you will not see long-term stains. I’ve cleaned up pizza grease on my marble countertops the next day and it was fine.

Except for Easter egg coloring dye. I did not clean that up right away and it did leave a stain (which I was eventually able to remove).

Bottom line, clean up spills quickly and you won’t have a problem.

For more information on removing stains from your marble countertops, read our Stain Removal blog post.

Etching

Marble has had a bad reputation for “staining easily” but it’s actually not so. True stains happen rarely and usually can be removed. It’s the etching that people equate with stains that happen regularly and are nearly impossible to avoid over time.

Etching is corrosive action that occurs when calcite-based stones (like marble, limestone or travertine) comes in contact with an acidic substance—this can be anything from coffee, juice or soda to tomato sauce, salad dressing or vinegar. This contact creates a reaction where the marble’s surface layer is actually eaten away exposing the raw marble underneath.

So when you see water spots, glass rings or scratches, this is a result of etching and not actual stains.

Preventing Stains and Etching

The only way to avoid staining and etching in your marble countertops is to not cook, eat or even enter your kitchen.

Impossible, right? Obviously.

Marble stains are actually easy to prevent and easy to remove (usually, anyways). Etching, on the other hand, is nearly impossible to avoid no matter how much of a neat freak you are. Many people who choose marble countertops for their kitchen opt for the honed finish (the matte, unpolished finish) because this hides and masks etching much better than its polished counterpart. Many people even like the etching that takes place over time as part of the marble’s natural patina—they have a story to tell of the life that’s been lived in your kitchen.

As a point of reference: We are a family of four and not one of us is even close to a neat freak. We’ve had our white marble countertops (honed) for nearly 5 years now and have zero stains and only a few etching marks. If we can keep it clean looking, so can you.

Removing Stains

Any stain I’ve ever had on my marble countertops was easily removed with this method: Lay a paper towel over the stain. Pour hydrogen peroxide onto the paper towel to saturate. Leave overnight and the stain should be gone. If the stain has not been completely removed, repeat the steps and leave on for another twelve hours.

For tougher stains and alternative methods of removing stains from your marble countertops, read our Stain Removal blog post.