When the thought of natural stone countertops comes to mind, you probably think of marble, granite, and quartzite materials. While these are the ones you’ll find in most homes, Marble Granite Connection wants to introduce you to some of the natural stones you may not be familiar with. One of these choices is soapstone. Soapstone is a wonderful natural stone that works for both kitchens and bathrooms. Natural stone is a great choice since their all one-of-a-kind. There will never be two pieces of natural stone that are the same. We’ll be providing you with a complete overview of natural stone along with some of the benefits you’ll find.

Benefits of Natural Stone 

Natural stone comes, well, naturally! Since it comes naturally from the earth, no two pieces of natural stone will ever be the same. They feature different fissures, cracks, chips, and pores. This isn’t to scare you, this is what makes natural stone such a beautiful addition to your home. Natural stone is also extremely durable. It’s extremely resistant to scratches, stains, heat, and other common kitchen resistances. Natural stone countertops can transform how your kitchen looks and feels. 

Pros & Cons of Natural Stone Countertops

No matter which type of natural stone you decide to go with, each have their different pros and cons. Take these into consideration for the next time you decide to renovate your kitchen or bathroom. 

Granite

• Pro: Durability – Granite countertops are the king of durability as they are resistant to heat, scratches, dents, and stains
• Con: Resealing: Since granite is so porous, it requires resealing every 1 to 2 years in order to protect it from staining.

Marble

• Pro: Marble not only looks good but if taken care of properly, it can be used to increase property value
• Con: Easily stained

Quartzite

• Pro: Similar to marble, quartzite produces amazing patterns and designs, making its appearance the reason it’s so sought after.
• Con: While quartz is strong and durable, it is weak against cuts and scratches

Soapstone

• Pro: Soapstone is extremely easy to clean. Non-porous makes it cleanable with just soap and a rag.
• Con: Soapstone feels good to the touch, and because of this, avoid cutting on it as it will scratch easily.

Applications

Natural stone can be included in many parts of your home. The most common places you’ll find it are the kitchen and bathroom, but it can also be found outside for patios and fireplaces. It can also be used as flooring, backsplash, and so more.

Contact the Pros Today

It’s time for you to sit back and relax while the pros at Marble Granite Connections take care of your countertop installation. We’ll transform your home in the best way possible! If you’re looking to schedule a countertop installation or have any other questions about what we can do for you, visit our contact page or call us at 954-783-2118.

Granite has been a staple in homes for years and there’s good reason for it. It’s extremely durable, heat resistant, scratch-resistant, and stain-resistant. These benefits make it one of the best options for kitchen countertops. You may be thinking of having countertops installed in your kitchen, but now you can’t decide on what color option you want to go with. Marble Granite Connection wants to help you with this decision by showing some of today’s trending granite colors. We’ll go through each one and try to show how it goes with the style you’re going for.

Granite comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Planning a countertop installation can already be a headache as is, especially with the large variety of granite colors available. Here are 5 of the highest trending colors. 

Valle Nevado

If you’re a fan of intricate designs, then you may have just found the granite color for you. Valle Nevado is a naturally light cream natural stone and features beautiful deposits and slakes of natural minerals. This type of granite pairs well with dark or light cabinetry thanks to its black, gray, and taupe specklings. 

Dallas White

If you’re looking to brighten up your kitchen and make it feel more open than ever before, Dallas White is for you. Dallas White features grey and lavender shades mixed with its beautiful creamy undertone. It pairs perfectly with white backgrounds. It can also make a nice contrast with dark cabinetry or appliances.

Thunder White 

Are you a fan of marble but dont want to spend the money or do you like the strong qualities that granite offers? Get the best of both worlds with Thunder White granite. This stone mixes grey, white, and cream swirls to give it an appearance similar to that of marble. It’s one of the most beautiful granite colors around thanks to its rather elegant appearance. It pairs extremely well with dark wood floors, dark or bright cabinets, and red accents help emphasize the red flecks found in the stone. 

Azul Platino

This stone is perfect for those looking to update their bathroom or kitchen with something that has blue-grey tones. Its speckled appearance goes with almost everything. Every slab of Azul Platino is different due to the different patterns and colors. It’s also customizable with different countertop edges.

Steel Grey

One of the darker granite colors, this stone is perfect for those who want to make a bold statement with their kitchen or bathroom. It also comes in a matte finish to reduce the glossy look. This granite goes well with white cabinetry and will make them pop. 

Contact the Pros Today

It’s time for you to sit back and relax while the pros at Marble Granite Connections take care of your countertop installation. We’ll transform your home in the best way possible! If you’re looking to schedule a countertop installation or have any other questions about what we can do for you, visit our contact page or call us at 954-783-2118.

Now is the best time to start planning that kitchen renovation you’ve been thinking about. The holiday season is when family and friends come over to celebrate and have fun, so why not surprise them with beautiful new countertops that will be the topic of conversation. Marble Granite Connection wants just that to happen, and to make sure it does, we wanted to put together some important steps to make sure you have the perfect countertop installation.

Plan

Obviously, planning is important for any project you’re about to begin. The same goes for countertop installation. Installation can take some time, so it’s important to prepare for delays with scheduling and if any additional help will be needed. Planning can be the difference between a smooth installation and a disaster.

Budget

After you’ve planned the installation, now is the time you have to consider a budget. There are tons of different options when it comes to countertop installation. These different options all fit into certain budget plans so everyone can find something that they like and are comfortable with. 

Know The Space

If you’re going for a total renovation, it’s important to know what it will look like in the future so you know exactly what to buy. Having exact measurements can save lots of time. It also ensures you dont buy too much of something. It’s also important to know how the electrical connections and plumbing will change.

In-Home Measurement 

Before making an appointment to have a countertop installation, you should take measurements of the current space. They dont have to be exact, but they do help the people install exactly how much they need to bring. 

Select Your Slab

Now comes the fun part. Choosing what slab you want is your chance to see how your space will change. Marble Granite Connection has an extensive selection to choose from. We have all the favorites, including granite, marble, quartz, soapstone, and so much more. Let us know what you’re interested in so we can send a sample to you as quickly as possible.

Measure Appointment 

Our team will come to you when most convenient so we can accurately measure the space where the countertops are being installed. It’s important to have the space cleared so our team can work as efficiently as possible. Once we have the final measurements, we will start preparing the necessary materials.

Prepare Your Home

On the day of the installation, it’s important to have the hallways and surrounding areas cleared. This ensures that our team can move materials and tools in and out of the home as quickly as possible. 

Contact the Pros Today

It’s time for you to sit back and relax while the pros at Marble Granite Connections take care of your countertop installation. We’ll transform your home in the best way possible! If you’re looking to schedule a countertop installation or have any other questions about what we can do for you, visit our contact page or call us at 954-783-2118.

No two kitchens are the same, so which countertops will work best for you and your kitchen? In a kitchen that sees a lot of activity and movement, it’s no surprise that scratches, burns, stains, and other damages will appear over time. Thankfully, there are lots of different options with prices that will fit almost any budget!.

Our countertop experts have done testing on the most popular and widely used countertops to make sure you have the best information available when making your next countertop decision. We tested the most common types of damage a countertop can experience including cuts, stains, burns, abrasion, and impact. 

Through our testing, there wasn’t much difference between the varying materials. Find the details of each material down below!

Granite

No two pieces of granite are alike, with each slab having different patterns, colors, and costs. Granite was able to put up with the worst of it including scratches, cuts, and heat damage. When properly taken care of with polish and matte finishes, there were no signs of staining either. The one big downfall of granite is its susceptibility to chipping.

Quartz

While not exactly stone, it has a similar look with less attention required. Heat damage proved to be no problem for quartz and had no problem resisting scratches, cuts, and stains. Similar to granite, quartz can suffer problems with chipping and general impacts.

Limestone, Marble, and Soapstone

Limestone and marble are materials everyone has heard of and seen before. Through testing, these two materials were able to resist all sorts of damage, scratches, and abrasions. Soapstone, which isn’t seen as often, was also very good at handling heat damage. Marble was however damaged by heat.

Laminate

Laminate has been around for a while but has recently seen improvements thanks to better technology. Affordable and easy to install, the laminate was very resistant to stains and heat but saw some damage from cutting and scratching. A cutting board would be recommended.

Solid Surfacing

A material with a lot of versatility, the solid surfacing can be used almost anywhere like sinks, backsplash, and of course counters. In our testing, solid surfacing did a good job at repelling stains, impacts, and heat. On the other hand, it saw damage coming from cuts and scratches fairly easily. 

Recycled Glass

Unique, elegant, and environmentally friendly. Recycled glass offers incredible design potential with strong and resistant material. Through testing, we found there was little to no damage from stains, cuts, scratches, and heat. The only downfall was some cracking found during heat and impact tests, but this mainly varied by material and brand.

Butcher Block

Easy to install and easy to maintain, butcher block is extremely resistant to the elements and can be sanded to remove any blemishes that arise. Susceptible to nicks and scratches but proved itself against oil stains, heat, and general wear and impact