Marble, granite or quartz?

The three, in one line each

• Marble is a natural stone formed from limestone under heat and pressure. It is mostly calcite, which makes it softer than granite and sensitive to acids. Many Egyptian ‘marbles’ are, strictly speaking, dense limestones traded as marble; in daily use they behave the same way.
• Granite is an igneous stone, crystallised from molten rock deep underground. It is mostly quartz and feldspar, very hard, and largely unaffected by kitchen acids. In the trade the name also covers other hard igneous stones.
• Quartz is engineered: crushed natural quartz bound with resin and pigments, pressed into slabs in a factory. It is uniform, non-porous and needs no sealing, but its resin does not like strong heat or direct sun.

Side-by-side comparison

Which works where

For the kitchen

Granite and quartz are the practical kitchen choices; marble works only if you accept that it will mark.

A worktop meets lemon juice, vinegar, tomato, hot pans and knives every day. Granite shrugs off most of it. Quartz resists stains best of all but needs a trivet under anything hot. Marble etches wherever acid touches it, even when sealed: some owners love the patina that builds up, others are upset by it within a month.

Whatever the stone, ask about the details that decide how a worktop lasts: thickness, edge profile, where the joints fall, how the sink and hob cut-outs are reinforced, and whether the worktop is templated on the installed cabinets.

Floors, stairs and bathrooms

Marble remains the classic floor for receptions and bathrooms, granite is the tougher choice for stairs and entrances, and quartz is mostly kept for tops.

Polished marble floors look rich but turn slippery when wet and show scratches from grit, so many owners choose a honed finish for bathrooms and entrances. Stairs take the hardest wear in any home: granite treads, or marble with a honed or grooved nosing where water or sand is likely.

In the bathroom, any of the three works for a vanity. Keep acidic cleaners off marble, rinse soap and cosmetics off before they dry, and seal light-coloured stone.

Outdoors and on the coast

Outside, granite is the safe choice; quartz belongs indoors and out of the sun.

Sunlight, salt and sand are hard on stone. Granite with a flamed or bush-hammered finish keeps its colour and its grip on terraces, steps and facades. Marble can go outside with a honed or textured finish, but polished marble loses its shine and becomes slippery, and softer types weather over time. Quartz is a poor choice in direct sun, because its resin can yellow and fade.

For more on salt air and humidity, see our guide to finishing materials for the coast.

Examples from our catalogue

The catalogue shows each stone with its origin and finishes. A few names to start from:

• Marble: Galala Classic, Sunny Menia, Triesta, Silvia Menia, Milly Gray.
• Granite: Halayeb, New Halayeb, Black Aswan, Gandola, Aswan Red.
• Quartz: Calacatta Nile, Statuario Alba, Pure White.

A photo shows the stone; a slab in person shows the batch. For worktops and book-matched walls, choose from the actual slabs whenever you can.

How Itmam supplies and fits stone

We supply marble, granite and quartz from a catalogue of 94 stones, onyx included, and you can see stone at our showroom in El Deresa, Alexandria.

Stone tops are made in our own workshops: templated on site, cut and installed by the same team. Supply-only is available if you have your own installer, and every order starts with a written, itemised quotation.