Countertop...
Material Comparison Chart
| Material | Price | Scratch Resistance | Stain Resistance | Requires Sealing | Ease of Repair | Heat Resistance | Sink Types |
| Granite | High | Excellent | Fair | Yes | Good | Good | SR, U |
| Quartz | High | Excellent | Excellent | No | Good | Excellent | SR, U |
| Marble | High | Poor | Poor | No | Fair | Good | SR, U |
| Soapstone | High | Poor | Excellent | Optional | Excellent | Excellent | SR, U |
| Limestone | High | Poor | Poor | Yes | Good | Poor | SR, U |
| Solid Surface | Med. High | Fair | Fair | No | Excellent | Fair | SR, I, U |
| Concrete | Very High | Fair | Good | Yes | Fair | Excellent | SR, I, U |
| Ceramic Tile | Medium | Excellent | Good | No | Good | Excellent | SR, U |
| Stainless Steel | High | Excellent | Excellent | No | Poor | Excellent | SR |
| Laminate | Low | Poor | Excellent | No | Poor | Poor | SR |
| Butcher Block | Medium | Good | Good | Yes | Good | Good | SR |
| Cultured Marble | Medium | Poor | Good | No | Fair | Poor | SR, I, U |
| Sink types: | SR=Self Rimming | I=Integral | U=Undermount |
Countertop "cleanability" studies prove that both granite and quartz are among the safest and
cleanest counter tops materials on the market today, but one isn't
superior to the other.
The study comparing granite, marble and quartz surfaces concluded:
"All surfaces easily met the general FDA criteria for sanitizing... Overall, there was no statistical
difference in reduction after wash and rinse for any of the four
surfaces. This indicates that the differences in surfaces as discussed
in the introduction did not make a significant food safety difference in
cleanability."
(Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, 2006)
