There used to be a clear line between quartz and natural stone. Quartz was very consistent in pattern and offered a lower maintenance surface with a warranty against staining.

These days the quartz companies are creating patterns that look more like a natural stone.

"Natural stone" could be any number of materials too.

Granite is a pretty resilient stone. It is very hard and stand up well against chipping, etching, and scratching.

Marble on the other hand is more sensitive to things like etching (if you have polished marble watch out for things that are acidic e.g. lemon juice tomato juice) and chipping. These are the two most common natural stones used for counter tops.

You will also find slate, soapstone, limestone, quartzite, and onyx. All of these have their own unique qualities.

What it always comes down to with my clients is aesthetic vs. performance (durability, maintenance, etc.).

With natural stone you can select the slab(s) for your project and get exactly the pattern you are looking for. Quartz on the other hand is consistent in its patterns and although there are a huge number of patterns and colors to choose from, they are not unique.

Hope this helps.

Thank you Frank for your response. The information you provided is very helpful. It does seem as though it often comes down to aesthetic vs. performance. The decision really does depend on the individual to choose which qualities are most important to them and work best with their lifestyle, and the choice will vary from person to person. For example, if someone entertains often or has young children they may opt for a more durable quartz option. Caesarstone and Cambria are both quartz options that are not only low on maintenance, but also nonporous and nonabsorbent. So if durability and food safety are high on an individual’s priority list then either one of these would make great choice for countertops.

Do you know the countertop material types / names in those 3 pictures?