How do you choose the best material for your kitchen worktops? You need to take into account a few different factors to make sure you get the right choice. There are both natural and manmade options, with stone worktops alone giving you a number of possibilities. If you’re in the market for stone worktops, taking a look at the different materials will help you decide which one is most suitable for your kitchen and which one suits your tastes too. Each stone material offers different benefits and some potential drawbacks too, so choosing the right one takes some careful thought.

• Granite

Granite is a popular choice for people who want stone worktops that look beautiful and will last a long time. If you’re ready to invest in a material that won’t let you down, you have some incredible style options. Granite is heat-resistant and easy to keep clean, plus it gives any kitchen a beautiful, natural look. It’s an igneous rock made of crystals, which means it has a great shine to it when it’s sealed. You might think of granite worktops as being very expensive, but they’re actually much more affordable than you might think. However, heavy granite needs quality kitchen units to support it.

• Marble

Anyone who’s looking for luxury and indulgence should look at marble as a possibility for their kitchen worktops. Marble offers one of the highest standards you can find if you want to use natural stone in your kitchen. It’s a favourite of professional chefs, especially those who need a cool surface for rolling out pastry or tempering chocolate. Marble isn’t too difficult to keep clean and it handles heat, as well as providing a cool food preparation surface. You can guarantee that each piece of marble you use in your kitchen will be unique and will elevate the sophistication you can feel every time you walk in. Marble worktops is unlikely to be a necessity in many people’s kitchens, but who says that you can only buy things that you need?

• Quartzite

Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that was once quartz sandstone but converted to quartzite through heat and pressure over time. It might be one of the materials for stone worktops that you haven’t heard of. Its popularity has grown over the past few years and it’s loved for the beautiful patterns and streaks of colour it provides. Quartzite comes in a range of colours, from shades of white to orange. Its aesthetic qualities offer one of the main benefits, but there’s more to enjoy about quartzite. The maintenance needs depend on the type of quartzite. Some need to be resealed fairly often, while others don’t need to be resealed at all. Quartzite is strong and it offers an affordable option compared to some other stone worktops.

If you choose to have natural stone for your worktops, you have several materials to consider and a huge range of colours to choose from too. Pick the material that best suits your budget, your needs and your taste.