Stone Guide
Discover our complete selection of wholesale stone products. Don’t know the difference between “engineered” and “natural” stone? Can’t figure out which stone slab has the best traits for your project? Start here with our six point guide.
1.
Maintainance & Cleaning Needs
2.
Professional Repair Needs
3.
Color Selection
4.
Durability
5.
Heat Resistance
6.
Patina Characteristics
1.
Maintainance & Cleaning Needs
2.
Professional Repair Needs
3.
Color Selection
4.
Durability
5.
Heat Resistance
6.
Patina Characteristics
Quartz or "Engineered" Stone
Sparkle White #1023
Quartz is an “engineered” stone product.
It is up to 92% mineral based with round hard quartz blended with 6-8% resins, polymers, and pigments. The finished product is a material with a hard, glossy surface.
Quartz slabs obtain their unique, individual characteristics like color, finish, and grain pattern depending on the origin and grain size of natural quartz blended in the production process. For instance, coarsely ground quartz produces a flecked appearance; finely ground quartz produces a smooth look.
Quartz is extremely hard, durable, non-porous, and somewhat heat resistant. No sealing or resealing required to maintain its glossy sheen.
Care for your GFO Quartz countertops only requires cleaning with a soft cloth and mild soap and water. All hot pots and pans should be placed on heat mats, trivets, or cutting boards to prevent scorching. It cannot be repaired once damaged and although extremely hard it can ship and score.
Easy Daily Cleaning & No Resealing Required
Requires Professional Repair
Diverse Color Choices
No Patina; UV Sensitive
Durable & Non-Porous
Somewhat Heat Resistant
Marble
Calacatta Vagli #2009
As one of the earliest and most recognizable stone products, Marble remains a timeless symbol of luxury.
Noted for its trademark bold, thick veins Marble exhibits an extraordinary quality of luminescence not normally found in other natural stones such as Granite or Soapstone. It also has a unique patina that only gets better with age.
The color of the veins organically vary from white, black, and gray depending on the color of the base stone and the type of impurities from other natural stone that contribute to the composition of the slab.
Compared to Granite, Marble is softer and therefore prone to scratching, chipping, and scoring with daily use. It is nevertheless still a very durable material that can be repaired. It also only requires periodic sealing and daily cleaning.
Marble comes in either a polished or honed finish.
Easy Daily Cleaning & Occassional Resealing Required
Requires Professional Repair
Trademark Bold Veining & Unique Color Selection
Unique Patina with Age
Soft and Porous
Heat Resistant
Granite
Solarius #3054
Granite is a hardy and resilient natural stone product millions of years in the making.
Formed through compression of molten rock underneath the Earth’s surface, Granite is organically designed for longevity and durability. This material is 100% naturally resilient against scorch marks and sources of impact.
Extremely hard and durable, Granite is difficult to chip or scratch and treatment only requires daily cleaning and resealing once a year to keep stains and discoloration at bay. If needed however, repairs are possible.
With heat, Granite stays cool and doesn’t blister. When polished it is also the most eye-catching natural stone noted for its luminous, multi-dimensional, and high gloss quality.
Granite comes in a honed, polished, and leathered finish.
Easy Daily Cleaning & Once-a-Year Resealing Required
Professional Repair Rarely Needed
Diverse Color Selection
Unique Patina with Age
Durable & Semi-Porous
Heat Resistant
Quartzite
Nacaroda #3065
Quartzite is not the same product as Quartz.
Quartzite is a natural stone product that offers the best characteristics of both engineered and natural stone.
Sourced from the ground just like Marble and Granite, Quartzite is derived from Sandstone and composed of more natural quartz per volume then engineered Quartz. More natural quartz mineral per slab means better hardness then engineered Quartz and natural Granite.
Unlike engineered Quartz, it is also 100% natural without any added binding or coloring agents such as resins, polymers, and pigments that lend engineered stone its uniform color.
Ease of maintenance and durability are the main advantages to natural Quartzite over engineered Quartz. Quartzite is also not prone to scoring, scratching or chipping and requires less care. If damaged, this product must be professionally repaired.
Easy Daily Cleaning & No Resealing Required
Professional Repair Rarely Needed
Diverse Color Selection
Unique Patina with Age
Durable & Non-Porous
Heat Resistant
Porcelain
White Beauty #4005
Porcelain is a multi-purpose, engineered stone product composed of a custom mixture of kaolin clay, quartz, and feldspar rock. This mixture is then heated at high temperatures in a kiln. As a material Porcelain is recognized in everyday products such as decorative vases, cups, and dishware to tile work and counter tops.
Characteristics include being heat, stain, and water resistant while also being non-porous to water and acids.
Porcelain comes in a variety of finishes and colors. No sealing or re-sealing required, with easy clean up using a cloth and mild soap.
Drawbacks of Porcelain, just like any fine Porcelain vase however, includes being prone to cracking, fissures, and chips which will require professional repair.
Heat Resistant
Durable & Non-Porous
Professional Repair Required
Easy Daily Cleaning & No Resealing Required
Diverse Color Selection
Consistent Finish with Age
Soapstone
Marin Black #3016-1
Soapstone is a natural stone product valued for its denseness and deep, dark color palettes highlighted by veins of black, gray, blue, brown, green, and white.
Named “Soap”stone due its more “waxy” and “soapy” feel to the touch, this material is composed of softer natural stone such as Talc, Dolomite, and Chlorite.
The higher the Talc content, the more cost per square foot. Similar to Marble, Soapstone acquires a patina over daily use that is unique to each slab.
For counter tops, Soapstone is organically non-porous to liquids and acids while also being crack, stain, and heat resistant. This makes Soapstone prized in diverse Industrial, Commercial, and Residential settings.
Sealing is not required but occasional re-oiling is uniquely needed for this product to sustain its finish. As a softer stone however, Soapstone is prone to scratching which can be professionally buffed out. Color choices are also limited to a cooler hued selection. Cleaning Soapstone requires gentle soap such as dish soap with a warm, wet sponge since normal cleaning products will darken it.