Four materials cover almost every kitchen and bath we do — granite, quartz, quartzite and marble. Here is what each is actually like to live with, which one fits how you cook, and the ones we'll talk you out of.
Prices are honest installed ranges for typical Central Florida kitchens. Every slab is different — which is why the consultation and measure are free.
Granite
Most kitchens $3,000–4,500
The workhorse of natural stone and usually the most affordable natural option. It's heat-proof — set a hot pan straight on it — and shrugs off knives and a decade of family dinners, asking only for a yearly wipe-on sealer in return.
Granite reads as speckled mineral, not flowing veins. If you're picturing the soft movement of marble, its busier pattern will disappoint you — say so and we'll steer you to quartzite.
Best for: Busy family kitchens, summer kitchens, first stone projects on a tighter budget
Quartz
Most kitchens $3,500–5,500
Engineered stone, chosen for more than 90% of new American kitchens for good reason: the sample you approve is exactly the counter you get. Zero sealing, ever, a uniform pattern with no slab-to-slab surprises, and a budget you can predict to the dollar.
Its resins fade and can scorch under direct sun and high heat — so we won't sell it for your lanai or summer kitchen, and we'd ask you to use a trivet for hot pans indoors.
Best for: Uniform modern looks, predictable budgets, bathrooms, rentals and busy households that don't want to seal anything
Quartzite
Most kitchens $5,000–8,000
Among the most noble natural stones available today — marble's flowing looks with granite's toughness. We source it straight from the Brazilian quarries, which lets us offer it below typical US-market pricing. It's the stone we recommend when the kitchen is forever.
Because it's a true natural stone, your slab will never match a showroom photo, and it wants a yearly sealing like granite. You approve the exact slab — every vein and color — before we cut. That's our rule, not an upsell.
Best for: The marble look in a kitchen you actually cook in and keep for decades
Marble
Varies widely by slab
The classic, and nothing engineered touches its depth and elegance. It needs sealing and a little care, and over the years it etches and earns a patina — for marble people that softening is the whole point, not a defect.
For a hectic family kitchen we'll usually talk you out of marble — acid like lemon or wine will mark it — and into it for a bathroom, vanity or baking station, where its elegance belongs and the wear stays gentle.
Best for: Bathrooms, vanities, statement kitchens and low-traffic counters
“The right stone is the one that fits how you cook — not the one trending on Pinterest.”
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The finish is half the decision
The same slab reads completely differently polished, honed or brushed. Polished is the mirror everyone knows; honed is soft, matte and forgiving of fingerprints; brushed adds a texture you can feel.
This is exactly the kind of choice that is hard from a website and easy at a kitchen table — which is why we bring finished samples to your home and look at them in your light.
How choosing works with us
01
Book a free consultation
We come to you with samples, look at your cabinets and your light, and listen to how you actually use the kitchen.
02
See your actual slab
Every natural slab is one of a kind. You approve the exact stone — veins, color, all of it — before we cut.
03
We template and fabricate
Precision templating, then cutting and finishing in our own facility. No subcontractors at any step.
04
Installed in about a week
Most kitchens go from template to installed inside a week, with one day of on-site work.
Honest answers about materials
Which stone for a summer kitchen?
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Granite or quartzite — both are natural stone that shrugs off Florida sun, rain and heat, and granite is the budget-friendly pick of the two. Engineered quartz fades and can scorch outdoors, so we simply don't install it there, even if you ask nicely.
How much maintenance is natural stone, really?
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For granite and quartzite: a wipe-on sealer once a year, about twenty minutes, and ordinary soap the rest of the time. Quartz skips even that — it never needs sealing. Marble asks for more forgiveness than effort: it can etch from acids like lemon or wine, so it's about temperament, not labor.
Can I see slabs before deciding?
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Yes — it's a requirement, not an option. You approve your exact slab before anything is cut, so the counter that arrives is the stone you chose.
What if I pick the wrong stone?
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That is what the consultation is for. We will tell you plainly when a stone doesn't fit how you live — talking a family out of marble is part of the job.
Borrow our eyes
A free in-home consultation — we bring samples, look at your space, and tell you honestly what we would install in our own homes.
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