While customers can pursue Soapstone or Limestone or Marble, the most common/popular "Natural Stones" is "Granite".

• Typically solid slabs of 1¼" thick material quarried from the earth
• Many colors can be available as tiles for more varied applications
• Not being a manufactured material, availability & supplies of specific stones vary from time to time, which will influence cost, creating something of a "commodity" nature to stone
• Natural granite is imported from all over the world
• Selected primarily for its highly polished and reflective visual beauty
• The complete uniqueness of each stone typically requires a trip to a fabricator or a stone wholesaler to select and tag the actual slabs to be used for your countertops
• All granite countertops are custom fabricated from templates made at your home
• Design flexibility is a feature of granite
• Seams, although kept to a minimum and strategically located, cannot be avoided and should be anticipated
• There are many options for undermounted sinks
• Hot pots & pans will not harm granite
• Need for repairs are very rare
• Granite is porous and requires a bit of homeowner maintenance and attentiveness. Granite is installed in your home with a sealer that closes the surface pores. It is typical that homeowners will need to periodically re-seal their granite, which is not a difficult task. It is recommended that homeowners be attentive to kitchen spills and mishaps, cleaning up promptly to avoid stains. Granite cleans easily with clear water or mild soap, but harsh cleaners or chemicals should be avoided so that the sealer is not compromised. Care and cleaning recommendations are provided to all customers of granite.

The second category of "Stone" is Engineered Stone, most often referred to as Quartz. Natural granite is a slice of Nature that is polished on the surface. Quartz is comprised of approximately 95% quartz crystal that is mined from the earth. Quartz as a natural element, is second only to Diamond in hardness and strength. The quartz crystal is mined, pulverized, mixed with materials to add the colors and patterns, and resins to bind it all together. Special machinery is used to generate slabs of very consistent density, hardness, and strength.

Quartz is often chosen for its lack of required maintenance. It's the closest thing to maintenance free and indestructible that you can find. It is non-porous and never requires sealing. For this reason, Quartz surfaces will not stain or grow bacteria. Soap and water is recommended to clean quartz also, but occasional use of stronger cleaners will pose no threat to your quartz countertop. Quartz has the approval of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), making it a suitable surface for direct food contact, and also for commercial applications involving food service to the public.

Like Granite, Quartz surfaces provide a visually exciting polished surface that adds real sizzle to your kitchen. Fabrication is similar to granite so the job involves fabricator templating, undermount sinks, and the potential for discreet seams.

Because Quartz is manufactured, showroom samples are very representative of the finished countertops, making a special trip to go and view/select a slab avoidable if that is preferred.

Performance Countertops displays several brands of Quartz surfaces which provides our customers with an incredible variety of colors and patterns to consider. Featured brands include Cambria, DuPont Zodiaq, Silestone, CaesarStone, LG Viatera, and Hanstone. These all share the same features and benefits, and differ only in colors and cost.