The Various Differences Between Granite & Marble

When looking at the most fabulous properties on the market these days, you can almost always count on marble or granite being part of the listing description. In November 2019, Hollywood actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson purchased a country estate in Georgia for $9.5 million, and the various structures in the property all featured extensive marble flooring. In the same month, former NBA star Boris Diaw, who finished his career with the Phoenix Suns, listed his Arizona home for $2.8 million, and granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms were among the many highlights of this listing. To those who aren’t familiar with natural stone, spotting the differences between marble and granite may not be so easy. Both are rich in minerals and share a couple of geological formation processes. In some cases, they may look similar because of their color, veining, texture, and surface finish. Here are the main differences between these two stones. Marble Is Sedimentary, While Granite Is Igneous The crystallization of marble is caused by the accumulation of sediments over millions of years, and the main causal agent of this process is water. Granite is an intrusive rock that results from volcanic action caused by magmatic activity. Both stones present an attractive combination of minerals, but granite tends to have a higher concentration of silicon dioxide while marble is richer in iron oxide. Both share metamorphic properties, which means they’re formed from other rocks through geological and chemical processes. Whether you have marble, granite, or another type of natural stone, there's a three-step process when it comes to caring for it properly. Watch this informative video to learn what you need to do: Marble Is More Porous Than Granite One of the reasons granite has been displacing marble as the preferred choice for countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms is because of its lower porosity. Some types of fine marble such as the one extracted from the Carrara region of Italy are notorious for easily developing water stains if they’re not properly sealed. Granite is more resilient in this regard. However, just like marble, it still needs to be frequently sealed with a specially formulated granite sealer such as Granite Gold Sealer®. Granite Is Harder Than Marble On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, marble scores around 4, while granite can score as high as 6.5 thanks to its higher quartz density. Both stones feel pretty hard to the touch, but marble won’t be able to scratch granite. In busy kitchens where extensive meal preparation calls for chopping and cutting of ingredients, granite is often preferred because of its hardness and durability. Marble Is More Distinguished Than Granite Whether marble looks better than granite is a matter of personal opinion, but ancient sculptors and builders always preferred to use marble for their most decorative pieces. Marble has always been considered to be more valuable. When tourists visit the Roman Coliseum, they notice several sections are missing while the more functional granite blocks remain in place, and this is because the fine marble has been stacked for centuries. Whether you have marble, granite, or another type of natural stone in your home, it needs to be cleaned regularly. To learn how to clean natural stone, contact the Stone Care Experts at Granite Gold® at 1-800-475-STONE (7866). If you’d like to know where you can find Granite Gold® brand products near you, use our Store Locator.