I want to defend granite as well. It is by far the most durable countertop material. I find marble to be a bit softer and prone to scratches. The same is also true with metal (my faucets are incredibly spotty due to Houston city municipal water). Wood's surface won't survive very long, and I imagine its upkeep will be the most difficult (unless you want a Jackson Pollock original once the food penetrates the surface). The main problem with tile is grout staining, and I find dark grout very ugly. I don't know much about terrazo or corian, but both are man-made and probably weaker.
None of the granite cleaners really worked for me - they just shine up parts of the granite that are already clean. I switched to cleansers (especially Barkeeper's friend) and cleaning it became quite easy. I found you can also safely use a straight razor on granite to remove the worst deposits. My counter looked really far gone until I tried this, but now it always looks brand new.
Granite Countertop Installation
in Houston Construction, Home Repair, and Improvement
Posted · Edited by flash
Hi,
I want to defend granite as well. It is by far the most durable countertop material. I find marble to be a bit softer and prone to scratches. The same is also true with metal (my faucets are incredibly spotty due to Houston city municipal water). Wood's surface won't survive very long, and I imagine its upkeep will be the most difficult (unless you want a Jackson Pollock original once the food penetrates the surface). The main problem with tile is grout staining, and I find dark grout very ugly. I don't know much about terrazo or corian, but both are man-made and probably weaker.
None of the granite cleaners really worked for me - they just shine up parts of the granite that are already clean. I switched to cleansers (especially Barkeeper's friend) and cleaning it became quite easy. I found you can also safely use a straight razor on granite to remove the worst deposits. My counter looked really far gone until I tried this, but now it always looks brand new.