I keep seeing granite countertops listed on real-estate listings, home improvement/remodeling project ads, etc. Why is this particular amenity so popular and considered such a plus? What are the alternatives and why are they inferior (at least, inferior enough not to be explicitly mentioned like granite countertops are)?
In: Engineering
Assistant architect here. Granite tops are mostly aesthetic, just like other types of stone tops, like marble, terrazzo or quartz for example. The reason for picking this over other options is mostly for the grain pattern or veins on the natural stone, making it uniquely beautiful as these patterns are difficult to replicate especially for marble veins. There are artificial ones, which are passable (more like large format ceramic tiles actually) but for something which you will sit or use up close like a countertop, sometimes the printed grains and veins can be seen.
A nice veined marble can look good in a well designed kitchen and the same one can be tacky as heck in a badly designed one, so this is personal taste and professional execution. As for feel, it honestly feels like a solid product with a nice cool touch, part of why people would like to use natural stone if they can afford it.
As for how it is mounted on the counter, normally a 20mm piece would be used, not really that thin, and then there are edge details which can be done to magically make it look much thicker than it actually is. Any thinner isn’t really recommended, also a bit difficult to source from my experience, and any thing veneer-like is more a question of why the heck is that used on your counter?
Your other options are the artificial ones like artificial quartz or corian. Those function comparable to the stone above, heatproof, impact proof etc, but the patterns and grains tend to be more subtle and consistent as it is difficult to replicate natural veins, but still, it’s possible to make a nice kitchen with this. Functionally, the good quality ones are similar to natural stone, a possible plus side is that the man made ones tend to be much more stain resistant than the natural ones, as natural stone has pores in it which if not sealed well, can allow for wine or water to seep in.
There are also composite panels, which in a way can be an option, however I feel that they aren’t as strong as natural stone or artificial quartz, with regards to heat, and in a design sense they don’t feel as nice to the touch.
All this being said, granite is often emphasised as a big deal because of the cost and feel of it as well as the uniqueness of the stone’s grains and patterns, giving the kitchen that premium magic; and it does, only if the interior and spacial design helps make it work too.
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