The effective marketing of manmade quartz surfaces has led us to believe that "engineered stone" is superior to granite and therefore we should pay more for imitation stone than the real thing. The reality is manmade materials are not superior in any way to natural stone. And to those of us in the natural stone industry who know the real cost of all of these products, it is like paying more for an imitation diamond than for a real diamond.

The fabrication of natural stone slabs is not a do-it-yourself project. The cutting, polishing and installation of natural stone not only involves specific tools and machinery, they also requires extensive product knowledge.

No. Granite countertops do not require frequent sealing or complicated maintenance. The manufacturers of "engineered stone" often refer to natural stone as being time consuming and difficult to maintain in an effort to promote their man-made materials. The truth is a few stones may require re-sealing once every 6-12 months, but most require sealer every three years, and some stones never need to be re-sealed. Sealing is easy to do yourself and takes very little time.

No. The stone extraction process does not require the use of any chemicals. Only water is used at quarry sites, therefore stone quarries do not produce toxic waste piles which pollute the environment. Projects that include stone meet the requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. LEED, a voluntary program established by the U.S. Green Building Council, sets environmentally friendly construction guidelines for sustainable and energy-efficient buildings.

Not necessarily. A typical slab size is usually between 7 and 10 feet. Therefore, your countertops may not require a seam. Many people do not have a problem with seams, but if you are concerned about them you should discuss this with your fabricator prior to fabrication. How and where it is seamed should also be discussed with the fabricator. Often the seams are so tight they are difficult to notice, however communication with the fabricator is essential in order to avoid confusion or disappointment regarding seams.

Though the polish on any given natural stone definitely closes the structure of the stone, making it less porous. It is still advisable to seal all natural stone upon installation.

Origin, availability and yield of a given quarry are all factors that determine the price of natural stone. With both marble and granite, there is a broad spectrum of pricing.