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Norstone Industry Series - Marble Tile Backsplash
Any time it comes to decorating a kitchen - appliances, cabinets and the hard surfaces are where all of the fun is. And come to think of it, that’s about all a kitchen really is period. It’s also foot to foot the most expensive room to design, build or remodel, so we are talking about a major investment even if it’s the only space you are working on. At Norstone, we work with our customers everyday on stacked stone backsplashes that range in looks from rustic, using our Ochre Rock Panels, to uber – modern mosaic tile backsplashes, with our Lynia Interlocking Tiles. A trend we’re seeing lots of kitchens using is to extend their countertop surface to the backsplash. This can be used to create a more dynamic and bold looking kitchen, create a durable backsplash, and highlight the beauty of the material on a vertical surface.
Of the thousands of choices of slab sized natural stone that could be used for this type of application, including soapstone, slate, onyx, limestone, there are three stones that completely dominate all other materials in popularity when it comes to use as a kitchen backsplash - granite, marble and quartz. Even though design styles are constantly changing and evolving, granite, quartz, or marble tile backsplashes always have a huge fan base as favorites amongst designers, architects and builders. Of the big 3, one stands out as the leader when it comes to overall quality - quartz.
A large part in quartz being such a top quality go-to material is its incredible durability and highly sought after characteristics. Compared to a granite or marble tile backsplash, quartzite is actually much more resistant to stains and acids (etching), more scratch resistant, heat resistant, and easier to care for overall which means less maintenance and more economical over time. Quartz also requires less sealing over time than a granite or marble tile backsplash and has a much more uniform and pure look over all. And one of my personal favorite reasons to love quartz is that it doesn’t harbor bacteria – a clean kitchen is a healthy kitchen! That’s just the short list, but all powerful reasons to consider this wonderful material when designing a kitchen.
In comparison to a marble tile backsplash, quartz outperforms in the maintenance department. Marble tends to stain easily due to being very porous, and thus requires a higher rate of sealing than quartz. A marble tile backsplash can also easily scratch, and does not fare very well when left in contact with acidic foods or liquids since they can eat away at the surface finish.
