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West Chin, another New York architect, likened the choice between natural and engineered stone to preferences in jeans.

But in many of his projects, he added, “patina is the name of the game and right in sync with the spirit of the house.” “Natural stone will show wear and tear,” said the New York architect Gil Schafer. Buyers just need to be aware that it will develop a patina over time - which might even be desirable. Marble’s susceptibility to acid and abrasion doesn’t mean it’s a bad choice, he said. “There really is no better-looking material than the original that’s trying to be copied,” said Evan Nussbaum, a vice president at Stone Source, a national material supplier headquartered in New York that sells natural and engineered stone, among other products. The trade-off for people who prefer the look of natural stone, however, is that engineered materials have yet to achieve a comparable appearance, although manufacturers try. Marble is also relatively easy to scratch.Įngineered stone doesn’t react to acids and is more resistant to scratching. Specifically, “marble is calcium carbonate, and acids eat that calcium carbonate, which creates etching,” he said, referring to the whitish haze permanently left behind by things like lemon juice and tomatoes. “We have clients who are chefs, and we have clients who only make coffee in their kitchens,” he said, noting that different people have vastly different expectations about how their countertops will wear over time. “The starting point is to understand how the space will really be used,” said Andrew Kotchen, a founding principal of Workshop/APD, a New York firm that has designed many kitchens for private homes and condominium developments. Are you a reserved minimalist who prefers pure white Corian, or a more adventurous type who goes for wildly swirled Arabescato marble?Īnd what about maintenance? Some materials will stain and scratch more easily than others, which will bother some people more than others. Then there’s the appearance: In the contemporary kitchen - increasingly the active heart of the home - the counter is a defining feature that telegraphs personality. Start with the price: Depending on the material, your counter is either a big investment or a very big one. Really, how difficult could it be to choose the right one? Fairly difficult, as it turns out.

Its job is simple: to provide a clean, even surface for food preparation and serving. For such a basic element of the kitchen, why does the countertop cause so much consternation?