Granite is natural stone: hard, heat-tolerant, priced by slab, and it needs sealing because it is porous. Quartz is engineered stone: non-porous, colour consistent, stain resistant, and more expensive. Solid surface allows seamless joints and integrated sinks but scratches more easily. For most Bangalore kitchens the real choice is granite or quartz, and it turns on stain tolerance versus budget.
Last reviewed by R. Jaya Kumar, Founder on 15 September 2026.
What we specify as standard varies with the room and the budget, so treat anything here as typical rather than guaranteed. Your own quotation states the exact specification.
| Material | Stain resistance | Heat tolerance | Joints | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite | Medium — porous, needs periodic sealing | High — a hot pan will not mark it | Visible seam on long runs | ₹₹ |
| Quartz (engineered) | High — non-porous | Medium — use a trivet, resin can scorch | Visible but tight seam | ₹₹₹ |
| Solid surface | High | Low — heat marks it | Seamless, can be joined invisibly | ₹₹₹ |
The honest test is simple: how often will something sit on this surface for an hour before anyone wipes it? A kitchen where that happens daily wants a non-porous top. A kitchen that gets wiped down after every meal can take granite and look excellent for a decade.
Kitchen island + pendants
Quartz is non-porous, so turmeric sitting on the surface wipes off rather than soaking in. Left overnight on a light-coloured top it can leave a faint shadow, which usually lifts with a mild cleaner. Granite, being porous, is the one that needs sealing and prompt wiping to avoid a permanent mark.
Most Indian kitchens use 18-20mm stone on a supported carcass, which is ample for normal use. Thinner slabs are workable when the base units carry the load continuously, and thicker slabs are a design choice rather than a structural need. Confirm the thickness in writing at quote stage, because it affects both price and how the kitchen reads.
Our experience centre in Belathur has the actual samples, and a working kitchen built from them.