Bench Top 101: Pros, Cons, and Best Uses for every bench top material in Australia

Short answer: There’s no single “best” stone for every kitchen. Granite and quartzite are the most forgiving day-to-day. Marble and limestone are stunning but need gentler care. Dolomite sits in the middle. Porcelain is durable on paper but can chip; modern engineered surfaces again, are durable on paper but can bend and don't take heat well. Pick the look you love, then match care level to how you actually live.

What matters most (in plain English)

• Hardness (scratch/chip): How tough the surface is against daily knocks.

• Stain resistance: How quickly spills soak in.

• Etching: Whether common acids (lemon, tomato, vinegar) mark the finish.

• Fixability: How repairable chips, scratches and stains are.

• Heat tolerance: How does it handle heat applied to it.

• Luxury/Resale: The timeless appeal buyers notice.

• Best uses: Where each material shines at home.

Hardness (scratch/chip): How tough the surface is against daily knocks

Think of hardness as your “forgiveness factor.”

Best								Worst
Granite	Quartzite	Dolomite	Engineered Stone	Marble	Limestone	Porcelain	Onyx	Travertine

• Granite & Quartzite (natural): So hard they can blunt knives. You generally won’t scratch or chip these unless you drop something heavy or strike an edge hard.

• Dolomite: A notch softer. It can scratch, but it doesn’t tend to chip as readily as marble.

• Engineered surfaces: Engineered stone used to be incredibly hardy before the engineered stone ban, but the new formulas can tend to bend, sag, and twist. As this is a relatively new product, it's not fully formed yet. So while this material can be scratch resistant, it can warp over time.

• Marble & Limestone: Softer; can scratch and chip with sharp or abrasive contact. Accept some patina if you love the look.

• Porcelain (sintered): The face is hard, but edges/corners chip easily, even with minor bumps. Be extra careful moving heavy pots or doing “impact” jobs (e.g., cracking ice). Undermount sinks aren’t ideal due to edge vulnerability.

• Onyx: Crystalline—gorgeous but brittle. Can scratch and shatter on impact. Not recommended for heavy-use kitchen prep.

• Travertine: Soft and open-pored; scratches easily and is high maintenance on benchtops.

Picture it: Granite/quartzite = steel-toe boots; marble/limestone = beautiful leather shoes you polish; porcelain edges = sharp but chip-prone porcelain mug rim.

Pictured are different types of granite - the hardest surface

Resistance to staining

Porosity + finish (polished vs honed) drive this.

Best									Worst
Porcelain	Polished Quartzites	Engineered stone	Granite	Honed Quartzite	Marble	Dolomite	Limestone	Travertine	Onyx

• Porcelain, Polished Quartzite, Engineered stone, and Granite are incredibly stain resistant. They should still be cleaned regularly but you have a little time before it damages the stone. Grout lines/edges still need care.

• Marble, Honed Quartzites, Limestone, and Dolomite need to be cared for and cleaned up soon after spills occur. If treated like this, they can remain in pristine condition forever. They can be even more stain resistant after sealing and/or resealing as per stonemason instructions. If they are stained though, this la patina look has a beauty of its own, showing the history of the place it's been living in.

• Travertine & Onyx: Very porous; even sealed, they pick up stains quickly.

Etching (reacting to acids)

Etching is a chemical reaction (not a stain).

Best								Worst
Granite	Quartzite	Engineered Stone	Porcelain	Marble	Dolomite	Limestone	Travertine	Onyx

• Granite, Quartzite, Porcelain and Engineered stone do not etch. They are not calcium-based products, and therefore do not react to exposure to daily acids.

• All other materials, when contacting an acid like lemon juice or tomato juice, will begin to etch as the acid reacts with the calcium on the surface.

Granites and Quartzites are not calcium based so they do not etch

Fixability

How easy is it to make the surface look new again?

Best								Worst
Granite	Quartzite	Marble	Dolomite	Limestone	Engineered Stone	Porcelain	Travertine	Onyx

• Natural stone (Granite, Quartzite, Marble, Dolomite, Limestone): Generally very repairable.

  • Chips: Often rebonded/filled by pros.

  • Scratches/finish wear: Can be re-honed or re-polished.

  • Stains: Frequently drawn out with the right poultice/solvent.

• Porcelain: Edge chips are hard to make invisible. Repairs exist but are often noticeable.

• Engineered: Mixed—depends on brand and issue. Not as refresh-friendly as natural stone.

• Travertine & Onyx: Trickier due to softness/brittleness and porosity; some repairs remain visible.

Pro tip: Ask your stonemason about maintenance options for your exact stone and finish before you buy.

Heat tolerance: How does it handle heat applied to it

Best								Worst
Marble	Quartzite	Granite	Dolomite	Limestone	Travertine	Onyx	Porcelain	Engineered Stone

• Natural Stone & Porcelain (together): Handle surface heat well. The watch-out is thermal shock—rapid, extreme temperature changes can stress a slab or a join and cause cracking. Use trivets for red-hot cookware; don’t drop a scorching pot onto a cold surface or into a cut-out.

• Engineered surfaces (alone): Varies by make/model. Many brands advise against direct hot pots/pans. Always follow the manufacturer’s heat guidance, especially at cut-outs and seams.

Rule of thumb: Heat ≠ the enemy; sudden temperature swing is. Treat joins and edges with care.

Resale Value

Best								Worst
Marble	Quartzite	Granite	Dolomite	Limestone	Travertine	Onyx	Engineered Stone	Porcelain

• Natural stone is often the best investment to increase your home's market value. Incorporating the beauty of natural stone—long synonymous with luxury—into your space can create a striking atmosphere and significantly elevate its market appeal.

• Engineered stone and porcelain often look cheap and manufactured which can sometimes reduce the appeal, especially when used as a feature/centrepiece. They are usually more suitable for cheaper builds or areas out of the visual space. I.e. "Porcelain" is created by printing an image on a big blank tile so when you look close, you can sometimes see the pixels.

Pattern

• This one is up to you! While there are lots of opinions out there, it's ultimately up to you to pick something you love.

Summary

In short: pick the look you love, then choose a material that matches how you cook and clean. Granite and quartzite are the toughest; marble, limestone and dolomite are stunning but need gentler care; porcelain and engineered offer consistency with different edge/heat caveats. Almost all surfaces benefit from sealing, pH-neutral cleaning, boards and trivets—especially to avoid thermal shock. Always view full slabs in person before locking colours or joinery.

See these materials in person at Gladstones Granite and Marble

• Address: 9 Eileen Road, Clayton South (Melbourne).

• What to bring (optional): Sizes, basic plan, photos of the space

• Walk-ins: Welcome