What Twin Cities Homeowners Are Actually Choosing
The 2025 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study found that engineered quartz led the field at 39% of renovating homeowners, followed by granite at 19%, quartzite at 11%, and marble at 4%. Porcelain slab is the newcomer climbing fast behind them.
Those numbers are a starting point, not an answer. We have been a family-owned tile and stone resource since 1930, and the right material comes down to how your kitchen gets used, how much light it takes, and what you are willing to maintain.
Quartz: The Default for a Reason
Engineered quartz is non-porous, never needs sealing, and comes in consistent patterns across multiple slabs. For a busy family kitchen with a big island, it is the lowest-friction choice on the list.
Its two weak points are heat and ultraviolet light. The resin binder can scorch under a pan straight off the burner and can shift color with years of direct sun.
Pro Tip: A south or west-facing wall of windows over the counter changes our recommendation. In a sun-flooded kitchen or a three-season porch, we steer clients toward porcelain or granite instead of quartz, because UV stability is a material property you cannot fix later with care.
Granite: Hard, Sealed, and Still Underrated
Granite is an igneous stone, genuinely hard, and highly scratch resistant. It handles hot cookware better than any engineered surface and takes a sealer well.
Every slab is one of a kind, which is the appeal and the catch. Two granite slabs from different bundles will not match, so large kitchens need slabs pulled together. Our natural stone collection is sourced from quarries worldwide, and viewing full slabs is the only honest way to judge movement and color.
Tile Resource & Countertop Fabrication
Trying to choose the best kitchen countertops near Minneapolis?
Bring us your layout and we will narrow five materials down to two in one visit. Schedule a consultation at any of our five Twin Cities showrooms, or call our Minneapolis location at International Market Square at (612) 330-9899.
Quartzite: The Marble Look That Can Take a Beating
Quartzite is metamorphosed sandstone. It delivers marble-like veining with far more resistance to scratching and etching, which is why it has become the specification of choice for designers who want drama without the worry.
Pro Tip: A significant share of slabs sold as quartzite in this market are actually dolomitic marble. Before you commit, ask for a lemon juice test on an offcut and leave it ten minutes. True quartzite will not dull. If it etches, you are buying marble maintenance at quartzite prices, and you deserve to know that up front.
Marble: Beautiful, Soft, and Best Used Deliberately
Marble is soft, porous, and prone to etching from anything acidic. It also looks like nothing else, and a honed finish hides wear better than a polish does.
We recommend it most often for baking areas, bar tops, vanities, and fireplace surrounds rather than the main prep run. Patina is part of the deal. Clients who love marble tend to accept that, and clients who will not should choose quartzite.
Porcelain: Thin, Tough, and Built for Big Spans
Sintered porcelain is fired at extreme temperature into a dense, non-porous slab. It is stain proof, heat resistant, UV stable, and available in oversized formats that let us run long islands and waterfall edges with minimal seams.
It is also lighter than stone, which simplifies some installations. The tradeoff is fabrication: porcelain is unforgiving of rough handling, and edge work requires experienced hands.
The Detail That Decides Your Schedule
Pro Tip: Templating happens after cabinets are set, leveled, and fastened, and the sink and cooktop need to be physically on site so we can cut the right openings. A back-ordered farmhouse sink or a late cooktop delays template, and template delays fabrication and install. Get the appliances and sink delivered before the cabinet crew finishes.
Kitchen work continues to hold its value here. The 2026 Cost vs. Value Report puts the national average minor kitchen remodel at $28,458 with an estimated $32,141 added at resale, roughly 112.9% recouped, which is why the surface decision deserves real time.
Compare Slabs in Person Before You Decide
Photos and three-inch samples mislead. Veining, movement, and color under natural light only read correctly at full slab size, which is why we keep material in stock across five showrooms in Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Woodbury, and Lakeville.
Start with our digital slab inventory, get ideas from the project gallery, then come see the real thing. Call (612) 330-9899 or find the showroom nearest you and we will help you choose a surface that still works in ten years.
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