I don't know what you're asking or why the prices are important.

You haven't said what your budget is and we know nothing about the rest of the finishes in the house.

So this is just a wild goose chase. If you think anybody is going to search out photos of all that stuff, dream on.

This is just a matter of buying what you like. You're the only one who is ever going to see it, and there is no right or wrong answer. Buy what you like; that goes for every finish in your house. Nobody can make that decision for you.

Better for Facebook friends.

Granite and Quartzite are the most durable of natural stone. Marble and soapstone require sealing against stains and are more easily scratched. Dolomite is a type of limestone and the hardness of limestone can vary greatly. High ratings not withstanding, I'd expect dolomite to need sealing against stains. In fact, sealing granite is often advised. Note that the commercial stone industry sells gneiss, pegmatite, and labradorite as granite. HERE is a Kitchen Countertop Comparison Chart that details the pros and cons of the various types. I find it interesting that Quartz Surfacing is rated nearly as high as granite and quartzite. I suspect that the quality of installation is most important in determining value.

Why would you get quotes on all of those products?

When I was doing a fireplace refacing I fell in love with some Onyx slabs. They were $10k each and I needed 3. If I really really wanted to I could have justified to myself to spend that much on something I loved, but it made no sense because it was in the master bedroom, where I spend the least amount of time and no one would get to see that beautiful Onyx. I went looking for something else and found a leathered Limestone that was perfect with the other elements in the room and the 3 slabs were $2,200 total. Perfect! During that process I only got pricing on those two products because they were the only ones I was interested in and I didn't need to know what everything else in the stone yard cost.

Which product do you like? Does it fit within your budget? Buy it or find something you like just as much that fits the budget. The quotes you have aren't that far off each other, specially when you consider the total cost of a kitchen renovation.

So which one do you like?

Thank you for posting this. It's incredibly helpful to those who are trying to determine budget and options. Our island dimensions are similar, and I'm also wondering whether to do everything the same or if it would be nice to do something unique on the island. When I see photos where it's done well, it looks great. But I don't want it to look like a re-do. I think that contrast is important. So if the island cabinets are a different color, then sometimes it makes more sense that the top is different, too. Keep in mind that fabrication will add extra costs. Like if you want a particular edge or leathered appearance, or whether it needs to be sealed, etc. And some of those options may change depending on which type of stone you select. As others have mentioned, I think you should buy what you love if it fits your budget.

“Marble and soapstone require sealing against stains and are more easily scratched. ”

Reading that makes me want to scream!

MINDSHIFT...Please stop giving misinformation about soapstone.

Soapstone is impervious. It neither stains, or etches. It should NEVER be sealed. Some soapstones are soft, and scratch easily, BUT NOT ALL. There are several varieties that are hard, such as Stormy Black, Anastasia, and Belvedere. We installed Belvedere 4 years ago. We’ve had no chipping, and the only minor scratches were from DH briefly dragging a cast iron pan. The scratches have since faded away, one of the benefits of soapstone.

Try dragging a cast iron pan across granite. I guarantee it will scratch, and the scratches will be permanent...unless you call a pro (like, Joseph Corlett), to repair it. Also, FYI, many granites need sealing.

If you got your info off a website...and it sure reads like you did...the site is outdated, and poorly researched.

As for marble, yes...marble is soft, and stains easily. It needs to be sealed. However, nothing will prevent marble from etching. That’s just something marble lovers live with, and embrace.

Another vote for soapstone not staining! If it did, our former kitchen's counter would have been terrible, as one of us gets pretty wild in the kitchen with stuff splattering everywhere.

You are at the counter stage of your project, you likely have a vision of what you want your kitchen to look like in the end. They don't get selected in a vacuum, what are the other color/material selections? I'm counting 18 counter selections; do you really love them all the same? That answer will go a long way to help you decide; you'll be looking at your counters everyday, which of those listed do you really respond to?

This was interesting to read. During my recent countertop quest, I found that pricing comparisons were usually vague and harder to find than info about physical pros & cons of the materials. People in the early stages of their search will probably find this information helpful.

"Marble and soapstone require sealing against stains and are more easily scratched."

Echoing what Darbuka said, this statement from Mindshift above is entirely incorrect. Soapstone should not be sealed. Marble should be sealed, but sealing it will not protect against scratches (or etching for that matter), only stains.

Mittens Cat - you have too many choices, my goodness. That number of choices is crazy. Have you chosen your cabinets yet? What about your floors? If you have, look at the cabinets and floors and see which of those counters will go best. Bring samples of your cabinets and floors with you to the stoneyard or showroom. Narrow it down to 3 or 4. Bring those samples of those 3 or 4 counters home, and see which ones look best in the space. If you don't yet have choices for cabinets and floors, and want to choose your counters first, then decide which ones you like best, we cannot help you in that.

Yes, Mittens, I appreciate your research on slab pricing and your attempt to share it with us. I found it most difficult to get a clear idea of the pricing of each slab When I was shopping. The stone yard had everything marked with an A B C D E or F. My slab preference was noted by the receptionist at the stone yard who called it in to my fabricator. He then measured and and made a quote on the project. So I never knew how much my slabs were And could not do much comparison shopping. So I appreciate your research.

The problem J Inhof is that much of stone slab pricing is regional, and based on local supply and demand. A stone in Mittens Cat's area may be a high-priced "exotic", but that same stone may be middle-of-the-road in another area. Even a stoneyard that is a 1/2 mile away from another one may price and grade stone differently - their source will supply different slabs in different amounts than the next one. For example, Virginia Mist is considered a common middle-of-the-road granite in my area, and other people on this Forum cannot find it in their area, and when they do, it is priced very high because supply is low.

Also, slab pricing changes by the week as the supply increases or decreases for a particular stone, and the demand increases or decreases for a particular stone. If a stoneyard has a bunch of slabs in inventory, and they haven't moved in a few months, the stoneyard will lower the price. The stoneyard down the road that has that same stone but it has sold quickly and they only have 1 or 2 slabs left, will price it higher.

Therefore, unfortunately Mittens Cat's pricing in her OP needs to be viewed as a snapshot in time. You may be able to get some ballpark feelings on one type of stone vs another, but I wouldn't rely on it, or think your stoneyard will have either the same stones available, or the same pricing for each stone on her list. And the "grades" you mentioned are entirely a subjective category by the stoneyard, and do not have any comparability from one area to another.

The way you need to price stone counters for your kitchen is to go to a few stoneyards in your area. Find a few stones you like, and see if different stoneyards in your area price them differently, or even have them available.

The one constant? Calacatta Marble. Priced through the roof, and always has been.

Shannon, you are right on point. Another way to say what you have written is that the stone counter fabrication market is rampant with obfuscation.

As long as the consumer is kept ignorant about the sourcing, pricing, technology expense, stone yard product charges, fabricator’s cut, contractor’s cut and designer’s cut, the pricing can be all over the place. And the customer will be manipulated. There is no transparency at any level of the acquisition so the marketers and other entities can charge whatever the market will tolerate.

It is when customers wise up and start comparing their information, even as rudimentary as mitten’s info may be, that end consumers begin to have leverage. Witness what the immediate data exchange on other products on the internet has done to retail pricing to the benefit of the end consumer.

Yes, some of the service providers add value and they should be compensated, but from what I’ve seen there is a huge variance between installations and IMO some of the providers are making out like bandits. With some consolidation of data points and communication among end users the stone counter industry could be ripe for disruption.

Just my two cents, 😊

Find a fabricator. Some of those slabs won't cover the island in a single piece.

I have gone to 2 different kitchen cabinet places and they do not quote stone prices. In one case, I got to choose between “levels”. Price goes up as level no’s. go up. In the 2nd instance, they did not offer to see a slab. How does one choose based on a 3-4” square?

They offer convenience.

Find a fabricator (C54 and/or D61 license) and they will suggest a slab supplier. Kitchen cabinet "place" cannot quote installs unless they have a license as above or a B license performing multiple trades on the project.

@ Jeff, this is in Canada, not sure if it makes a difference. They have their supplier/installer from whom they order the slab. Regardless, I don think I will be using these companies.

Sorry, I read it as SoCal = Southern California!!

"Shannon, you are right on point. Another way to say what you have written is that the stone counter fabrication market is rampant with obfuscation."

NO. That is NOT what I said at all. I do not know how you got that from what I wrote. You missed entirely my point. The theme throughout my post was that stone pricing is a matter of supply and demand. I said that every which way. Your outrage and paranoia ignore that you and everyone else are free to go to as many stoneyards as you want, and as many fabricators as you want, and get quotes until you find one that is the right combination for your budget and what stone you like. You are also free to seek out other materials like wood, formica, Corian, stainless steel if you don't like stone pricing. If the stone you like is out of your budget, that is not anyone "manipulating" the customer. Again, that has to do with supply and demand. What you like may be what everyone else likes at that point in time, and if there isn't a lot of it, the price will go up and may be more than you are willing to pay.

You also ignore the idea that the more skilled fabricators charge higher prices for their expertise, as they should. Do you know how many hack jobs of counters we see on this forum from people who hired fabricators based on their low cost? Hundreds. You wrote "some of the providers are making out like bandits" - what? People are entitled to make a living and put food on the table for their families, and if they are very good, they should make more. Again supply and demand - if people aren't willing to pay, the price would go down.

"the marketers and other entities can charge whatever the market will tolerate." Yes, that is called a free market. It happens for everything you purchase every day. Food, furnishings, housing, gasoline, entertainments, electronics, airfare, etc. If you don't like those charges, you are free to look at all the other choices available to you.

I am disappointed you misinterpreted what I said. I want the readers of this forum to know that what you are saying is not what I was saying.