Marble Flooring Vs Granite Flooring: Which One Should You Choose?

Marble flooring and granite flooring both have their own set of beauty, longevity, and strength. You can like either aesthetic or longevity or low maintenance for your flooring. It is really tough to compare marble and granite flooring.  

However, if you still want to know which one should be your best choice between marble flooring and granite flooring, you should compare them at some vital points to get to a conclusion. 

As a well-experienced architect, I can assure you that you will be able to easily decide which one should be your preference between marble and granite flooring after reading this article.

So, don’t escape anywhere without finishing my article ‘marble flooring vs granite flooring’.

Marble Flooring VS Granite Flooring: A Head-to-head Comparison Between Them: 

Below, I’ve made a complete comparison table that will give you a basic idea of marble flooring vs granite flooring:

Comparison	Marble Flooring	Granite Flooring
Using Purposes	Best for entryway, bathroom, and fireplace	Best for bathroom, kitchen,  corridor, or living rooms
Aesthetic	Has large mineral veins and smoother surface	Has shorter mineral veins and rough surface
Maintenance	Needs high maintenance like sealing more frequently than granite	Needs low-cost maintenance like Sealing is needed less frequently than granite
Durability	Less strong than granite	Stronger and Harder
Cost Per square foot	$20-$100 including labor costs	$15-$100 including labor costs

Comparison Of Marble Flooring VS Granite Flooring In Detail:

You’ve already known the basic differences between marble flooring and granite flooring. We, now, will look into the in-depth comparison of marble flooring vs granite flooring:

Using Purposes:

Marble flooring vs granite flooring is not so different in a sense. But, they do have differences to some extent like: marble flooring is often used at the entryway, bathroom, and the fireplace to increase the beauty and keep the durability, and granite is mostly used in bathrooms, corridors, kitchens, and living rooms. 

Marble is easily stained, so for kitchen flooring, marble flooring is avoided and granite flooring is often used. Even on kitchen countertops, granite is a chosen material.

Aesthetic:

Marble and granite both are very beautiful stones. Both of them have aesthetic aspects. But yes, still they have a lot of differences. You can see them when you look closely. Marble flooring cannot hide the large veins running through the stones. Many different patterns are created because of the veins. And the minerals are of different colors. As a result, you can easily see large designs on marble. 

On the other hand, granite flooring has shorter veins. They come in different colors too. But the main difference with marble is that granite has grains that can be clearly seen on the surface. 

Maintenance:

Granite is hard structured. And it has better durability. As a result, you may not need high maintenance for granite floors. When it comes to marble flooring vs granite flooring, you may need better maintenance for marble flooring. Because of its vulnerability and aesthetic, marble often requires high maintenance.

Sealing:

Sealing is a technique to ensure the beauty of natural stones. It stops the porous feature from being destructive by the use of water or any other liquid to clean the surface. 

Marble and granite both are porous. As a result, both of them need sealing. Sealing is not a forever solution. You should seal your granite floor or marble floor from time to time. Both of them should be sealed each 2 years of use.

For a more precise answer, you can do a water taste. Here are the details:

For granites, you can spill ¼ cup of water and see the absorption results. If the water takes no time, apply several layers of sealing, the same goes for less than 5 minutes of absorption. You can do the resealing every 4/5 years. If it takes 10 minutes or more, one layer of sealing is enough with 10/12 years for redoing. If the absorption time is around 30 minutes, you can be satisfied with the present scenario.

For marbles, you can spill ¼ cup of water and see what happens. If absorption takes 1-2 minutes, then one layer of sealing should be applied immediately. For 5 minutes to absorb, apply another several layer of sealing. For 10-20 minutes, you do not need sealing right now but you may need sealing after a few years.

To seal granite or marble flooring, you should look for only a natural stone sealer, which is found as a spray. If you spray the sealer and let the stone absorb for 20 minutes, then one layer of sealing is done. For good longevity, you must apply to seal to the stone surface according to the test. 

Durability:

Durability is a very important part while choosing between marble flooring and granite flooring. A floor can be subject to a lot of weight due to people’s movement on it throughout the day. In that case, having a floor with better durability is important. On the other hand, if you choose stones for a floor, less used, you can look for a less durable but prettier one.

Granite is a rock-based stone, and it is certainly the stone with better durability. It has resistance against scratching and acids. As a result, besides flooring, you can certainly find granite used in many tabletops. Its durability makes it a better choice for countertops. 

Marble is rather softer. It is not crystalized like a rock. It has more beauty but less durability than granite. So, if you are looking for the best solution in case of durability, you should certainly choose granite.

Internal Structure:

Previously, we have stated about the veins granite and marble has. Let’s look beyond the veins and the total internal structure of the stones. 

Granite has a grain surface and is less porous. That means granite has fewer empty pockets in the stone. As a result, it is comparatively more solid than marble when it comes to the internal structure. It plays a better role to make the veins of minerals thinner than marble.

On the other hand, marble is more porous. The feature makes marble more vulnerable and less durable than granite. So, it is advisable to understand what kind of stone best fits your home before even proceeding.

For your information, you cannot see the empty pockets of granite or marbles with your open eye. So, it is important to work with the better one. 

Cost:

This is very important because granite and marble both are natural and premium-grade stones. You cannot even deny the aesthetic values both possess. So, you need to understand that the cost may vary from: stone to stone, pattern to pattern, and color to color. 

It costs around $20-$100 to install marble flooring, while granite flooring costs around $15-$100.

Grades And Installation:

Marbles and granites both require delicate handling for installation. Besides, depending on the patterns and quality, marble flooring and granite flooring need to be examined carefully.

Both of them have different grades and installation processes. You must choose the installation process carefully according to the grade of your granite or marble stones. 

Related Questions:

What Is Better For Bathroom Marble Or Granite?

Because of the ability to hold water, marble is a better choice for your bathroom floors than granite.

Is Marble Or Granite Flooring Best For An Entryway Or Foyer?

For an entryway, marble flooring is a better choice for the foyer as it is more aesthetic and softer. Granite can be used basically anywhere. So, you can use granite for an entryway.  

Is Marble Or Granite Heavier?

Between marble or granite, marble is the heavier natural stone. It can weigh around 67 pounds for a 10 square foot slab, while for the same size of granite, the weight is around 65 pounds.

Which Flooring Is Better Marble Or Granite?

First of all, both of them are natural stones and you can be assured about that. No man-made products can be as good as any of them. But still they have various physical differences.

Marble’s true form is mainly limestone or calcium carbonate. It is heated and pressurized over time which forms a single crystal. The time duration of creating marble is not just centuries, rather millennia. Nature gives its own shapes and minerals to add beauty and patterns to marble stones.

Next comes granite. Granite is also a natural stone that is formed over millennia too. But it is formed deep within the world’s crust. Granite is basically a rock, molten and cooled deep within the earth. Such a process gives it the reputation to become one of the most beautiful but hardest stones from time to time. You can find quartz crystals and minerals within the granite.

However, marble and granite are both natural and beautiful stones. For the bathroom and foyer, marble is a great choice. Whale for kitchen or corridors, granite is a better choice. 

Final Verdict:

Marble and granite both have their own aspects. If you want to choose your flooring between them, you can consider your options through the above-mentioned points. However, If you can maintain it well, beautiful marble is the stone of choice. But if you want less maintenance and durability, granite is the better choice.