Marble Versus Granite Headstone

Granite unlike marble is an extremely hard rock that is more likely to endure the test of time in the cemetery.

Marble versus granite headstone.

Granite is less expensive than marble starting at roughly 75 square foot installed and 100 more than that for higher end stone. Granite countertops have risen top popularity over the past few decades while marble countertops have been a focal point of homes for years on end. The biggest difference between granite and marble is the hardness of the stone. Installed marble countertops start at around 100 square foot and can go over 200.

Marble is softer and will likely deteriorate over time by cracking chipping and eroding especially in outdoor elements. To locate a certified stone and tile pro partner in your area click here. And then there is quartz countertops which have also risen in popularity in recent years as a viable alternative to both granite and marble options. Marble is also available for grave markers and is often more expensive than granite.

However granite is more durable than marble and less prone to stains and scratching. That means it is less susceptible to chipping and cracking. Marble is softer and will likely deteriorate over time by cracking chipping and eroding especially in outdoor elements. Thus the reason that granite is more commonly used than marble.

Prices fluctuate so check your local supplier for up to date prices. Photo by kevin fritz old town cemetery town of hillsborough n c. Today granite has surpassed marble as most popular headstone material. It is common to see marble tombstones that are decades or centuries old that are very difficult to read.

In comparison to marble headstones custom granite memorials can last for centuries. Granite is much harder than marble and it is not brittle. They are natural stones unlike say engineered quartz silestone so both marble and granite surfaces are susceptible to chipping and staining. While marble is easier to engrave than granite mild acid rain can significantly erode marble which can make inscriptions unreadable after a relatively short length of time years or decades depending on weather.

Granite on the other hand is an igneous rock composed of primarily quartz and feldspar and some mica. Marble headstone of henry richards sr 1813 1890. Marble is available in white and gray. Sometimes you run into darker stones made of gabbro maybe a few sandstone markers but especially in more recent monuments marble and granite and other plutonic rocks rule the roost.