The honest answer to 'which stone for a kitchen' depends less on the stone and more on how the kitchen is used. Here is the trade-off, without the sales gloss.
Marble
Calcium carbonate, which means acid etches it. Lemon juice, wine and many cleaning products will leave a dull mark on a polished marble worktop, and no sealer prevents this — sealers resist staining, not etching.
Marble is still the right answer for people who genuinely want a surface that records use. It is the wrong answer for anyone who will be upset by the first etch mark.
Granite
Igneous, hard, and acid-resistant. Granite handles heat, knives and acidic food without complaint, and a leathered or honed finish hides daily wear well.
The visual range is different — speckled and crystalline rather than veined — which is why people who want the look of marble often will not accept granite.
Quartzite
Metamorphosed sandstone: often as hard as or harder than granite, with veining that can read very close to marble. For many kitchens it is the honest compromise.
The caution is naming. Several commercial 'quartzites' are actually softer dolomitic marbles sold under a quartzite name. Ask for an acid spot test on an offcut before committing.
Takeaways
- Marble etches with acid; no sealer prevents that.
- Granite is the durable default; quartzite is the marble-look compromise.
- Always acid spot test a 'quartzite' offcut before you buy it.