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If you have a home project, the first factor that you would have to consider is how much money you have to spend to get the results you want. If it's a natural countertop you want then your budget should allow you to do just that and more. The first thing that you need to do is to research what is available and what actual costs would be. Natural stones that are used to make most countertops are granite and marble.

Natural stone comes in various types of granite and marble slabs. The prices of these stones are set by factors that are sometimes out of your control. Demand drives prices up and because most of the stones are imported from other countries, import costs and transport costs factor into this. This of course might be outside a simple normal home improvement project. Most stores will give you an estimate on most things and they might even offer advice to someone who is looking at a remodelling job. Getting estimates helps with the budgeting process and they can also come in handy if you as a bargaining tool to drive a particular fabricator's prices down if he is offering the same grade of granite or marble at elevated than someone else.

When buying granite or any natural stone countertop, the rule is that the price says a lot about the quality of the slab you are getting. Anything stone that costs less than $7 per square foot is considered "of dubious quality". The same can be said for cheap installation price. Installation is as important as the countertop itself and how you go about it will determine the results and the quality of the countertop.

Granite and marble are popular for both how they look and how valuable they can make a person's property become. The price however tends to be off-putting. Besides the price granite is porous, it needs care and maintenance so that stain, scratches and chips do not show over time. There is a newer but more expensive type of natural stone on the market that is knows as engineered stone. The cost of a slab of engineered stone can come up to $125 per square foot.

Engineered stone is everything that granite isn't. The surface is non-porous, it is virtually scratch resistant, is more durable, presents a more uniform colour and texture. Engineered stone is made from quartz, which is the forth hardest mineral on the earth surface after sapphire. And because it is made from quartz, which comes in a variety of colours, it also means there are more colour choices that you can make with engineered stone.