Granite
Granite is a heavy, porous stone with a granular appearance. It is often used to make kitchen countertops, as it has a striking look and creates a strong focal point for the room. Granite also is resistant to high temperatures and acidic products often found in kitchens. Because of its weight, granite typically is not tumbled.
 
Many renovators are adding granite kitchen countertops because there's a certain amount of prestige about it is a long-lasting material.
 
Granite also blends well with the large, stainless steel commercial appliances that are popular among today's consumers. It is considered easy to maintain and is available in many colors that compliment the popular woods used to make cabinets, such as maple. Most consumers use tan, brown, and black for the main countertop.
 

Marble
Marble has a lot of veins running through it and typically is seen in green, white, black and gray. It is not recommended for kitchen countertops because it is soft and porous.
 
Marble often is used for floors, particularly in a polished finish in foyers. This style creates a statement at the entrance to the house. In bathrooms, many prefer the muted look of honed or tumbled marble in earth tones, as they create an Old World look. They often use tumbled marble on floors, walls and vanities.

Limestone
Limestone has a fairly smooth surface without much graining. Consumers often select it because of its natural look that blends with many decorating schemes. Most limestone is honed, but some can be polished. The most common colors are beige, gray, and white, but it also is available in black, brown or yellow.
 
Limestone is best suited for use on floors and shower walls. It is absorbent and more likely to stain than marble. Those who want to use it in the kitchen should test a sample in the kitchen before having an entire countertop installed.
 
When deciding which stone to use in a room, also consider the type of lighting in that room and surrounding areas. Black granite, for example, will look gray under fluorescent lights and black under incandescent lights.
 
After finally weeding through all the types of stones, consumers would be wise to visit the supplier and select the individual pieces themselves. As each stone is unique, so are the color, texture and grain variations. As a result, the same color stone could look different at each supplier.