Which natural stone is the most hardwearing?

Natural stone is becoming more and more trendy option used in the building sector, which is applied both in interiors and exteriors, for example to produce stairs, kitchen worktops or window - sills. They come in a variety of types and colours. However, there is one parameter which is particularly important in every household – the durability of stone. Thus, let’s check which natural stone is the most hardwearing.

Natural stone is becoming more and more trendy option used in the building sector, which is applied both in interiors and exteriors, for example to produce stairs, kitchen worktops or window - sills. They come in a variety of types and colours. However, there is one parameter which is particularly important in every household – the durability of stone. Thus, let’s check which natural stone is the most hardwearing.

The hardest stones occurring in nature

 In order to define which stone occurring in nature is the hardest and the most hardwearing one, we have to refer to the Mohs scale of mineral hardness – a 10–degree scale characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. It definitely points to diamond as the hardest mineral to exist all over the world – it can only be scratched by another diamond. Apart from diamonds, there are also stones like quartz, topaz and corundum, which can’t be scratched by any tool steel. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to have worktops made of diamond, but there are still many other durable stones suitable to be used in the building industry. 

The most hardwearing natural stones used in the building industry

If durability is the main criterion for choosing the right natural stone for our home, then we should definitely opt for granite. It ranks very high on the Mohs scale, which means it is resistant to scratches and other external factors including high temperature, and what’s more, it is available in a plethora of colours, owing to which granite matches almost all kinds of interiors.
Quarzite is another remarkably durable natural stone used in the building industry. Yet, it is one of the most expensive materials of this type owing to its high durability and to its remarkable beauty. Marble is another natural stone frequently used in a kitchen or as a staircase. However, marble is much less hardwearing than granite or quarzite. Having a marble kitchen worktop, you have to protect it against getting stained, as it quickly absorbs liquids, which leads to its discoloration. However, we have to admit marble has exceptionally aesthetic qualities.
Such decorative stones as travertine, sandstone and onyx, characterized by lower durability, are also highly regarded in modern architecture. Also, engineered stones such as granite-effect quartz or agglomarble, containing a lot of natural stone, are frequently used in the building sector.

Our Company produces stairs, window - sills, worktops, fireplaces and stone flooring made of the highest quality natural stone, available in diverse shades of colours. We are happy to help you choose the stone which will satisfy your needs.