Natural stone is far less fragile than people fear, but it does ask for a little routine. Most marbles and quartzites benefit from an impregnating sealer, which soaks in and slows liquids from being absorbed long enough to wipe them up. A simple test tells you when to reseal: drop a little water on the counter and see if it beads or darkens. If it beads, the seal is working; if the stone darkens within a few minutes, it is time for a fresh coat. Depending on the stone and use, that is usually somewhere between once and a few times a year.

Daily care is genuinely simple: warm water, a soft cloth, and a pH-neutral stone cleaner. The thing to avoid is acid — vinegar, citrus cleaners, and many generic sprays will etch marble regardless of how well it is sealed, because sealing prevents staining, not etching. Use trivets under very hot pans as a habit, and cutting boards rather than knives directly on any polished surface.

It helps to separate two words people often confuse. A stain is colour absorbed into the stone, which sealing prevents and a poultice can often draw back out. An etch is a dull spot where acid has chemically burned the polish; it is about surface, not colour, and is largely a marble issue. Choosing a honed finish, or choosing quartzite, sidesteps etching almost entirely.

If you are weighing how much upkeep a particular slab will really need, ask us — care varies stone to stone, and we will tell you honestly which selections are carefree and which want a more attentive owner.